Listen above for KHOL’s full conversion with Michael Batdorf and Justin Smith.
It’s a Tuesday night in Jackson, a crowd of locals and tourists gather in front of an intimate stage inside the historic Wort Hotel, just off Broadway and a block away from the town square. Fluorescent pink and blue light up the barroom as a six-piece band plugs in their instruments, checking to make sure they’re in tune and everyone knows what chord to hit on the first downbeat. The buzz of carefree laughter and noisy glassware fills the air, but once the music starts, swing dancers and two-steppers take to the floor for an evening of lights, sound and movement. For 18 years, this has been the scene at the Silver Dollar Bar, where One Ton Pig has played nearly every week. “Bluegrass Tuesdays” have become an organic tradition celebrating the best of contemporary cowboy culture.
Two guitarists and vocalists Justin Smith and Michael Batdorf first met at Targhee Bluegrass Festival nearly 20 years ago in the woods near the campgrounds noodling on an acoustic guitar. Their diverse musical backgrounds of traditional blues, classic country, and 70s prog-rock produced a natural pairing. Smith had recently received an offer from the Wort to assemble a house band for Tuesday nights. Smith had to find the crew and the name.
“I saw this weird poster from upstate New York, and it was about a real pig, Big Norm… It was like a roadside attraction where the college kids come with five bucks, take a picture with Big Norm. ‘World Record Pig’ and ‘Come see the one ton pig,’ you know? Smith drew inspiration from a flyer for a fair in upstate New York, advertising a massive pig by the name of “Big Norm.” The roadside attraction was designed to bring in college kids for a chance to meet the fabled “one ton pig.”
“I just threw it to the guys, to Michael and the staff, and it just stuck,” Smith said. Maintaining a fun and lighthearted environment has been at the nexus for One Ton Pig since the beginning. As Batdorf put it, “if we’re not having fun, we’re done.”
Bill Baxter, the owner of the Wort Hotel, believed in the vision for One Ton Pig enough to fully remodel the Silver Dollar Bar: tearing down walls, extending the bar, and installing a brand new sound system. Over time, the Silver Dollar Bar would become colloquially known as “the place that Pig built.”
One Ton Pig’s first two albums, “High on the Hog,” 2008, and “Big Norm,” 2010, as well as their most recent album, “Time Will Bring Us Back,” 2023, were recorded live in various settings, from iconic venues like the Trap Bar in Atla, WY, to their manager’s living room. Local producer Ben Winship has been instrumental in capturing the band’s sonic kaleidoscope of genres, producing albums like “Lastville,” 2015, and “Parade of Song,” 2019, at The Henhouse Studio in Victor, ID.
Batdorf and Smith attribute the band’s longevity to their professional bandmates, willingness to be open-minded, and the Jackson community for welcoming them with open arms.
Batdorf said that kind of community support isn’t common for the industry.
“What makes a difference in this industry, no matter where you’re at, is you want somebody to sit up and say, I believe in your product as much as you do,” Batdorf said.
Having built a catalogue of over 100 tunes (mostly originals and a handful of “pigfied” covers), no two shows are identical. One key to avoiding burnout is mandolin player Tim Farris’ ability to craft fresh setlists every week. In addition to Farris, the band’s lineup has expanded over the years to include Matt Herron on fiddle, Marty Camino on bass, and Jason Baggett on drums. In the spirit of Americana bands from the past, all members of the band share responsibility for vocals.
As new artists continue to emerge across the Tetons and songwriters flock west to channel their muses, Batdorf offered a nugget of wisdom for those cutting their teeth.
“Doors are going to be shut in your face. People are going to say ‘no,’ they’re going to turn you down, and it’s easy to get wrapped up in your own head as an artist and be like, I’m not good enough,” he said. “Just keep on knocking on doors.”
One Ton Pig’s six-album discography can be found digitally wherever you listen to music or as physicals at their shows at the Silver Dollar Bar for bluegrass Tuesdays.
Support for Intermountain Best comes from Arts for All and the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.
