While being an appropriate venue for February, The Snow Barn needs to be applauded for supporting our scene both by exposing new bands to new listeners, and for being adventurous enough to do so. It's always easier to have a dj or regular cover band which can still fill a bar in a resort town. Thank you Bonni for filling us in on The Snow Barn.

If you want to write about your favorite venue, get in touch with me at venue@jambands.com.

David Saslavsky

The Snow Barn, Mt. Snow, VT
by Bonni Fierstein

I was extremely psyched to write this Venue of the Month piece. I had spent 2 excellent weekends last year at the club, and though I am not a skier or boarder by any stretch of the imagination, I enjoyed my time at the mountain. The Snow Barn has held a special place in my heart as one of the coolest venues I have ever been to.

Admittedly, I was slightly wary to attend shows at The Snow Barn this particular weekend. First of all, Mt. Snow was hosting ESPN's Extreme Games, which dumped 79,500 extreme sports fans onto the small resort town. Second of all, Deep Banana Blackout, a band that is growing by leaps and bounds, was scheduled to play for 3 nights on the busiest weekend that Mt. Snow has ever experienced. The Snow Barn is intimate, and unlike the majority of the venues that DBB has been playing in the Northeast lately, only holds 500 fans.

Situated in the entrance of the mountain, The Snow Barn, which is owned by Mt. Snow, is one of the few bars in town. It is also the only place in town that hosts 6 nights a week of good live music, and many nationally known acts pass through this ski area. Just last week alone during the X Games, the line up included The New Deal, Wise Monkey Orchestra, Deep Banana Blackout, and The Derek Trucks Band. It has become a staple on the club circuit for bands passing through the Northeast any time between November and April, and this has always intrigued me. This is a bar at a ski resort, and most times these sorts of bars are known for cover bands and dance music. Most people go to a ski area to participate in winter sports, not check out great live music. The Snow Barn is capitalizing on this, and many people who hit the club after a long day on the mountain leave a fan of some band they had seen there. I can't count how many times I have asked someone where he or she had first seen a band, and the reply has been "I caught them at The Snow Barn when I was up at Mt. Snow skiing/snowboarding".

The scene at The Snow Barn has not always been like this, though. 3 years ago, when 5 year Snow Barn employee Sean Smith was made manager, he decided to turn the place into a venue to see good music. "I felt there was a gap between Northampton, MA, and Burlington, VT", said Smith. "There was no place to see good music, so I started booking live bands". Though Smith is a jambands fan himself, he doesn't book only jambands at the club. "I book depending what kinds of events are going on at the mountain at a particular time", Smith explained. "If there is going to be a huge skiing event, I try to book a jamband, but if there is a snowboarding event going on, I will book something that more snowboarder fans would appreciate, like a hardcore band".

The Snow Barn itself is a great place. It looks like a ski lodge and has a real New England atmosphere to it. The front room is all wood and has a nice stage and a decent sized dance floor. There is even a small bar in the corner for when you need to satiate your thirst and don't want to leave the show, a HUGE perk in my opinion. There is also a nice balcony that overlooks the stage which is usually not as packed for when one needs ample dance space. Granted, heat rises and it is usually pretty balmy up there, but there is a window and if it is opened, the frigid Vermont air seeps in and cools the place down pretty quickly. There is a whole other room behind the dance floor with a full bar, kitchen, hearth fireplace, and foosball and pool tables galore. It is very comfortable, and a great place to kick back before a show or during set break. The sound at The Snow Barn cannot be beat.

Tapers, get your gear ready because the sound for the size of the room is absolutely perfect and every tape I have heard that has come out of the venue has sounded excellent!

As for the food and drink, it's pretty standard as far as bars go. They have a decent selection of Vermont microbrews, including Magic Hat and Otter Creek, as well as a good selection of dark beers on tap and in bottles. The Snow Barn serves pub fare such as nachos, fries, salads, and pizza. I personally suggest the 'Living La Vida Greco' pizza, named in honor of the Snow Barn employee that invented the concoction. This pizza has a Mexican flavor with a mixture of Monterey Jack and Cheddar instead of mozzarella; salsa mixed in with the tomato sauce and is served with a side of sour cream.

All in all, my times at The Snow Barn have been nothing short of memorable, but I should offer a few words of advice to those who are going to make the trip to The Snow Barn. First of all, don't bother showing up if you are not 21. The Snow Barn has a STRICT 21+ policy, and I have seen many of my friends denied admission due to forgetting their licenses, no matter how old they look. The Snow Barn is checked upon regularly by the police, The Liquor Commissioner, and The Fire Marshall. The bar does a fantastic job of making sure it doesn't get over packed, and though fans outside sometimes have to endure long waits to get in due to a 'one out, one in' rule, it makes the time inside much more comfortable. This brings me to my second point. GET THERE EARLY. If you are going to see a big show there, you can call the Barn to see if they are selling advanced tickets. If not, get there as early or as late as possible so you do not have to experience those aforementioned lines. If you follow these rules of thumb, I can ensure you that you will leave The Snow Barn having had a pleasurable musical experience in a small, Vermont ski town. For a schedule of upcoming shows at The Snow Barn, you can visit them on the web at www.snowbarn.com, or call (802) 464-4190. For advance ticket sales please call (802) 464-7788. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketweb.net or in person at any Strawberries or Coconuts outlets.