Tag: River City Roots Festival

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Artists Worth Checking Out Reviews

Rayland Baxter, Jose Gonzalez and The Brite Lights, Shakey Graves at Big Sky Brewing Company – live performance review

Our final concert for August at the Big Sky Brewing Company occurred on August 25, and included solo performer Rayland Baxter, and bands José González & the Brite Lights and Shakey Graves.  It was a remarkably chill evening that coincided with the return of the students for the fall semester at the University of Montana and the 13th annual River City Roots Festival.  Once again, it was produced by Knitting Factory Presents, and they did another wonderful job, as did the amazing catering staff of Riversong Gourmet Catering.

Nashville native Rayland Baxter kicked off the evening with a short 20-minute solo set, playing songs from his recently released album Wide Awake.  He also made a tongue-in-cheek attempt at shredding, much to the delight of the crowd.  After his set, we got to spend some time together, as he hung out with me at the pass gate, watching portions of the rest of the artists performing.  He was an extremely nice guy who had a few friends and fans in the audience, and took the time to talk to each and every one of them.

Next on the stage was Swedish artist José González, who brought his band, The Brite Lights, with him.  The harmonies were exquisite, as was the amazing sound of their music.  The audience got into them rather quickly, and were soon in sync with the performance.  The band also had the amazing sound of The Gipsy Kings, and the audience roared with approval at not just the vocal harmonies but the musical harmonies and percussion as well.  Check out their most recent Spotify upload for a taste of the magic.

Finally, it was time for the headliner, and the crowd was restless with anticipation.  This was the third recent performance by Shakey Graves in Missoula.  The last time he was here, he was the opening act for The Decemberists’ Traveler’s Rest Festival last year.  He and his other guitarist snuck into the crowd and began their set from just in front of the sound booth while his drummer and bass player joined in from the stage.  The crowd went crazy, and it became quickly clear that we were in for a wonderful show.  Graves played with his band for approximately 30 minutes before sending them off on a break while he performed alone as a one-man band, reminiscent of the great Rocco DeLuca.  As this was his first local performance with a full band, the audience was most familiar with his solo material.  This portion also lasted about 30 minutes before he was joined on stage for a stirring duet with Baxter.  After the song, Graves invited Baxter to join in with the band, and he continued on acoustic guitar, providing a welcome addition to the overall amazing sound of Graves’ band.  He sent the band away again and performed his final songs by himself, honestly telling the crowd that it was his true “last song”, as he wasn’t going to do a fake encore.  The concert ended before curfew, and the crowd quickly departed the venue.  Afterwards, I had the opportunity to take a co-worker and his date backstage.  She was a huge Shakey Graves fan, and was dying to meet him.  I had already cleared it with management, and Graves was the perfect gentleman as he took the time to talk with them and take pictures.  It was the perfect ending to a wonderful night of music.

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Artists Worth Checking Out Reviews

2017 River City Roots Festival (day 2) – live performance review

Day 2 of the 2017 River City Roots Festival came early, and we made sure to get there in time for the first band on the main stage, even though they are a “children’s” band.  The Whizpops are one of Missoula’s best treasures.  Even though their songs are written for children, they have become an adult’s “guilty pleasure,” since the music is so well written that it appeals to all ages.

This award winning band has two elementary teachers and a floating mix of other local performers.  At Roots Fest, the line-up included Josh Farmer on keys, founding member Casey Schaefer on electric guitar, talk box and vocals, Christina Scruggs on vocals, Kevin Cashman on acoustic guitar, tambourine and vocals (including rapping), Jeff Stickney on trumpet, Phil Hamilton on saxophone, Steve Kalling on bass and Daniel Kiely on drums.

The band played songs from throughout their career, including their latest project, Ranger Rick’s Trail Mix, Vol 1, which supports the National Wildlife Federation.  Kids of all ages were dancing to their songs about dancing dolphins, great white sharks, penguins and playing freeze tag.  It was a wonderful start to the day, and the large and enthusiastic crowd ate it all up.

Imagine having to follow an act like that?  Lucky that solo roots songwriter Malcolm Holcombe was up to the challenge.  Holcombe owned the stage as he mesmerized the crowd with his storytelling and songs, holding them in the palm of his hands for 90+ minutes.  His latest album, Pretty Little Trouble, was produced by Darrell Scott, a giant in the Americana scene and a previous performer at Roots Fest.  Needless to say the audience loved every minute of his performance, and showed up in droves to meet him and buy his albums from the merchandise booth.

The Ghost of Paul Revere was the next to take the stage, and they wasted no time in pumping up the energy level, keeping the growing audience entertained and engaged.  They played their own unique blend of folk and rock, and included unique covers of both Springsteen and The Who (“Baba O’Reilly”).  They were coming off a string of opening slots for the Infamous Stringdusters, and kept the energy level high as afternoon turned into early evening.  Like Holcombe before them, they proved popular at the merchandise, and sold out their selection of CDs.

The fourth act of the day was the incredible Band of Heathens, normally a five piece country rock act from Austin, Texas.  They were indeed lucky to be with us at all, as they were almost stuck in Texas, thanks to Harvey.  They did have to leave their keyboard player there, but it was because his wife had a baby, and not because of the hurricane.  The band played many songs from their latest project, Duende, including the amazing songs “Sugar Queen” and “Carry Your Love.”  We were so impressed with their material that we recently reviewed that album.  Lucky for the crowd, the band will be coming back in November to play what will probably be a sold-out show at the Wilma.

The Festival concluded with the dynamic sound of Anders Osborne and his electric blues.   This four piece guitar and drums band put the exclamation point on a spectacular weekend of music.  Thanks to all involved and especially Eileen Buchanan for another successful Roots Fest.

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Artists Worth Checking Out Reviews

2017 River City Roots Festival (day 1) – live performance review

Twelve years ago the City of Missoula and the Missoula Downtown Association decided to do something special to welcome the returning and first time students at the University of Montana.  The event has grown every year, and now includes two days of family friendly fun in Caras Park with kid friendly bands, games and crafts, as well as an art show, food vendors, beer garden and, of course, quality bands on the Main Stage.

For the first time since we moved to Missoula, the event changed from Saturday and Sunday to Friday and Saturday.  Although we weren’t there to check it out, the music began at noon with a couple of bands featuring children.  First up were the representatives from the Tangled Tones Music program, Third Capo Kids and Satellite Jacket.  They were followed by the kids who had participated in the Zootown Arts Community Center Rock Camp Bands.

The adult bands started at 2:30 p.m. with local favorite Rotgut Whines, a two-piece rock and soul band featuring Evan Manuel on lead vocals and guitar and Andrew Murphy on drums and backing vocals.  Due to the massive problems with the sound, their set was difficult to understand and hear unless you were right in front of the stage.  They also had some questionable choices in covers, including a very bad attempt at Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams.”  However, when they were on target, they connected well with the audience.  All in all, it seemed that despite their recent success, they were not yet ready for a festival appearance.

Next up was the jammin’ reggae of Taj Weekes and Adowa.  We have been long time reggae fans and haven’t seen much of it since our move.  The music of Taj Weekes and Adowa more than made up for that.  The sound problems that plagued Rotgun Whines continued for the first couple of songs, but were eventually fixed, allowing this amazing artist to shine.  Weekes’ vocals are nearly falsetto, and soared above the rhythmic grooves of his band, allowing the growing crowd the chance to participate in the Rastafarian way.  The crowd had a blast dancing to the music, and it swelled over the length of the set.  This set was one of the true highlights of the Festival.

The third slot of the day belonged to former country great Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband.  The band had a few country hits back in the early 2000’s when they were signed to Capitol Records.  If their set on this day was any indication, they still have a lot to contribute to today’s music scene.  They played their hits and most of their songs on their recent CD, which was released last year on Tydal Wave Records.

The new sound of the band is more akin to that of a country Beach Boys, with a healthy helping of rock.  Accompanying Shupe (fiddle and vocals) were Roger Archibald on guitar and vocals; Craig Miner on banjo, mandolin and vocals; Josh Larsen on bass and vocals; and Nate Young on drums and vocals.  The band even brought their amazing sound engineer, Dallan Rees, who kept the band sounding great all set long.  Among their songs were outstanding performances of “Hey Hey Hey,” “Brand New Shoes,” “The Sun Will Shine Again,” “He Knows Karate,” “Corn Dogs,” “Just Say Yes,” and “Take me Home.  They also did a stunning cover of Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” incorporating a sample of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.”  But the icing on the cake was their performance of one of their biggest hits, “Dream Big,” which included a ladies choir from the Jocko Valley Community Chorus, and a special “appearance” by the voice of Kermit the Frog on “The Rainbow Connection.”

Unbeknownst to me, my old friend Steve Garvan was managing Shupe.  It was a great chance to hang out with him and catch up.  So thankful to have people like Garvan helping to bring out the best from the indie music community.

The final performer of the night was John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band.  Jorgenson is considered to one of the fathers of modern bluegrass, and his songs have been covered by a myriad of artists, including Brad Paisley and Allison Krause.  Jorgenson provided a magnificent performance of his song, “Whiskey Lullaby,” which was recorded by Paisley and Krause.

I spent most of their performance working the merchandise booth as a volunteer for the Festival.  Even from there, the music was incredible and it was obvious that the crowd was enjoying the electricity created by these bands.  The only downside was that the headliner’s bluegrass sound did not have the same energy as Shupe, and the vibe fizzled as Jorgenson cut his set short.  It was still a great day of music, and helped to prepare the crowd for the awesomeness to come on Day 2.

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Artists Worth Checking Out Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2017: Vol. 31

Happy Eclipse Day!  We hope you have a safe viewing and enjoy this historical day across the country.  We have spent the past three days enjoying music across Montana, with the Redhead Express at the Music Ranch Montana in Livingston, and the Flathead Lake Blues Festival in Polson.  Watch for the reviews coming shortly.

INDIE NEWS

We are getting down to the end of Festival season.  Here in Missoula, we close out with the 12th Annual River City Roots Festival this weekend, August 25-26.  This year’s show will feature local artists The Whizpops and Rotgun Whines, as well as national acts Taj Weekes & Adowa, Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, Malcolm Holcombe, The Ghost of Paul Revere, The Band of Heathens and Anders Osborne.  The Festival kicks off at noon both days with family friendly music before moving to the adult fare at 2:30 p.m. each day.  The event is free and sponsored by the Missoula Downtown Association as a welcome back to the students of the University of Montana.  Go Griz!

 THE KHOURYS TO RELEASE DEBUT EP

The Khourys, composed of sisters Guila and Jahnna, recently returned from Los Angeles and are set to release their debut EP, Good Stuff, with a sold-out concert at their Massachusetts hometown venue, Narrows Center for the Arts.  We can hardly wait to review this EP.

NEW MUSIC

It’s been another busy week in indie music.  Among the singles recently released are these promising tunes:

For more info, check her out here.

https://soundcloud.com/parentz/single

For more info, check them out here.

For more info, check them out here.

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

Lynn is an amazing young artist.  Her latest music video was remixed by Yoad Nevo, who has made a name working with mainstream artists like Sia and Moby.  We think you’ll love this video as we say goodbye to summer.  Pop it on whenever you really need a good dose of summer’s warmth.

Rosi Golan has been making waves on the indie music scene lately with the release of her EP, Collecting Bullets, which we recently reviewed.  Check out the BalconyTV video of her live performance in Nashville for her single, “Underneath.”  Can’t wait to check her out live.

Jacqui, an alum of The Voice, recently released her music video for “Am I the Only One.”  She has returned to her indie roots, and we are so proud of her.  We simply love this song, and the video is hot.  Let us know what you think.