Deadwood Jam Brings Two Days of Free Music to Outlaw Square
Ian Munsick, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and a wide-ranging lineup take over Deadwood Friday and Saturday.
Deadwood Jam returns to Outlaw Square Sept. 18 and 19 with two days of free live music ranging from country and blues to funk, bluegrass and garage rock.
Now in its 36th year, the Jam has been bringing musicians to Deadwood since 1991. What started with volunteers hauling stages across Main Street has grown into one of the longest-running music festivals in the Black Hills, with past lineups including artists such as Johnny Winter, Leon Russell, Blues Traveler, Taj Mahal, Jonny Lang and Buddy Guy.
This year’s festival starts at 5:30 p.m. Friday and continues beginning at noon Saturday at Outlaw Square. Admission is free both days.
Friday: Ian Munsick, Ashland Craft and Will Jones
Friday leans country, led by Wyoming native Ian Munsick, with Ashland Craft and Will Jones also on the lineup.
Munsick’s Deadwood appearance lands in the middle of a much bigger weekend for the singer. His new Cowboy Bar & Western Grill officially opens Friday at The Landmark, with music and activities planned throughout the weekend. After spending years playing Deadwood and building a strong regional following in the Black Hills and Wyoming, Munsick is adding two more permanent performance stages to downtown Deadwood with the new venue.
The timing means Friday will have live music moving through Deadwood for most of the day before the Jam even begins at Outlaw Square.
Saturday: Blues, Funk, Jamgrass and More
Saturday opens the lineup considerably, moving through several different corners of roots and American music.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band returns to Deadwood Jam nearly three decades after Shepherd first played the festival in 1998. The blues-rock guitarist also returned in 2005 and comes back this year while celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Ledbetter Heights.
Saturday’s lineup also includes Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass, which brings Williams’ improvisational approach into bluegrass and Grateful Dead material.
Colorado’s The Burroughs bring a nine-piece horn-driven soul and funk band, while The Hooten Hallers mix blues, garage rock, country, punk and jazz with guitar, drums and baritone saxophone.
Wyoming songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jalan Crossland is also on Saturday’s bill, along with Stank Nasty.
The range is actually pretty close to the original idea behind Deadwood Jam. When the festival was being developed in the early 1990s, organizers deliberately avoided building it around one genre. The idea was to create a “Jam” where country, blues, rock, jazz and other styles could share the same weekend.
Thirty-five years later, that’s still a pretty good description of the lineup.
Art and Jam Returns
Music isn’t the only art at the festival.
The annual Art and Jam auction returns to Outlaw Square with work by Black Hills artists, including painting, photography and sculpture.
A live auction takes place Friday, followed by a silent auction Saturday. The highest Saturday bids will be announced from the main stage.
Know Before You Go
The 36th Annual Deadwood Jam takes place Friday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 19 at Outlaw Square in Deadwood. Admission is free.
Friday
Music begins at 5:30 p.m.
Lineup:
Ian Munsick
Ashland Craft
Will Jones
Saturday
Music begins at noon.
Lineup:
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass
The Burroughs
The Hooten Hallers
Jalan Crossland
Stank Nasty
One rule is particularly worth knowing before hauling your festival setup downtown:
No chairs are allowed Friday.
On Saturday, chairs may be set out beginning at 11 a.m. All chairs must be removed after the concert.
Deadwood’s open-container rules will also be in effect during the festival from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. An official Deadwood Event Cup is required for anyone participating in the open-container area.
The Jam is outdoors at Outlaw Square on Deadwood’s Main Street, and both days are free.