Ben Weiss invited some musician friends he knew, Zach Downes and Andrew Nelson, to jam at a party for a few hours with a musician he’d never really played with, Katia Racine. “Three hours flew by,” Weiss says, “So at the end we all looked at each other and said ‘Well, we should start a band.’”
And that’s how the Salt Lake-based band Pixie and the Partygrass Boys was born four years ago.
Since joined by Amanda Grapes on fiddle, the band has been an important part of the Salt Lake music scene. On any given night you might find Pixie and the Partygrass Boys as the opener at The Commonwealth Room, playing a regular gig at the Hog Wallow or at their once-weekly bluegrass jam at Gracie’s.
Part of the band’s popularity is their genre-busting style—Weiss describes the band as “non- traditional bluegrass with heavy jazz and funk influences. “The crossover of playing Stevie Wonder with a bluegrass band seemed like a no-brainer for us,” says Weiss. “People who love bluegrass get to see something they might not usually see at a bluegrass show, and people who don’t normally like bluegrass might find something that they do like because we’re playing something familiar with a bluegrass style.”
And while the band started with a lot of covers, these days they play more and more of their own music. “Every member of the band is a composer,” says Weiss, “We all write songs then get together as a band to arrange them.” The fans are happy with the transition, too, he says, “It’s a really special thing to watch our fans come because we are fun and we play songs we write and now they come and sing along to songs we’ve written.”
Ultimately, Weiss says the goal of the group has always been the same, “When we started this band we wanted to have fun. We wanted to play music people could dance to and we wanted to have a creative outlet to express ourselves freely. We always try to have the most fun in the room, and you know, sometimes we do. It’s not traditional but we always keep it ‘grassy.”
Watch all of our Small Lake City Concerts at saltlakemagazine.com/small-lake
Nicole Mouskondis recalls her first Greek Easter when she became part of the Mouskondis family (owners of Nicholas & Co.) “I can remember the first Greek Easter I spent with my soon-to-be mother and father-in-law (Elyce and Bill Mouskondis). As we were gathered around the dinner table, Bill announced it was time to play the game, and he reminded everyone that he was the champion for many years running and couldn’t be beaten. One by one, as his egg tapped someone else’s egg, he remained victorious. I watched in amazement—how could one egg be so strong and withstand tapping that many other eggs without being cracked? Later that evening, Bill had left his egg out and we all realized the reason he was the champion for so many years: He had found a marble egg, dyed perfectly to match all of the other eggs…so of course he was victorious! When he was called out, all he could do was smile with his sheepish grin, still reveling in how he got away with that trick for so many years!
Yoga and Beer. While the idea of doing a down dog with a belly full of suds seems like a surefire way to give you acid reflux, this is actually a thing. The Gateway on February 13 will be celebrating this Valentine’s Day with a free yoga class for lovers and afterwards will have drinks for just $5 after you get your namaste on. All levels of yogis and beer drinkers are welcome. Mat rentals are $2. 
A plethora of Park City restaurants have just announced their Valentine’s Day specials among them 
We couldn’t do a post without mentioning a proper steakhouse in Park City. 
If you are just wanting to stay within Salt Lake, 
For those of you who are toughing the day out single we have a pretty rad option. 
DF Dance Studio
