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“This here’s how mountain folks deal with drought, wildfires, burn scars and floods during a global pandemic … we jam.”
This is how Americana jamb band Whiskey Stomp introduced themselves in their 2022 demo video, describing the sentiment that has embedded itself into Garfield County’s music scene in recent years.
Whiskey Stromp is made up of six members all born and raised in the Western Slope. They perform a mix of original and cover music from a wide variety of artists.
“We’re kind of running the gamut from classic rock to what I like to call ‘white boy reggae,’” Jeff Rice laughed.
The band showcases Clint Thompson on drums and vocals, Jake Lincoln on percussion and vocals, Kendall Spyker on guitar and vocals, Jeff Rice on guitar and vocals, Dan Werner on bass, and John Paul Riger on keyboard.
“I think with us we all bring a bunch of different flavors to the band,” Thompson said. “We’re all over the place, really.”
The band began playing music around 2015, though it had not yet adopted the name Whiskey Stomp, or all of its members.
It started off with open mic nights at Rivers Restaurant in Glenwood Springs, where Rice met Spyker for the first time. Lincoln worked as a bartender there, though he and Rice knew each other from way back.
“Jake also went to school with my kids, and so I’ve known Jake since he was little. Since 9 or 10 years old,” Rice said.
Thompson joined the group soon after meeting Lincoln (who had not officially joined) and he began performing with Rice at open mics at the Black Dog Saloon in New Castle, where they convinced Spyker to officially join the group. Still without its iconic name, the band saw several temporary members come and go over three years before becoming the lineup people know and love.
“So the lineup you see now, the six of us, started about six years ago. And a little over two years ago, this six-member piece solidified, and it’s been this way now for over two years,” Rice said.
Their ever-evolving group was a perfect match for their ever-evolving name.
“We had some funny names,” Rice said. “I drove a Volvo XC70, and everybody said, ‘Oh, that’s a luxury wagon you’re driving,’ so we literally had these funny names for a little short period of time, like Luxury Wagon.”
“One day we just thought, ‘Let’s get a real name,’” Rice continued. “And I think it all started when (we) were having a whiskey … and we’re coming up with all these names, and everybody’s like, ‘No, Jeff. No, Jeff.’ And we all took a shot of whiskey and we put it down and somebody said ‘Whiskey Stomp,’ and it just stuck.”
The members’ ages range from early 30s to late 60s, though the age difference is long forgotten by the time the stage lights turn on and the band belts out its opening line.
The band described Garfield County’s music scene as “vibrant,” though not without its challenges.
“It is varied and it is packed. If you go looking, you can find live music everywhere,” Rice said. “So it’s very vibrant, from solo acoustic players to full-blown blowing-the-back-windows-out rock bands.”
He explained that one of the best parts of being a musician in the valley is just that: other musicians. Many are happy to collaborate with other bands or jump in when a member is absent from a performance.
“Not only that, but the quality of musicians in this valley are top notch,” Thompson added. “It’s easy to call each other.”
In a place where it can sometimes be difficult to find the right gigs, there’s no gatekeeping between “competing” artists — a term rarely used to describe other musicians in the valley.
“These people are calling each other (and saying), ‘Hey, I got a gig over here’ or, ‘Hey, my drummer can’t make it. Can you do this?’” Thompson said.
In fact, Rice said he’s heard other local bands perform covers of their original music.
“There’s a lot of ‘I’ll scratch your back, you scratch mine’ kind of thing,” Lincoln said.
One of the reasons this collaboration is so meaningful to Whiskey Stromp is due to one of the biggest challenges faced by musicians in the valley: limited opportunities.
“There’s a lot of great musicians here, but not as many places to play,” Thompson said.
They’ve especially seen this problem in Glenwood Springs following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is no (almost) music, it kind of died,” Lincoln said. “Just in terms of the venues hosting local musicians … There were plenty of bars and venues that would host music, and it’s whittled down to maybe two.”
Seasonal venues like Bethel Plaza and Two Rivers Park keep live music alive and well during the city’s summer concert series, though some have cut their runtime from months to weeks.
“That used to be literally like a 12-week run in the summer. It’s whittled down to six weeks now,” Rice said.
Rice and Lincoln acknowledged the city has been doing a better job at incorporating music into farmer’s markets and other special events, though the winter brings its own challenges.
“We’ve lost venues where we could go and play music in a bar,” Rice said. “Eagles Club is long gone. Rivers (Restaurant) is long gone. There were (more) back in the day.”
Whiskey Stomp has found much better luck playing in nearby towns like Rifle, Carbondale and Aspen, where dinner and bar scenes and local performance venues are gaining popularity.
“Brew Zone is one of the up-and-coming ones that are really trying to go out and support local live music,” Thompson said of the Rifle establishment. “For me, what matters most is, is the venue trying to support the artists that are playing?”
Ultimately, however, the members of Whiskey Stomp agreed the challenges were worth the reward of living and performing in the valley.
“I’ve never played in a more beautiful place than this area,” Thompson said. “I’ll be driving … and I’m like, ‘I cannot believe I live in Colorado and get to play with this kick-ass band.”
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