Wyoming Artists Showcase
Join us for an electric evening of Cowboy State songwriting talent.
The Center and KHOL present the return of the Wyoming Artists Showcase, highlighting talent from across the state. The Showcase brings the greatest hits from KHOL’s Intermountain Best radio show to The Center stage.
Featuring church bats, De Gringos y Gremmies, Missy Jo, and a solo performance from My Model Airplane.
Tickets are $25.
About the artists:
church bats is an alt-rock band hailing out of Jackson. What started as coworkers getting together to make noise turned into a band known for bringing raw, high-energy to the stage. The band formed organically when David Gorka and Andrew Skinner — longtime collaborators who had spent years writing music together — connected with bassist Louis Grassell. Blending the energy of classic garage rock with unexpected psychedelic and groove influences, church bats are unapologetically heavy, danceable and utterly their own.
From the late ’90s through the early ’00s, a trio from Laramie named the Custom Caravans purveyed a rare brand of Surf-o-Phonic Trash-Rock Mayhem. Having gone separate ways in 2003, the fellas found themselves back in Laramie in 2017 and reunited as De Gringos Y Gremmies. Ready for a fresh start with an older and calmer approach, the trio continues to refine their sound and channel their love of all things tiki, surf and western into their unique brand of spaghetti-infused western surf garage rock from the high plains of Wyoming. Featuring Shane Wallace on guitar and vocals, Dusty Richards on bass and baritone guitars and Dan Walker on drums and other percussive tools, De Gringos Y Gremmies is crafted for fans of the Shadows, the Ventures, Man or Astroman?, Davie Allan, Link Wray and Ennio Morricone.
Born and raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Melissa Elliott is a singer, songwriter, and music teacher performing under the alias “Missy Jo.” Her songs explore observations on the human experience – romance in the midst of apocalypse, her affinity for thrift shopping, the consequences of being in love and getting banned from a small-town post office. Between her lyrical vulnerability, genre blending, and soulful voice, Missy Jo’s music welcomes listeners into her world.
Bryan Piironen (My Model Airplane)
My Model Airplane is a writing and recording project exploring analog technology with a DIY spirit. With experience and process in mind, MMA has performed at DIY shows and self-released projects on cassette, bandcamp and YouTube. The band is currently working on a new EP and video project with KinoKito, a budding video production company of the same spirit. MMA hopes to make you feel something, move around a bit and walk away curious for more.