{"id":794060,"date":"2019-03-21T15:28:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T21:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/burning-down-the-house-the-lil-smokies-bring-bluegrass-to-keystone\/"},"modified":"2019-03-22T14:34:06","modified_gmt":"2019-03-22T20:34:06","slug":"burning-down-the-house-the-lil-smokies-bring-bluegrass-to-keystone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/burning-down-the-house-the-lil-smokies-bring-bluegrass-to-keystone\/","title":{"rendered":"Burning down the house: The Lil Smokies bring bluegrass to Keystone"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\" readability=\"6.702614379085\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-363282-150\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" alt=\"Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.<\/strong><br \/>\nCourtesy McCormick Photos &amp; Design<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"9\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. The band is composed of Scott Parker on bass, Jake Simpson on fiddle, Matt Rieger on guitar, Matt Cornette on banjo and Andy Dunnigan on dobro.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"9\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"9\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. The band is composed of Scott Parker on bass, Jake Simpson on fiddle, Matt Rieger on guitar, Matt Cornette on banjo and Andy Dunnigan on dobro.<\/strong><br \/>\nCourtesy Neubauer Media<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"The cover for The Lil Smokies' second and most recent album, \"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>The cover for The Lil Smokies&#8217; second and most recent album, &#8220;Changing Shades.&#8221;<\/strong><br \/>\nCourtesy United Interests<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/burning-down-the-house-the-lil-smokies-bring-bluegrass-to-keystone\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/burning-down-the-house-the-lil-smokies-bring-bluegrass-to-keystone\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Coming off of two nights in Crested Butte, bluegrass band The Lil Smokies settle into another mountain town with a performance this Saturday at Warren Station. The band, formed in Missoula, Montana, in 2009, has seen a steady growth since its inception and is excited to return to a familiar venue with Denver-based quintet The Lonesome Days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">This September The Lil Smokies will have the honor of playing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison. \u201cThat\u2019s something I never really imagined we would play,\u201d guitarist Matthew \u201cRev\u201d Rieger said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A personal favorite of Rieger\u2019s is the High Sierra Music Festival in California, where the band will play at this summer. But for now, fans should see them in Keystone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI love that room and love the people in that area. We\u2019ve been on the road for a long time and don\u2019t have the energy to play a mellow set so I would expect a raucous, rowdy affair.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That love of entertaining people with fresh tunes is what brought the original band members together and what attracted Rieger and fiddler Jake Simpson to join in on the fun three years ago. The band makeup shifted frequently between 2015 and 2016 \u2014 at one point being a six-piece \u2014 but is now composed of founding members Scott Parker on bass, Matt Cornette on banjo and Andy Dunnigan on Dobro in addition to Rieger and Simpson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled with the lineup we have now and the progress we\u2019re making as a band and how comfortable it feels now with these five,\u201d Rieger said. \u201cI don\u2019t see that changing ever and I really hope it doesn\u2019t. However, I\u2019d like to think our sound always has room to evolve. I want it to happen naturally the way we want it to.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Though he didn\u2019t always know he wanted to play with The Lil Smokies, Rieger has known he\u2019s wanted to be a musician since he was about 10 years old. Before picking up the guitar he was a church pianist and a drummer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cReally up until I joined The Lil Smokies I was doing whatever I could to make money playing music. Whatever instrument I could play. I\u2019m just really happy being a guitar player now. Which is incredible, because I\u2019m not that good,\u201d he said, laughing. \u201cThere are so many excellent guitar players out there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe fact that I\u2019m able to do it for a living is amazing. I feel really blessed and thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Rieger may miss playing (but not carrying) the drums a little, even though he got to play them with Mipso and The Brothers Comatose while on tour, but the guitar still gives him the rhythmic sensation he yearns for.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMy favorite part of my job in many ways is just strumming chords, which is kind of a little like playing the drums in a bluegrass band. \u2026 You\u2019re really focusing on the rhythm and harmony and foundation to provide a place for other people to play on top of it. It\u2019s fun and freeing, a Zen sort of activity that I really, really like.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A lover of Metallica \u2014 and other metal bands like Megadeath and Slayer \u2014 since his teenage years, it may surprise some that Rieger\u2019s nickname, Rev, comes from the fact that he also adores the gospel tracks of The Stanley Brothers, the Appalachian bluegrass duo known for popularizing \u201cMan of Constant Sorrow.\u201d He doesn\u2019t consider himself a religious man nowadays, yet the traditional hymns still speak to him on an emotional level.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhen I hear these gospel harmonies, I feel genuine love, community and support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI still love church piano and hymns, which are more or less Bach chorales and examples of Western harmony. They\u2019re really helpful in understanding other parts of music, how momentum is created within music. They\u2019re fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">However, the biggest artist to have an influence on Rieger is Billy Joel, specifically his 1977 album \u201cThe Stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHe was the first pop artist that opened my mind to the idea that music could be really simple, have merit and be good.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Now Rieger is turning to more modern music for the band\u2019s \u201cSnowGhost Singles\u201d project. Started last fall, the endeavor is a series of covers \u2014 six in all \u2014 released periodically after recording them at SnowGhost Music in Whitefish, Montana. So far The Lil Smokies have given their signature twist to classics such as The Beatles\u2019 \u201cPaperback Writer,\u201d Led Zeppelin\u2019s \u201cGoing to California\u201d and Elton John\u2019s \u201cRocket Man.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The most recent release was \u201cKansas City\u201d by The New Basement Tapes, a supergroup consisting of Elvis Costello, Jim James, Marcus Mumford and others. The collective recorded tracks based on discovered Bob Dylan lyrics, who famously recorded \u201cThe Basement Tapes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The songs are chosen and arranged by whoever wishes to sing them and one of the next singles to come out will be Rieger\u2019s pick, \u201cEven The Darkness Has Arms\u201d by Canadian indie-folk band The Barr Brothers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI listened to it on repeat for about three months straight,\u201d said Rieger. \u201cI just couldn\u2019t stop listening to it and was like \u2018I love this song, could we give it a shot?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In general, translating and recording covers has been fairly straightforward, but there have been a few tunes that The Lil Smokies had to abandon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAnd that\u2019s fine,\u201d Rieger said. \u201cIt\u2019s important in music and in life to let go of things that are just not working. Not to say you should just give up on everything, but there are times where you can give up and not be a failure.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Smokies-ESW-032219-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy McCormick Photos &#038; Design | Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/burning-down-the-house-the-lil-smokies-bring-bluegrass-to-keystone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the band will perform at 9:30 after Lonesome Days. Courtesy McCormick Photos &amp; Design Montana-based bluegrass band The Lil Smokies will perform at Warren Station on Saturday, March 23. The band is composed of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-794060","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-13 23:26:59","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794060\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}