JACKSON, Wyo. — Spring equinox is upon us and so is a fresh beginning for long running local concert series, Songwriter’s Alley. Established in 2007, the multi-act format serves the song, emboldens the performing artist and offers an intimate listening experience for an all-ages audience; win-win-win. For the 151st session of Songwriter’s Alley, a newfound partnership between Andy Munz’s Tumbleweed Creative Arts and Aaron Davis’ Three Hearted Recording Studio will co-present a triple bill of established Jackson Hole songsters this Wednesday at the Pink Garter Theatre—Brock Gleeson, Carly King and Missy Jo.
This revival of music offerings at the Pink Garter comes with a conscious decision by Munz to feature local talent—a reciprocally nuanced way to grow a community of creative across multiple disciplines. In the case of singer-songwriters, a consistent showcase venue for original, acoustic-leaning acts has been lacking for regional artists. Though sporadic in its existence, Songwriter’s Alley has provided that platform, featuring over 100 different songwriters at both traditional and non-traditional venues in the valley.
“Having previously worked with Carly, Missy Jo and Brock, I can’t say enough about their raw talent and upward trajectories,” Davis said. “The Pink Garter is the perfect venue to hear every word. Where else can you bring your own beverage and sit down at a cocktail table to enjoy an evening of local stories and songs?”
Tumbleweed Creative Arts & Three Hearted Recording Studio present Songwriter’s Alley #151 featuring Brock Gleeson, Carly King and Missy Jo, 7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday March 20 at the Pink Garter Theatre. Tickets are $20/advance, $25/day-of. All-Ages. BYOB for 21+; corkage fee of $2 per beer or can, $10 per wine bottle.
Meet the Songwriters!
Missy Jo (Jackson)
Born and raised in Jackson Hole, Melissa Elliott is a singer-songwriter, teacher, and music director performing under the alias Missy Jo whose musical explorations seek to thin the barriers between R&B, Western, folk and jazz. Her songs explore cunning observations on the human experience—life, love, romance in the midst of apocalypse, her affinity for thrift shopping. Between her lyrical vulnerability, genre blending and soulful singing, Missy Jo’s music welcomes listeners into her world. Her most recent single is “Snow in Wyoming” (2023) and she’s working on multiple new releases for 2024.
Carly King (Wilson)
For New Jersey-born and Wyoming-braised singer-songwriter Carly King, what started as a self-exploration into the Mountain West has now become the early stages of a career as a folk artist. King just wants to “go to the mountains alone, buy a plane ticket home and throw out her phone…” In October of 2020, King introduced the world to her sound with those lyrics in her single “Mountains, Alone.” The debut has now accumulated over 2 million streams across all platforms, an honorable mention from American Songwriter, multiple sync placements, and was dubbed a song “on repeat” by Spotify. In 2021, King teamed up with the Infamous String Dusters’ banjo player, Chris Pandolfi, to produce her original song “Shake My Tree” as a contemporary bluegrass tune. Most recently, Carly King released her debut EP From A to B’, a four-track project featuring heart felt western ballads and tunes from her journey on the road. The EP was proudly recorded at Three Hearted Recording Studio in Hoback WY with Aaron Davis and other local musicians from Davis’ band, The Mystery Machine. From ‘A to B’ already received a write up in the American Songwriter and has been streamed by over 20k listeners.
Brock Gleeson (Jackson/Nashville)
Originally from Southern Colorado and currently residing in-between Jackson Wyoming and Nashville, Brock Gleeson‘s writing continues to be inspired by the Rocky Mountains he grew up in. This was demonstrated on his first three albums Ghost in the Garden acoustic EP (2020), Wyoming (2017), and Run Like Hell (2010). Buffalo Honey (2023) is a major step forward for him both in writing and performance. Brock signed a publishing deal for songwriting with an independent record label in Nashville, and Buffalo Honey is the exciting result. You know those songs you start humming minutes after hearing them? Those lyrics that seem stolen from your heart? That’s the sort of songs created by Brock Gleeson. They’re creating an energetic country pop that’s a blend of Jay Farrar’s wordplay and Sugarland’s energy. Brock has opened shows for Jimmy Vaughan, The Young Dubliners, Joy Williams, The Trisha’s, The Futurebirds, and many more.
