A couple of band opener reviews for 2013 Cheyenne Frontier Days’ Night Shows

by Virginia Wakefield , reporter for Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy

Randy Houser opened for Alan Jackson on July 20th

Talented newcomer, song-writer and performer, Randy Houser, opened for Alan Jackson. Houser’s contemporary style showcased heavy bass, but still achieved a pleasing balance of guitars and percussion. His steel player’s fringed leather jacket and feather-decorated top hat caught the eye more than once. He puffed on a pipe throughout the show, but never lost a beat! His finale was perfect for Houser’s new hit, “Like a Cowboy,” to all the CFD cowboys and cowgirls out on the road.

Houser showed the crowd why his star is on the rise in country music. He opened with “Sunshine on the Line,” went into his #2 hit, “Boots On,” and rocked the CFD arena with his latest album hits, “How Country Feels” and “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight.”

While the opening crowd was lukewarm, Houser and his band were red-hot. He was on his way out of Cheyenne to perform on July 22 with Dierks Bentley and the Band Perry in a concert for the Prescott, Ariz., firefighters.

Randy Houser     http://www.randyhouser.com

Alan Jackson     http://www.alanjackson.com

Wyoming talent opened for Dwight Yoakam on July 21st

Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers band, proved that Nashville has nothing over Wyoming, when it comes to country music talent.

Williams and his drummer, Travis DeWitt built their career after performing at their high school talent show in Moorcroft. Lead guitarist Wyatt Springsteen of Saratoga and fiddle player Brooke Latka of Casper came on board in 2008. Laramie bass player Jack Robbins joined the band in early 2013.

On July 21st they mixed songs from their May 2013 album, “Echoes,” with tunes from their “Honky Tonk Road” and “Highway Junkie” albums. They did justice to country favorites such as “Seminole Wind,” enhanced with Latka’s plaintive fiddle.

“If You’re Gonna Play in Texas,” showcased Latka’s fiddle, but rocked the crowd with the drum lead-in and talented guitar riffs. It was fun watching the band have so much fun with this one!

Williams’ vocal style shows traces of Wyoming cowboy-singer Chris LeDoux, with a touch of George Strait.

While the opening crowd was supportive, this band deserves its own star venue.

http://www.chanceywilliams.com

Chancey Williams and The Younger Brothers Band are performing at the Buckin’A Saloon at Frontier Park after 10 p.m. throughout CFD

This info below courtesy of http://www.cfdrodeo.com

The Buckin’A Saloon is located at the north end of the carnival midway between B and C-Stands.  Dance the night away to Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band.  Nightly concert ticket giveaways and beer specials. Let the fun continue on into the night with the promise of a Western good time! Join us every night and see what all the talk is about!

Saloon is open daily at 11:00 a.m if you want to grab a cold one in the middle of your Cheyenne Frontier Days experience. Bands also play daily from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m to closing (Midnight).

stories by Virginia Wakefield…

More information about the band: http://www.styxworld.com

Styx Review, by Annie Shay, reporter Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy

On July 19^th, I saw Styx at Cheyenne Frontier Days with my editor, Karen Cotton. Styx, a staple band that was founded in Chicago the 1970’s, opened for Journey for the first of many Night Shows at CFD.

There was a big turn out and it was a very exciting concert. Old and new rodeo cowboys and cowgirls, concert goers from Wyoming, all over the country and world, joined together to get a little taste of classic rock ‘n’ roll.

The Styx members include, Chuck Panozzo, (the original bassist, who joins the band on the road on occasion), James “JY” Young and Tommy Shaw, (vocalists and guitarists), Lawrence Gowan  (pianist, and Ricky Phillips, (bassist). The band played a number of their hits: “Come Sail Away,” “Too Much Time on my Hands,” and “Show me the Way”, to name a few. They ended the show, with my personal favorite, “Renegade.”

Styx sang a few cover songs before performing one of their big hits, “Come Sail Away.”  They sang a cover of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These),” a Rolling Stones’ song, “Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and a little bit of Pink Floyd’s “Education,” to test the crowd on their rock ‘n’ roll knowledge.

It was a fantastic show with Gowan playing on a spinning keyboard and Shaw, who rocked          out on his guitar, with his golden locks blowing in the Wyoming wind. It’s very enjoyable to see an older band do what the love and still have fun doing it after all of these years.

We will be covering Cheyenne Frontier Days once again.
Our biggest hope is to review Night Shows, and of course we’ll be covering the rodeo and some of the people that make Frontier Days the Daddy of ’em all.
best from
Karen Cotton, editor of Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy.

Learn more about the Terry Bison Ranch: www.terrybisonranch.com

www.Facebook.com/terrybisonranch

Trail Rides 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily (winter hours)

$35 a person for adults and children over the age of eight.

Other activities Bison Tours- every day for all ages

$12 adults , children 4-12 are $6

9 a.m., noon, 3 pm. and 4: 30 p.m.

By Kelly Smith, Life Is as Sweet as Cotton Candy reporter

To catch the spirit of the Old West I recently took a trail ride at Terry Bison Ranch, which located

just north of the Colorado and Wyoming border off of Interstate-25. The ranch is a family oriented

retreat with something for everyone, including everything from horseback riding, to train rides. This is an all-encompassing, authentic western experience right down to the food.

The Wyoming cuisine offered at the Senator’s Steakhouse is not to be missed.

Delicacies not common to your average steakhouse like buffalo sirloin and buffalo short

ribs are a couple of choices on their evening menu.

While at the ranch I had the opportunity to talk to Dan Thieu, who has been the owner of the Terry Bison Ranch for the last twenty years.

When asked about the vision Dan has for the future of the ranch he talked eagerly about his

hope to add more cabins and expand the trail ride operation and wagon shuttles.

He said that years ago they shuttled guests around the ranch with teams of draft horses. Shuttle

rides were discontinued because it was very hard to find skilled drivers, due to such a talent being a lost

art. In the recent past the ranch has begun doing internal training. This is one of the primary things they

are working on right now. Every year they add a little something more to the ranch including

improvements made this year to the gazebo area, and the addition of the chicken bus; offering organic

cage free eggs for purchase.

Thiel’s  favorite part of the ranch is the area down the hill near the stables. As I sat in the shade

watching the horses and listening to the breeze  move through the trees I would have to agree with him.