The 2018 Beartrap Summer Festival is set for August 4th and 5th in Beartrap Meadow on Casper Mountain.

This year’s line-up brings established stars of rock and country to the headliner slots on Saturday and Sunday, and supports them with local, regional, and national bands that embody the diverse attitudes and styles in Americana music.

You’ll hear musical threads from blues to jazz to country to punk on the Hilltop National Bank Stage.

When: August 4th and 5th, 2018
Where: Beartrap Meadow, Casper Mountain
Saturday Headliner: Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Sunday Headliner:  Collin Raye, Aaron Tippin, and Sammy Kershaw (Roots and Boots Tour)

Saturday’s lineup starts out close to home with Casper-based Hagen in the Grainbox, a self-described BrewGrass band that blends elements of bluegrass, folk, Americana, punk, old school country and Irish.  Tallgrass is a Fort Collins band who are “influenced by old-timey sounds while digging through new-timey notes.”  Expect traces of gospel, bluegrass and folk among their auditory originals.  The Two Tracks from Sheridan, Wyoming, play a warm brand of western roots rock, with “just enough twang to make it country and just enough rock to make it interesting.”

Also on Saturday, Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs bring their raw, rich, blues-driven sound to the stage.  Based in Bozeman, they’ve opened for Mark Chestnutt, Wynonna, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.  Next up, internationally renowned roots rockers The Black Lillies blend folk, soul, country, blues and rock in a sound that has taken them from Bonnaroo to the Grand Ole Opry.  Colorado-based Head for the Hills plays post-modern bluegrass that’s made them a hit at Telluride and South by Southwest. And Saturday finishes up with headliner Big Head Todd and the Monsters.

From their home base in Boulder, Big Head Todd and the Monsters have been a force in the rock world for 30 years.  Known for hits like “Broken Hearted Savior” and “Bittersweet,” they are masters of multiple styles. Their most recent album New World Arisin’ is “straight up rock-pop” – but in the last decade, they’ve made substantial forays into roots music and developed a second musical life as their alter-ego band, “Big Head Blues Club.”  This “multi-headed rock monster” does everything but boring!

Sunday’s music includes Aaron Davis and the Mystery Machine.  Fronted by the founder of Screen Door Porch, their blend of folk, gypsy-grass, country and rock reflects the freedom of their Jackson Hole home.  Cicada Rhythm is a roots music duo from Georgia whose mix of folk, jazz and blues is “haunting and playfully jaunty.”  Next up, the Lander-based Low Water String Band brings a more traditional bluegrass approach.

Town Mountain is a hard-driving Carolina string band who bring plenty of swagger and a honky-tonk edge to their performance.  They’re the perfect lead-in for Sunday’s headliner, the Roots and Boots Tour, featuring Collin Raye, Aaron Tippin, and Sammy Kershaw.

The chance to see any of these country music legends would be cause for celebration – but the Roots and Boots Tour brings you all three on stage together, telling stories, trading jokes, and sharing the music that’s taken each of them to the top of the country charts … from “There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong With the Radio” to “I Can Still Feel You” to “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful.”

Beartrap offers more to do than listen to great music. There’s a family area with loads of activities for kids, a marketplace of vendors showcasing handcrafted items, a fresh-air food court, the Bear Club VIP area sponsored by Foss Motors, and tent camping in the meadow – where music fans and musicians can gather to jam out after the sun goes down, continuing the festivities long into the evening.

Thousands of people come to Beartrap every August to soak up the sun while live music rings throughout the meadow.  Don’t miss out – reserve your tickets now at beartrapsummerfestival.com, then bring your lawn chairs and picnic blankets and join us for a memorable weekend atop Casper Mountain.

The 2018 Beartrap Summer Festival is produced by Townsquare Media in partnership with the Natrona County Roads, Bridges and Parks Department and the McMurry Foundation.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters:

Collin Raye:

Aaron Tippin:

Sammy Kershaw:

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