Salt Lake City-based singer/songwriter B.D. Howes is no stranger to Park City. He has often been seen playing Deer Valley Resort and Ciseros.
“Park City has always been good to me,” Howes said during an interview with The Park Record. “And I love meeting so many different people from all over the world because Park City is a resort town. There’s always such an eclectic crowd to play for and converse with. People up there are a little less afraid to talk with you. And don’t get me started on how good the food is up there.”
Howes will play an acoustic set at Deer Valley Resort’s Snow Park Lodge on Friday, Dec. 24, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“It’s worth driving up and playing in front of people who appreciate music,” Howes said. “And this year, I’ll be able to spend Christmas Eve with Park City.”
Howe cut his teeth on ’60s and ’70s rock ‘n’ roll, but appreciates all types of music.
“I was heavily influenced by the British Invasion,” he said. “And as time moved on, I liked U2 and, these days, while she doesn’t directly influence my music, I can see the appeal of Lady Gaga.
“I just like things that are fresh and exciting,” he said. “And, in reality, everything influences you one way or another.”
Still, Howes’ personal preference is to play his own brand of blues-based rock ‘n’ roll, filled with lyrics reflecting personal situations.
“When I started writing my own songs I was most affected by personal situations and other people’s situations who were close to me,” he said. “But I also tapped into politics and the environment.
“My songs were a way to speak my mind without offending people,” he said.
Throughout the year, Howes tried to mask his personal situations by writing in third person and it has helped him see some aspects of life through different eyes.
“It’s funny because if you look at songs in general, there are a lot of ‘I’s’ and ‘me’s in the lyrics,” he said. “There are times when I try not to be too personal. Rather than me telling a narrative story, I try to write is as if a group of people are telling it.”
Like many songwriters, Howes understands lyrics can touch people in unanticipaated ways.
“People can get 100 different meanings from just one line,” he said. “That’s nice because I can write the song and it can be about a basic topic, but when others hear it, they hear it and apply it to their own situation and gain another angle from it.”
Songwriting is only a part of being a musician, Howes said.
“It’s become more difficult for musicians in the past years because the Internet has made it so much easier to make music,” he said. “There is more competition, because those people who may have not tried to make music in the past, because it was too difficult, are now doing it because it’s easy.
“The bottom line is, though, when people play live, especially local musicians, they had better show and play well.”
Howes started playing in Utah in 1987, after moving from the East Coast.
“I played every gig I could weddings, conventions, parties for everyone,” he said. “I played anytime, anywhere, and I played because I love music and the enjoyment of performing in front of people. I’m happy to be the entertainment of their evening.”
While Howes plays with a band, the gig he’ll play at Deer Valley will either be a solo acoustic performance or a duet with his bassist Chris Schell.
“Playing solo is the real thing,” he said. “You don’t have anyone to work with. Your mistakes are isolated and right out front. So there’s nothing that will hide it. Plus, it’s just me working off the crowd.
“A duo is a little more comfortable because you have an extra person to work with,” he said. “And the other guy can pick up the slack if I have an off night.”
Still, Howes doesn’t like the idea of an off night.
“I practice three or four hours a day,” he said. “And a lot of those sessions aren’t just practicing the song, but also seeing if there is anything I want to change. It’s also for keeping up my technique, and improving it.”
B.D. Howes will perform at the Snow Park Lodge at Deer Valley on Friday, Dec. 24, at 6 p.m. Admission is free.