This story originally appeared in the 2026 Locals’ Guidebook featuring the Best of Jackson Hole, on newsstands now. Pick up a copy today!
JACKSON, Wyo. — There’s a specific kind of magic in stumbling upon an original act in a city that isn’t yours. It’s a window into the local culture, a connection to the soul of a locality. Though it’s a cover band-oriented music scene, the Teton County (and the greater Wyoming) songwriter community is as wide and varied as the landscape, with a deep discography of releases for consumption.
In music-centric scenes like Austin, it’s not uncommon to see a sign backstage at a club, directed at performers: “Play more than three cover songs and your set is over.” Why? Mostly for vibe control. It’s a conscious effort for the establishment to differentiate from being a live band jukebox environment, a scenario that can be as homogenized as commercial radio. It encourages an original act to maximize their creative freedom and for the patrons to enjoy that original flavor of local culture — all the while “investing in local.”
“Jackson attracts the adventurer type of musician, a little more on the athletic side,” notes Susan Jones, a Wilson-based music teacher, songwriter, and co-producer of the Songwriter Showcase.
In resort communities and tourist destinations across the country, including Jackson, soloists and full bands playing other artists’ music encompasses the greatest percentage of working acts. Most of the working musicians playing covers are just trying to pay rent and keep their chops sharp, perhaps even to fund that original project that lacks the same return on investment. Performing songwriters are the minority. Neither is a threat to the other, and most Teton County musicians willingly do both. While often underappreciated and under-supported, Teton County songwriters and original ensembles can hold their own, and they want to share it with you.
Tracking down a Teton County artist performing original music is not particularly difficult, though it does take a bit of research on the front end. For upcoming performances, keep an eye out for: Open Mic nights at the Mangy Moose “Belly” and The Virginian Saloon, opening slots at Music on Main (in Victor, Idaho) and Concert on the Commons (in Teton Village), and locally curated lineups at The Songwriter Showcase and Songwriter’s Alley. Look at concert calendars: on local venue websites, on BandsInTown.com, or on local news outlets like Buckrail and the Jackson Hole News&Guide.
Other resources include the Wyoming Arts Council’s “Wyoming Road Trip Playlist,” an annual Spotify release featuring music and podcasts by Wyoming-based artists. For a taste of 14 of Wyoming’s songwriters performing original music in the studio, including five Teton County songsters, check out The WyoFolk Project, a compilation recorded in Jackson Hole and published to streaming platforms in 2023.
According to the SMU DataArts Arts Vibrancy Index, Jackson (listed as Wyoming-Idaho) was ranked as the No. 1 most arts-vibrant community in the nation in 2025. Outranking major cities like New York and San Francisco, Jackson was recognized for its “exceptional arts activity, high cultural participation, and strong public support.” Jackson surpassed major cities like Nashville and Santa Fe, with a high per capita expenditure on public art.
Original, one-of-a-kind art pieces are highly desired and there’s a direct, physical ownership attachment. Much of the same is true for photography prints. Both of these artistic formats are highly marketable in Teton County, and rightfully so; there are talented, savvy artists producing them. Arguably, the regional music scene has just as much to offer, at a fraction of the cost and at a lower barrier to consumption. CDs are all but dead and vinyl records are a niche, so there are fewer physical products for music connoisseurs to “own,” though savvy songwriters generally have something to sell at the merch table. In the current state of AI-generated music, regurgitated streaming playlists, and the ability to tap on any song that you desire to hear, the “local” songwriters revival has dawned a new era.
It’s not about pitting original artists against cover bands, as they’re often the same entity, harmoniously pushing forward in a struggling, competitive industry. Consider them singular parts of the same healthy forest. Cover acts celebrate our shared history, the memorable old growth of shared choruses. Performing songwriters are writing the future, carrying the cultural torch of musical discovery, trying to find the space to make a living as creatives. If you encounter one or the other, bridge the gap as an active participant. You could be supporting the next McCartney, who also happened to climb the Grand that morning.
