By: Darrin Christopher Huycke

 [Photo: Alyeska Resort]

The weekend was planned out, we knew what we were to expect, which meant we were to expect nothing. My compadre for the weekend was Devin Young, an Anchorage artist who's work has frequently been on the walls at the Anchor Pub lately. He was one of the artists for January's First Friday at the Anchor Pub, and we hung out there before heading down to Girdwood the night of Jan. 6th, 2012. The Monolith Agency was putting on a showcase at the Sitzmark Bar for this first weekend of the new year, which was the objective for our journey to Girdwood. This weekend was also Devin's last in Alaska for a few months, he was leaving to venture off to Southeast Asia during the week to follow. On our drive down, he tried to convince me of the "Frog of Alyeska". He described that I would be seeing a "frog like outline" from the spotlights that go up and down the mountain once we got to a certain point on the Seward Highway that unveils the ski resort to southbound drivers. Unfortunately all those lights had been turned off before we arrived, and no frog was witnessed, which lead me to question the knowledge of Mr. Young. His fail-safe proof, was that there would undoubtedly be pictures and people's theories of the "Frog of Alyeska" online (which was never found), and we moved on.

We checked into the Alyeska Resort and got ready for the night. Enter "the Phelps". Now "the Phelps" has a history, but to keep it simple it's the mustache Michael Phelps sported during all the publicity he got in early 2009. This also occurred during another weekend that Devin and I had been loitering in Girdwood before.As you can see from the picture above "the Phelps" has a character of it's own: strong, confident, yet reckless, defines it's feng shui.

We then headed to the Sitzmark, in just enough time to catch the first band of the show. The line up for the night was: Turquoise Boy, Ghost Hands, and the Sweeteners. The Sitzmark is on my list of top places to see a concert in Alaska. It's a great venue for shows, the stage and dance floor are large, and the sound quality is always superb. There are booths and tables on the outskirts of the dance floor, and you can order food until 10pm. A must on their menu is the Sitz Burger with havarti cheese, avocado, and bacon. Beyond the food and sound, there's something else that's also magical about the Sitzmark: that it's located at the base of Mt. Alyeska. Behind the stage is an entire wall of windows, teasing attendants with it's fresh snow and trails of the mountain.

[Photo: Joel Adams Photography] 

Once Turquoise Boy closed out their set, the men from Ghost Hands prepped themselves to take the stage next. At one point during Ghost Hands' set, I stared provocatively at lead signer, James Glaves. Glaves & the boys of Ghost Hands always have a catchy set and the chemistry within their vocals are flawless, a perfection matched only by the soft, fresh skin of a newborn (check out Jeremie Fincher's ANO BAND BLOG on Ghost Hands). Mr. Glaves and I cheered our whiskey in between songs, and I pursued the allure of the fire-pit on the back deck of the Sitzmark.

[Photo: Joel Adams Photography] 

This place should be one of the wonders of the world. A propane fire-pit at the base of the epic mountain, right outside the door of the bar where you're able to bring your drink out and just chill out. The camaraderie at the fire-pit is as if every body were preexisting neighbors, which could actually be true, but I would never know. After a little while of basking in the fire-pit community, I heard the music of the Sweeteners blaring from inside the Sitzmark. By this point of the night, rock was in full swing. The energy that emits from the Sweeteners during their set will motivate you to dance, making our forefathers of blues and rock proud. Mr. Young and mine's night was coming to an end and the haze of the evening was sinking in. Thankfully the drummer from Ghost Hands, Greg Geddes, offered us a ride back to our hotel room, which we gladly accepted.

Awaking to a dark and cold room, I felt a painful success of my first night of this weekend right a way. I flung open the curtains to reveal the mountain and it's condition, but also to wake up Devin and get rolling on the day. I was in awe when Mother Nature presented us with one of the most phenomenal views ever. "Now that's one sexy lady to wake up to," I said to Devin about the scenery. Hot tub, pool, sauna, and then we were on our way to meet up with a local friend for brunch at the Bake Shop. 

The Bake Shop is a quiet nook located just below the Sitzmark that has a menu full of items that taste as if Grandma Girdwood herself crafted the recipes. We met with a local friend, Rachael Neumann, who was gearing up to work that night at Seven Glaciers. Devin and I recollected the events of the night before during our feast, which prompted Rachael to wish she didn't have to work that night so she could join in for round two. It was still snowing pretty heavy, in which teased her even more cause we were planning to go riding on the mountain afterwards. We bid adieu to our employed friend and went to gear up for some afternoon runs on Alyeska

 The conditions were perfect and we lasted into the night session, catching Chair 1 midway spending our time at the prime spots still open. After declaring the last run, we met up with another local, Gabe Gibbs, to grab dinner at local restaurant Chair 5. Another feast was in store with nachos and Elk burgers. I love me a good burger, and I've never found another in the world quite like Chair 5's Elk, have yourself one and you'll agree. Though Mr. Gibbs was tossing me remarks about my "Phelps" during dinner, I could vibe his underlying jealousy, and it prepared me for another night of shows at the Sitz.

We showed up right as the Young Fangs took the stage, this was my second time seeing them perform. Young Fangs are from Fairbanks and are fresh on the music scene, but will become a household name quickly. They have timing and melody that captures your attention, and an energetic set to keep you satisfied, a perfect combination to open for laVoy. laVoy followed, and the dance floor filled even more as their tunes progressed. Devin and I were low key though, dinner was heavy and so was the feeling from shredding the mountain earlier.

We met up with some good friends, and then that moment came again, the one from the night before... Standing around the fire-pit, I heard the rocking tunes of the Sweeteners come through the Sitzmark walls and I was drawn back inside which ignited the night's aura. I've been to plenty of shows, in which I could compare "this and that," but not many come close to the charisma of the Sweeteners. These guys kick ass. We all caught a ride back to our hotel rooms and gathered in my room to cap off the night and our weekend. Eric Neet, Mark Nelson, and Chad Reynvaan traveled with us into a realm of discussing: music, concerts, festivals, and venues (on both the local and national level), which were the sprinkles to an already awesome weekend.

[Photo: Joel Adams Photography] 

A daze was over me when awaking Sunday morning, and I could not quite define how the night turned into morning so fast. Hot tub, pool, sauna, and then we got onto packing for our departure of the town of Girdwood, and the return back to reality. It confused Devin and I that we had somehow ended up with an extra pair of shoes, "Really... shoes?" I asked. I stuffed them in my bag figuring that someone from the night before would be contacting me soon. Like I had mentioned prior, it had snowed a lot during this weekend, about 18 inches. Our drive back to Anchorage was rough, in which we planned a stop in Indian to help out a friend of ours that Devin would be meeting up with during his trip in Southeast Asia. The build up of snow made it tough to find exactly which road to turn off on, but we finally located it. There had not been any plow trucks out this way yet, which resulted in me getting stuck try to get back ON the highway. This was not the ideal way to start a day of much needed recovery, but we gathered what was left of our intelligence and strength, and powered through to get back on into town.

Once I finally unloaded my bags and equipment into my apartment, I collapsed on my couch just in time to receive a phone call. "Chad Reynvaan", the screen of my phone read. "Hey mannn, would you happen to have my shoes?" he asked. Informing him that I did, but then I notified him that I had already made it back into town. He was still in Girdwood though, and I still wonder if that was his only pair he had brought, leaving him with socks till he came back to Anchorage. The weekend of loitering was a success, and it's end brought the emotional goodbye to "the Phelps". Oh, and Chad, I still have your shoes.

Enjoy local, enjoy music, enjoy life.

Darrin Christopher Huycke