Musicians Helping Musicians
Teton Valley Music Alliance helps local artists get their time on stage
Teton Valley can be a hard place for musicians. Not for a lack of inspiration—there’s plenty of natural beauty and connection to the land to satisfy a singer-songwriter—but for its lack of a local music scene.
The talent also isn’t lacking, of course, but it doesn’t have plentiful open mics and studio spaces where artists can organically meet and perform. Tom Toxby and Paul Monk want to change that.
As co-founders of the relatively new Teton Valley Music Alliance, they aim to build that kind of scene, creating exposure and supporting artists along the way.
“Really, the Teton Valley Music Alliance is realizing my dream to help promote local musicians and provide more awareness to what we’ve got going on here in the valley,” Tom says.
Nearly forty years into his music career, Tom has lived around the country, from New York to California to Colorado, and brings the experience of playing in big cities, like Denver, and with original bands, including locally with Switchback and Ticket to Space. Though he generally sticks to the bass and guitar, he sings “when pressed into service.”
Likewise, Paul, who grew up in southern Minnesota before heading west, is an accomplished musician who mostly plays guitar and sings, though he dabbles in other fretted instruments like the bass and ukulele, as well as the accordion. He’s had a varied career, playing in punk, folk, and alt-country bands, with a good stint in Missoula, Montana, before he moved to Teton Valley.
Playing together in the band Switchback, the duo came up with the idea of growing the local music scene. Paul, who in the past hosted an open mic night at Victor’s Westside Yard, says they wanted a way to support local musicians, especially the ones who haven’t caught their break just yet and snagged prominent shows like the opener spot at one of the Music on Main summer music series shows or a set at the Trap Bar at Grand Targhee Resort.
The organization’s website acts as a clearinghouse for artists, with links to emails for many and descriptions of styles. For instance, the entry for Blu Dog Howlin’ says the band, fronted by Fred Marmsater, plays a wide range of music from the 1960s onward, and originals, and that they are available to hire for events and open to collaborating with other artists.
While that might not seem like much, this kind of support can be huge for lesser-known artists.
“They really don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a website,” Tom says. “They don’t have to have a generic Facebook for the band; they can actually do that via the TVMA website.”
Besides helping musicians get off the ground, the alliance has a long-term vision of helping to foster musical interest and to create new players.
“The other goal is to promote music instruction,” Tom says. “We want to get musical instruments into more people’s hands.”
Like its directory for bands, the alliance’s website includes a list of music instructors like Tom Murphy, who teaches mandolin and guitar; Liam O’Neil, a drumming instructor; and others. Though the lists are still in their fledgling stages, Tom hopes adding more names will lay the groundwork for the burgeoning music scene.
When it comes down to it, however, a good music scene is ultimately built on concerts. Despite the pandemic continually tossing the past couple of years into turmoil, Tom and Paul teamed up with Scott Kauf, the owner of the Tetonia Club, to throw an outdoor concert competition over the summer showcasing local talent.
Guitarist and singer Joe Champlain took the stage solo in August for the series finals. Having grown up in the area with a musical dad, he’s no stranger to the Teton Valley music community. He has played shows with The Cadillacs and sung at bars but being the focal point of the show was a unique opportunity.
“It was one of the most memorable gigs that I’ve ever done,” Joe says. “Just having people sit there and listen to the words, for a songwriter that’s the greatest compliment you can ever give them.”
For Tom and Paul, that’s music to their ears. Remembering their experiences in cities with bustling music scenes, they both say those moments of connecting with fans and peers were stepping stones to finding their places.
Joel Ninesling, another finalist in the competition, has had a lengthy career that spans from the Intermountain West to Boston, including performances at the Hootenanny, a folk showcase at Dornan’s in Grand Teton National Park. His music is in the vein of roots artists like Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle, a lineage right at home in the mountains.
As Teton Valley becomes busier and more expensive to live in, he wonders whether artists will continue to have a space here.
“Tom seems to think that there [will be], so it’s great to be here and try to share what I do and try to build community,” Joel says.
If one needs proof of the success of the alliance’s work, look no further than the audiences for Joe’s two Tetonia Club sets. At his first round earlier in the summer, about seven people made up the crowd, but in the finals, he saw “ten times” that many faces.
Tom and Paul want to build on that momentum. It’s gratifying to them to see artists step into the spotlight and have the chance to pursue their creative passions. The more they can create those spaces, Paul says, the more people will realize that Teton Valley is already, in fact, full of skilled musicians.
Learn more at tvmusicalliance.com.
