ALTA, Wyo. — For a guy from America’s Breadbasket to fall in love with the soul music of Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Wilson Pickett is not out of the ordinary. But to tour out of Nebraska for well over a decade and build a fanbase through the middle of the country with “boogie trance” and “heavy soul” is uncommon. Kris Lager will roll into the Tetons with his groovy quartet for a two-day run at The Trap Bar this Friday and Saturday.
Kris Lager Band delivers a legitimate rock ‘n’ roll revival complete with “feel good music,” the dancing and hollering kind. It’s an intensity that rings loud and funky through a pair of cool shades on the band’s latest effort Spectrum (2019), which brings a horn-driven vibe with vintage keyboard textures, a swamp-pop sensibility, and monster guitar riffs. All the while, it comes down to creating a positive vibe from stage to the audience.
“I hit the stage with one intention and that is lifting up spirits,” Lager shares in his Facebook bio. “I believe the way to do that is through awareness of myself and others. It is something I call ‘The Holy Trinity of music.’ There is me, the musician, and then my bandmates (or the people I am creating the music with), and then there is the audience. When I am in constant awareness of all three elements that is when the real magic happens. That is what I strive for as a performer, musician, and songwriter.”
Kris Lager Band, 3-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday in The Trap Bar at Grand Targhee Resort. Free. GrandTarghee.com.
