Hoot Mondays

Date: Monday, December 30 2024

The Silver Dollar Showroom will host the legendary Hootenanny every Monday this winter.

Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Winter season for the Jackson Hole Hootenanny will be at the Wort Hotel, in downtown Jackson WY, in the SILVER DOLLAR SHOWROOM, every Monday evening, until Spring. The show is free and open to the public, and is treated as a “listening room” for folk music. A full food and drink menu is available for patrons.

Dec 12th will mark the impressive 1,248th Hootenanny performance. It is a very popular open mic that fills up fast. Musicians sign up between 5 and 6pm with the show starting right at 6. Musicians play two, 3-minute songs, acoustic only, and are asked to play a traditional (old enough to vote) tune + one other.

What exactly is a “Hootenanny?” Originally, it was an Appalachian colloquialism which, in the 1960s, morphed into an informal gathering with folk music. Here in Jackson, back in the good ole’ days, Bill Briggs (first person to ski the Grand Teton) brought his music to friends and folkies under the bridge in Moose, WY.  This was the start of what has now become the famous Jackson Hole Hootenanny.

Over the years, “The Hoot” has hosted hundreds of local musicians, as well as, out-of-town celebrities such as John Denver, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Peter Rowan and Chuck Pyle in an atmosphere of congeniality. Differing from other open mike venues, the emphasis is on traditional acoustic music. No amplification is allowed other than two microphones. The audience is asked to be quiet and listen. Often, musicians join together in spur-of-the-moment groups.

The Hoot has seen mike-shy folks blossom into fine musicians and song-writers such as Pete & Anne Sibley and Eric Stone break into the national touring scene. As younger musicians often augment old-timers, the Hoot provides a warm and inviting atmosphere for live traditional acoustic music, now and in the future.

Many of the shows will be live-streamed on Silver Dollar TV (YouTube) for those who cannot be present.