OUR MISSION & VISION

We give musicians of all ages and levels-from seasoned professionals, to absolute beginners-the tools, the means, and the opportunities to play acoustic music in Utah.

We are elevating Salt Lake City's acoustic music scene to stand shoulder to shoulder with cities like Austin and Nashville, by making acoustic music a part of everyday life and enabling musicians to build meaningful careers locally. We are dedicated to ensuring that everyone in the Utah community-whether they're picking up an instrument for the first time, leading a band, or simply enjoying a concert-can gather together to experience the joy of acoustic music.

WHO WE ARE

Sometimes it can be difficult to describe exactly what we do! What started out as a band has grown into a cultural movement in Utah. Depending on when you land here, you might have a different perception of Hot House West. While our organization has grown and changed dramatically in a short time, we are settling into our programming and have a clearer vision for our community than ever. So dive in and learn more about our mission to transform the music scene in Utah. We are glad you are here!

Hot House West is best understood by looking at the vision we hold and the steps we’re taking to make it a reality. We have a deep appreciation for Utah—its welcoming people, recreational opportunities, and high quality of life. At our core, we believe that Utah’s music scene has the potential to be among the world’s finest. We already have all the essentials in place: a skilled community of musicians and artists, enthusiastic organizers, and a local audience that values the arts and has the resources to support them.

What’s missing is deep grassroots organizing with a clear plan to elevate our music scene, so it can truly stand among the great cultural hubs around the globe. Our team at Hot House West works tirelessly to bring this plan to life by organizing jams, dances, workshops, concerts, and recording sessions. We serve as both a promoter and a connector, collaborating with other arts organizations to spread the word that Salt Lake is a top destination for music.

We’re dedicated to empowering local musicians, giving them opportunities to refine their talents, build networks, and increase their creative output. We collaborate with students to help them see the potential for a meaningful career in music in Utah. And we engage with the wider community, encouraging everyone to embrace acoustic music as part of their daily experience and showing them concrete ways to support this vision.

Ultimately, our efforts aim to strengthen and uplift communities. Music has a remarkable power to bring people together and remind us that life is beautiful and connected.
Acoustic music is a shared language. It brings people together around common songs and traditions. Individuals from different backgrounds can sit down and play, even if they have never met before. This is possible because acoustic music often draws on a familiar repertoire known around the world.

For us, acoustic music is more than just carrying on these traditions. It is also a way to create new ideas. We take sounds rooted in history and make them our own. We explore new projects that build on a strong foundation. This approach keeps the music alive and growing.

Acoustic music also plays an important role in the community. Musicians in this style often become leaders. They organize gatherings, guide workshops, and invite others to join in the experience. These events encourage people—musicians or not—to come together. They may sing, dance, listen, or just share the moment.

We believe this kind of music has the power to connect people. When we play or listen, we become part of something bigger. We learn to trust each other by doing something creative and vulnerable as a group. The result is a deeper sense of belonging. That is what acoustic music means to us. It is social, it is welcoming, and it opens the door to new possibilities.
The legend begins with our Executive Director, Nathan Royal, a budding young guitarist working out “Stairway to Heaven” in his Alaskan childhood home. For years, he explored the instrument alone until the day he discovered the local bluegrass scene. Suddenly he found himself in a circle of friends in the woods, picking tunes and sharing laughs. Thus began Nathan’s lifelong love of acoustic music and its connective power.

Hot House West was first formed as a student ensemble at the University of Utah, a humble collection of young musicians with a shared passion for the music of Django Reinhardt. This passion was permanently instilled in them from a singular moment—seeing Frank Vignola, a virtuoso of Reinhardt’s acoustic guitar style, perform in Salt Lake City as part of the former JazzSLC series. The series’ founder, Gordon Hanks, saw two young guitar students excited to see a master of their instrument perform before them. Hanks ushered these two students to the front row so they could absorb the music as fully as possible. In one instant, jazz offered the same love for acoustic guitar and friendship as the string bands of Alaska. This moment is what led those two guitarists, our very own Nathan Royal and James Martak, to form Hot House West the very next day.

In its start, the ensemble was just a band trying to navigate the ins and outs of the music industry: two newly graduated musicians on a path of discovery. Nathan and James traveled the world in pursuit of more knowledge. They studied in France and Belgium, the birthplace of Django’s signature style, and attended acoustic music festivals all across the United States and Europe. As they cut their teeth, the pair inevitably found themselves time and again circled in the woods, acoustic guitars in their hands, learning together.

Ever ambitious, they brought this knowledge home and grew the band. Personnel changed, arrangements evolved, gigs ramped up, contracts were written and revised, tours were scheduled, records were pressed, and after a decade of dedicated work, Hot House West was a successful local band.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country, and Hot House West was in limbo. As gigs were put on pause, the band was left to reflect on their journey. A singular gesture of kindness spawned a decades-long career. The impact of one decision was immeasurable. The question now was how could the band give back? How could Hot House West have more impact?

As the band thought about the ways in which they could have an impact of their own, a new voice joined the discussion. David Baker moved to Utah to start teaching at Utah Valley University and quickly joined the ranks of Hot House West as their new bassist. One summer day, Nathan and David went for a hike in the Wasatch and dreamed big:

What if we made the band bigger? Imagine how many more people we could interact with! We could build in mentorship opportunities and really establish a healthy culture around growth. Oh, and what if we really put attention on engaging the audience and helping them have fun? I think we could really start to build a scene that’s not only supporting acoustic music, but excited about it. That community love and support is what led us here in the first place! How do we capture the stoke of being here, on a mountaintop together, dreaming about how we can accomplish massive goals, and share it with our community? How do we revitalize the scene in the spirit of swing music and string bands? How do we make Salt Lake City the best place on planet Earth to experience acoustic music?

The questions flowed and the answer was obvious: Hot House West needed to become a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

In order to really impact the community, it needed to be owned by the community. We started the Swing Orchestra the very same day. As we threw open the doors of collaboration there was an almost instantaneous spark — a newfound energy in the scene. People were hungry to connect, to play, to laugh, to dance, to groove, to practice, to perform, to give and to share. We rapidly discovered an increasing number of perspectives and opportunities.

While the connective power of the Swing Orchestra was clear, it wasn’t enough. We needed to bring the energy we were finding there to every corner of the valley. We needed to embrace the acoustic string band experience of being circled in the woods and connecting through song.

With the help of our friend Melissa Chilinski (one of our new found collaborators) we kicked off the Trash Moon Collective and the Swing Collective programs. Both of these programs are focused directly on community development and engagement.

We are in the business of creating impactful experiences because we had a few and it spawned this whole journey. Where people take those? It’s up to them, but we believe in the power of moments. That’s why we create experiences of connectedness, learning and joy. May the stoke never die.

OUR PROGRAMS

At Hot House West, we bring acoustic music to life through four programs: the Swing Orchestra, the Swing Collective, the Trash Moon Collective, and Westmoon Records. Each program invites dancers, audience members, aspiring musicians, professionals, and hobbyists alike to join our vision. We want acoustic music to be a natural part of everyday life in Utah. Our programs include performances, community gatherings, workshops, and recordings. They open the door for everyone to participate, learn, and connect.