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Concerts, theater return to Valhalla

This summer Valhalla Tahoe’s concerts will return with performances on the Grand Lawn, along with a production of “Murdered to Death” and the Tahoe ImPRoV Players in the Boathouse Theatre. Live music kicks off on June 15 and tickets to all of the events are on sale.

Two- and six-person tables must be reserved for people in the same household or up to three households if everyone is vaccinated. The remainder of the lawn will be open to free socially distant lawn seating. | Tickets valhallatahoe.com

Lake Tahoe Dance

Festival returns

The Lake Tahoe Dance Festival will return to live performances from July 27 to 30 featuring world-renowned dancers including Holly Curran, Traci Finch, Chris McDaniel, Christin Hanna, Stephen Hanna and Ashley Bouder.

The festival begins July 27 with a Gala Opening Night Celebration with live per-formances from July 28 to and 30. Ticketing is limited and available by socially distanced, two-person pods. | Tickets laketahoedancecollective.org

live

Events are subject to change & cancellation; always check in advance for current schedules.

MAY 21 | FRIDAY

“The Drowsy Chaperone”

Virtual, South Lake Tahoe, 7 p.m.

Magic After Dark: Robert Hall Unfiltered

The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 9 p.m.

MAY 22 | SATURDAY

“The Drowsy Chaperone”

Virtual, South Lake Tahoe, 7 p.m.

Tim Snider & Wolfgang Timber

Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay, 8 p.m.

MAY 23 | SUNDAY

“The Drowsy Chaperone”

Virtual, South Lake Tahoe

MAY 28 | FRIDAY

Summer Concert Series

Heavenly Village, South Lake Tahoe, 5:45 p.m.

Magic After Dark: Robert Hall Unfiltered

The Loft, South Lake Tahoe, 9 p.m.

MAY 29 | SATURDAY

Summer Concert Series

Heavenly Village, South Lake Tahoe, 5:45 p.m. THElineup live music | shows | nightlife festivals | entertainment

David Beck

MUSIC OF THE MOUNTAINS

STORY BY SEAN M c ALINDIN

Mountain Folk Micro Fest | Sept. 11 and 12 | Lost Marbles Ranch, Beckwourth | tahoemountainfolk.com

With his latest release, “Mountain Born,” David Beck ruminates on a soulful lifelong connection to the Sierra Nevada.

“Mountains bring you peace,” he says. “Mountains bring you serenity. ey bring you comfort. I hope my music can bring you that wherever you’re at. It’s for the mountain lovers, the conservationists.”

Beck’s rootsy sound takes a cue from contemporary country artists including Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers as the hillside poet explores subdued folk rock lyricism through the eyes of a Tahoe native, his signature baritone voice exploring what it means to be a 21st century mountain man.

Born at Tahoe Forest Hospital in 1982, Beck has been living, working and playing in the Tahoe Sierra all his life. He is collaborating with Alibi Ale Works to couple his most recent release with some local brew.

“You drink the beer and listen to the song,” he says. “I’m trying to pair it like cheese and wine. I suggest listening while enjoying the Contradiction.”

Something of a paradox himself, Beck specializes in place-based narrative compositions delivered in a down-home, yet emotive musical style. He’s Northern California’s answer to John Denver singing praises to the dramatic Western landscape, yet in a slightly darker and more whimsical style.

“I don’t understand why a woman or a man would want to live amongst the chaos in the bottomless pit of at land,” he sings on “Mountain Man” in a low croon that’s one part John Prine, one part Crash Test Dummies.

“People come to me and say I’m so lucky,” says Beck. “I am lucky, but I’ve worked my ass o . I’m not a trust fund baby. I’m not one of these people who just sits at a co ee shop and chills. I sacri ce my work to pursue my music. I want people to know that I’m genuine. All I do is work, write music, be with my wife, sleep and eat. I’m a family man. It’s just who I am.”

On Sept. 11 and 12, the Becks will host the 2nd Mountain Folk Micro Fest at Lost Marbles Ranch in Beckwourth. e onenight festival features live music, local beer, yoga and art as it helps to support Sierra Nevada Alliance and Clean Up the Lake.

In another one of his new songs, “Gravel Road,” Beck talks about the immense changes facing our region and the accompanying threats to the natural world.

“It’s the most change I’ve seen my entire life of my 38 years in Truckee,” says Beck. “ e message I would send to any newcomer is: Please tread lightly. We all love the mountains. Let’s treat them fairly.” | David Beck Productions on SoundCloud, tahoemountainfolk.com 

Harveys Summer Concert Series

returns

Outdoor concerts are returning to Lake Tahoe, which will kick off with Phish on July 20 and 21. The series will run through Sept. 4. Tickets for the Phish and Old Dominion on July 23 and 24 are on sale now through Ticketmaster. | harveystahoe.com

July 20-21 | Phish July 23-24 | Old Dominion July 30 | Brantley Gilbert Aug. 21 | Roger Daltrey Aug. 22 | Dierks Bentley Aug. 27-28 | Eric Church Sept. 2 | Miranda Lambert Sept. 3 | Train Sept. 4 | Alabama

MOUNTAIN FOLK

Songs like “No Friends on a Powder Day” and “Biggest Little City in the World” chronicle the experiences of growing up the area.

“I have found that telling stories from truth and experience sits with the listener,” he says. “I’m not faking anything; it’s who I am. It’s my true nature. I like to tell stories like you’re sitting around the camp re and bring people’s imagination into the music.”

After graduating from North Tahoe High School in 2001, Beck began a career in construction. He learned a lot from his father, pioneering adventure lmmaker Craig Beck. Sur ng the seasonal booms and busts of a mountain town, he eventually saved up for a down payment on a house in Cisco Grove. While he always wanted to play music at heart, he was working hard just to make ends meet.

“It was the 40-hour grind,” he says. “I just wanted to play my acoustic at a restaurant, but it would be impossible because I would work so much. We were paycheck to paycheck.”

Eventually, he left a secure job to go on his own with Beck Construction. He and his wife, Camille, also created a wakeboard and apparel company, Tahoe Native. While managing his own business is a commitment, it provides Beck the exibility to work on his music.

“When I die, I want people to know I shared as much as I could,” he says. “I’m not just this guy swinging a hammer. I want my kids to know who I really was. I consider myself a poet and songwriter. at’s the reason why I’m on this Earth.” e Becks are expecting their rst son in June, who will be named Kai Clayton Beck in memory of Beck’s brother, Clay, a popular ski coach at Alpine Meadows who died in a plane crash in 2008.

Strumming his Martin Backpacker along the John Muir Trail in Inyo National Forest, David Beck draws his musical inspiration from the mountains of California. | Camille Beck

Watch David Beck sing “Lake Tahoe” with cellist Colombe Tresan by the docks of Donner Lake. at TheTahoeWeekly.com

Sean McAlindin is a writer and musician living in Truckee, who loves a secret powder stash just as much as a good jam. You can reach him at entertainment@ tahoethisweek.com. Other writings and original music are available at seanmcalindin.com.