If you've been to Mt. Charleston Lodge Friday and Saturday evenings or Sunday afternoons, chances are you've seen Michael DeGreve and his partner, Kris Reitinger, perform on a stage in the corner of the restaurant. The duo, now in its eighth year here, covers the gamut of classic rock, folk and pop, along with DeGreve's original songs from his two albums, Gypsy's Lament and Live at the Hitch.
Mount Charleston
The pair pass around a binder listing more than 500 songs, and anyone in the audience can make a request. "It's got everything from The Beatles and the Eagles and Tom Petty to Cat Stevens and James Taylor. And Green Day," DeGreve says. "I do a little country, just enough to get me by."
On a recent Sunday, the pair covered John Denver, Johnny Cash, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Jimmy Buffett, plus a handful of Christmas songs. DeGreve, a self-described hippie who came up during the '60s counterculture movement in LA, has had a storied career in music. He started out on the editorial department at the Los Angeles Times reviewing concerts but quit when he joined a band in 1968. The rest, as they say, is history—and there's photographic evidence on DeGreve's website, which is dotted with candid photos of everyone from Neil Young to Axl Rose to Graham Nash (who, incidentally, was married for 38 years to DeGreve's ex-wife).
The interior of the Mt. Charleston Lodge (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
After a few years in LA, DeGreve found himself in Cheyenne, Wyoming, at the Hitching Post Inn, a historic venue nicknamed "the Western White House" for the number of presidents that passed through its doors. What was supposed to be a two-week gig lasted 30 years, with DeGreve performing six nights a week in the lounge. Reitinger, a musician and songwriter in her own right, joined his band about 12 years ago.
DeGreve says the Lodge, much like the Hitching Post, feels like home, especially with the majestic Spring Mountains as its backdrop. "We've developed a nice following here," he says. "It's kind of like what I had in Cheyenne. Everybody knew me and raised their kids singing 'Puff the Magic Dragon.' It's just real family-oriented." –Genevie Durano
Michael DeGreve & Kris Reitinger Fridays & Saturdays, 5-8 p.m.; Sundays, noon-4 p.m. Mt. Charleston Lodge, 702-872-5408.
Stay Toasty
The World Famous Mt. Charleston Coffee (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
On the mountain, there's no greater pleasure than escaping the cold with a hot cocktail. And Mt. Charleston Lodge offers 11 different "Fireplace Favorites" ($10) to warm diners from the inside out, each drink equipped with whipped cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and a cherry on top.
Among whiskey hot chocolates, buttered rums and other sweet concoctions, the most noteworthy is the World Famous Mt. Charleston Coffee, with brandy and house-made vanilla milk. The special ingredient—well, other than coffee—is the honey-spiced Scotch whisky liqueur Drambuie. According to spokesperson Christina Ellis, the drink has made Mt. Charleston Lodge the No. 1 seller of Drambuie in the entire United States. –C. Moon Reed
