Lost Cabin After Dark Music Series Is More Than Just Bar Entertainment

Lost Cabin Beer Company has been known for their beer-brewing prowess since they poured onto the scene in 2016. Initially starting out as a place to listen to some bluegrass/Americana/alt-country music whilst sipping on any number of satisfying suds of sapidity, Lost Cabin has expanded their musical palate.

As a fan of both beer and music, I find that the tastes of each can blend well together. And as an avid customer of Lost Cabin Beer Company, I built friendships with many of those involved in all aspects of the business. Through time, talks, and a multitude of beer tastings, I found that not only was there a fondness for bluegrass music, but also a steep lean into the heavier side of music.

It wasn’t too long before I was presented with an opportunity that was almost too good to believe… As a longtime promoter of live music on the DIY/punk/heavy side of things, I have hosted my share of live music events. And as a promoter who does it solely for the joy of bringing live music to the region to share the experience with others and to help grow the visibility of what Rapid City has to offer, I was humbled and overly excited when Lost Cabin reached out.

In 2025, Steph Silbernagel asked me to come share a beer and a chat. It was this conversation that sparked Lost Cabin After Dark. Steph had wanted to start bringing in some heavier live bands (roughly) once a month to see how it would be received. “We figured you were the guy to ask,” she said. My eyes lit up, and my heart grew three sizes that day. In fact, I had been wanting to get bands to play at Lost Cabin for some time prior to this, but the door to this type of music took some time to crack open.

Steph and I settled on some dates, and I began to get to work to contact regional bands that I thought would be a good fit, along with finding local bands to fill an opening slot.

We started Lost Cabin After Dark in May of 2025 and featured 3 stellar local acts: Living In, Howling Embers, and longtime Black Hills Eco-black metal favorites Woman Is The Earth. June gave us Easy Light and Mildred (both Black Hills musical brilliance). We also found numerous bands from the Denver area (Burning Sister, Tuff Bluff, Messiahvore, Malkasian, and Burning Sister again!). We brought Mass Annihilation Now’s grindcore offerings from Lincoln, NE. SuperPlex came down all the way from Kalispell, MT, to wrestle us into submission. Chesterfield came over the hill from Newcastle, WY. Year of October came from Nashville to help celebrate 10 years of Lost Cabin. And we end the 2nd season of After Dark with Dragged Out To Sea from Sioux Falls (along with, fittingly enough, Woman Is The Earth and Gold Metal).

Local talent shined through the experience as well. Bands such as Diaphane, Carrion Crawlers, Zeis, Ruins A.D., Continuum, Chongo, False Surrender, Cranston Joel, Friends of Cesar Romero, Dead Marthas, and others already mentioned gave it their all.

And the best part of the Lost Cabin After Dark series… The aspect that puts the biggest smile on my face… There is a unified community at every one of these events. It’s always my goal to bring people together, no matter the musical taste or background. And these After Dark events do just that. Those in attendance, arm in arm, smiling, laughing, talking, sharing a good time and great experience – that’s the heart of it all.

I have to hand the credit to the staff at Lost Cabin. All I do is reach out to a band to see if they want to play. Lost Cabin does all the work in making it happen. And I, for one, can’t express my gratitude enough. And so many of the out-of-town bands agree. Many of the bands we have brought in have said their show at Lost Cabin is one of their favorites, and they can’t wait to come back.

So, please, come down to a Lost Cabin After Dark if you’re of age. Take in the whole scenario and add to the community. Say “Hi” if you see me (I’ll be the one wearing the biggest grin). And let’s continue to make Rapid City a place where bands are sure to book a stop! It all starts with community.