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Blogs / Lounge Act / January 2010 / Sundancers versus Cowboy Poets

Sundancers versus Cowboy Poets

At face value, the Sundance Film Festival and National Cowboy Poetry Gathering aren't so different.

Both take place in small towns that rely on the burst of economic activity to help make it through the year, Sundance in Park City and the Gathering in Elko, Nev. Both lure superstars of their respective fields with the Hollywood celebrities of Sundance and the cowboy celebrities in Elko. And both offer Utahns a quickie getaway from everyday realities.

Having been to both in the past week, a few differences do stick out.

- Cowboy hats are fashion accessories in Park City, worn by visitors to feel more "Western." In Elko, you probably won't find a person who doesn't wear their cowboy hat every day of the year.

- In Park City, a quickie pop-in lunch of a salad and a beer cost me $22 at Wasatch. In Elko, a quickie pop-in lunch at the legendary Star Hotel Basque restaurant got me a steak cooked up with garlic, onions and green chiles, fries, salad, soup and French bread for about $11. Oh, and a "real beer" to boot. And it was stellar.

- The music at Sundance is hit-or-miss. While I wish I could have seen Joan Jett, you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to force me to listen to the likes of 30 Seconds to Mars. At the Gathering, thanks to this year's focus on Louisiana cowboy culture, I get the sure-thing of Geno Delafose and treats like the new-to-me Red Meat, an alt-country band from San Francisco, and the stellar Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans; not only is Lund a seriously strong songwriter, his band might have the best name I've heard in a while.

Elko is a three-hour drive from Salt Lake City, and there are tickets available for several sessions, including a great dance Friday night featuring Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie, and a show Saturday night featuring Wylie and the Wild West. Visit the Western Folklife Center Web site for more info.