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Steamboat Springs — The guys in Fort Collins dancegrass band Whitewater Ramble say they always get a hearty reception when they play shows in Steamboat Springs.

But for the band's Saturday gig at Mahogany Ridge Brewery and Grill, vocalist and mandolin player Patrick Sites says he's hoping to draw more music lovers than usual, riding on the coattails of Ski Jam 2008 at Steamboat Ski Area.

"A lot of those people are fans of our kind of music, so we kind of specifically asked for this weekend based on that, knowing that there are going to be a lot of music fans in town," Sites said.

With a lineup that boasts a number of acts mixing traditional Americana genres - bluegrass, blues, country - with anything that has a groove, such as jazz, funk and R&B, Ski Jam is a natural fit for many of the bands booked at Steamboat's music venues.

"We definitely see more music fans on Ski Jam week, and it's usually a younger crowd," said Jake Owens, who manages and books music at Mahogany Ridge.

Because headlining concerts for the music festival start before 7 p.m., Sites said many of the college-age jam fans who come to Steamboat for those shows still will be looking for something to do when they're over.

"We think it's going to help the turnout, because those shows are not late night," he said. "A lot of people are going to be in town to see those shows and - at 10 at night - are going to be looking for something fun to do."

Whitewater Ramble returns to Steamboat with a saxophone to replace its fiddle player on melody lines.

"We came to town a couple of weeks ago, so we figured this time since we're coming back so quick, we're going to have some new material and do something a little different," said vocalist and upright bassist Howard Montgomery.