The main stage at the Alaska State Fairgrounds is quiet, its seating area covered in snow. Come late summer, it will heat back up with the music of Cake, Twisted Sister, and AJR.
But while the big outdoor shows of summer — and even events like Wasilla’s popular Music in the Park series — remain months away, live music fans in the Mat-Su currently have an avalanche of options. From large music festivals to open mic nights, the Mat-Su music scene is thriving.
That vitality was on display in late January when hundreds of fans packed the Palmer Depot building for the inaugural WinterRomp Festival. The event brought bands from as far away as Ketchikan and Hawaii for two nights of music. The well-attended festival in the dead of winter proved the appetite for live music in Alaska remains strong…