Sunday, December 5, 2010
2:30 p.m. (show) 2:00 p.m. (doors open)
Pilgrim Church, 2118 South Third Avenue, Bozeman
TICKETS : (only at door) $15 general / $13 BFS & seniors / $5 children 5-12
CONTACT : Rik James (406) 586-4123  (406) 586-4123 D28Rik@msn.com

Each winter, Chicago’s Special Consensus, led by banjo veteran Greg Cahill, has braved the elements to come to Montana to perform. And this year, Bozeman happens to be one of their stops, this time for an afternoon show.

This road tested, award winning group, also known as the “Special C” band, is a traditional hard-driving bluegrass quartet. And their leader, Greg Cahill, has mentored dozens of musicians along the way. This year the band celebrates its 35th anniversary, and it has released its 15th album, succinctly titled “35,” on Compass Records. The new album features six songs from previous out-of-print recordings, and six songs newly recorded with the most recent band lineup of Greg Cahill on banjo and vocals, Rick Faris on mandolin and vocals, David Thomas on bass and vocals, and Ryan Roberts on guitar and vocals. Songs from all of the band recordings since 1998 have appeared on the National Bluegrass Survey chart in Bluegrass Unlimited and on the charts in Bluegrass Now.

The current Special Consensus is regarded as one of the best bands Greg has ever put together. Rick Faris plays mandolin and sings lead, baritone, tenor and high baritone vocals. David Thomas plays bass and sings lead, baritone, tenor and high baritone vocals. Ryan Roberts plays guitar and sings lead, baritone, bass and tenor vocals. Ryan, David, and Rick are tasteful players and strong singers who not only pull off any of the standard bluegrass repertoire, but are also writing their own songs.

Chicago born and bred, Greg Cahill has been playing bluegrass banjo since the early 1970s and formed The Special Consensus in 1975. He has composed many banjo instrumentals and released three albums featuring his unique style: Lone Star (1980) with guests Jethro Burns and Byron Berline, Blue Skies (1992) with fellow Chicagoan Don Stiernberg, and Night Skies (1998) with Don and guests Sam Bush, Glen Duncan and Tom Boyd. In addition to conducting workshops at festivals, teaching at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and teaching banjo at music camps, Greg has released four instructional videos/DVDs. He served as Vice Chairperson of the Nashville-based International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Board of Directors for several years and was elected President/Board Chair of that organization in 2006.

More information at their web site: http://www.specialc.com

For more information about concerts in general,
call Rik James at (406) 586-4123 (406) 586-4123

Put on by Bozeman Folklore Society

Greensky Bluegrass will be playing tonight at the Top Hat

Band Bio

Winners of the 2006 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition, Michigan’s own Greensky Bluegrass is earning recognition nationwide as a growing force in acoustic roots music…

Performing at festivals, theaters, clubs and listening rooms all over the US, their rare traditional sound is piquing the interests of not only bluegrass enthusiasts, but lovers of music of all genres. It is their unique “fusion of tradition and enthusiasm for improvisation” that has come to define the band’s creative and tangible compositional style.

Formed in the fall of 2000 by Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), and Paul Hoffman (mandolin), Greensky has undergone a musical evolution as unique as the music it has produced. As newcomers to the bluegrass scene, the three sought to define themselves within the framework of their bluegrass favorites while establishing a voice of their own, drawing upon an array of influences and varied musical backgrounds. This voice first became evident in their May 2004 release of Less than Supper, recorded with bassist Chris Carr and dobro player Al Bates. Both Bates and Carr left the band shortly thereafter, and in the fall of the same year, Greensky Bluegrass welcomed bassist Michael Devol. In the summer of 2006 the band released their second studio album, Tuesday Letter. This album, produced by Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth, has proven a milestone in the quartet’s growth as musicians and increasing exposure to a thriving national community.b

In November of 2007 the band released it’s first live CD Live at Bell’s, recorded at Bell’s Brewery in their hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Just over a month later Greensky Bluegrass added Anders Beck to the line up, replacing Al Bates on dobro. His playing is adding great depth to their existing material and opening many doors to new songs.The new quintet will be recording a studio album in the late spring of 2008.

Live performance is central to Greensky Bluegrass’ presence in today’s eclectic acoustic scene. Touring extensively since 2005, Greensky has developed great versatility in the performance arena, earning audiences nationwide. The mixing of original compositions with traditional bluegrass numbers gives the band a broad spectrum in which to display their driving technical chops, vocal abilities, and lyrical insight. A spirit of improvisation remains evident in live shows, which contributes to an ever-growing population of returning fans and avid show traders.

On-stage collaborations have paired the boys with Railroad Earth, The Hackensaw Boys, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge and Steppin’ in It. The band has also shared bills with influential acts including Ralph Stanley, Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet, Yonder Mountain String Band, Sam Bush, New Monsoon, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Keller Williams, Hot Buttered Rum, Vince Herman, The Mammals, The Avett Brothers, Darrell Scott, King Wilkie, David Grisman Quintet and more.

this just in from Great Falls

Stone Soup Productions presents

Who: MONTANA SLIM STRING BAND
         from San Francisco
What: original & traditional bluegrass

When: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010 @ 7 PM
Where: 1ST ENGLISH LUTHERAN CHURCH (726 – 2nd Avenue North)
How much: $10

Tickets at: Vintage Sellers (105 Smelter Avenue in the 2J’s Complex),
– Planet Earth (116 Central Avenue),
– Penny’s
Gourmet To Go (815 Central Avenue),
– First English Lutheran Church
office (112 – 8th Street North)
– or out-of-town folks may call
406-771-1544 to reserve tickets. 

Yep, the name says Montana but they’re actually from San Francisco, and this is one very talented young outfit.  Montana Slim were in alists in the 2009 NorthWest String Summit Band Competition and they’re working their way around the western United States right now in support of their CD “Slim Pickins.”  Sandy & I were down in the Bay Area at Thanksgiving and we got to catch two brilliant sets of original bluegrass music at The Connecticut Yankee so when MSSB called to say they were going to be coming up through Montana, we figured we’d better throw a Stone Soup hoedown.

Brent McClain: mandolin, vocals
Jesse Dunn: rhythm guitar, vocals
Sean Duerr: lead acoustic guitar, vocals
Turi Hoiseth: fiddle, vocals
Dave Lockhart: upright bass

My favorite review of MSSB’s music:

“A lone mandolin announces their arrival. Like much of the full-length
debut from the Montana Slim String Band, it’s a classically high
lonesome sound adapted to something quite non-Bill Monroe. While the
pluck and snap of the instruments harks back to a fine lineage of
mountain music and bluegrass, there’s subtle modernity to their tales,
appealing boy-girl harmonies and nuanced playing. Montana Slim is a
direct descendant of fellow S.F. region granddaddies Old And In The
Way, and they exude a similar love for good songs played with open
feeling and strong sincerity. From the remodeled sea shanty that begins
this 11-track song cycle to the speedily picked ode to love’s
intoxicating fullness that closes the collection, Slim Pickins
encapsulates a very pure string band aesthetic that’s likely to flip
the wig of anyone into Hot Buttered Rum, Chatham County Line and other
contemporaries. But like these peers, there’s a personal thread
stitched into the traditional vibe, a line of color that emerges in
pockets and accents that stray off the beaten path. This ain’t no
“jam-grass” but it’s clear there’s plenty going on upstairs in this
classy, strongly musical ensemble that I think Mother Maybelle would
have loved.”

– Dennis Cook, Jambase

http://www.myspace.com/MontanaSlimMusic
Click the link above and you can listen to some of their songs.  I strongly
recommend “Don’t Fly Away” and “Whiskey Ain’t My Wife.”

This band, well… dare I say it? Yes, I do!  This band kicks butt!  Tight harmonies, solid pickin’, great original songs, and fine covers all say that the future of acoustic music is in VERY good hands with young people like Montana Slim String Band. 

Don’t look for a piece in the Trib’s Hot Ticket because once again I’ve gone and missed the deadline (d’oh!), but if I’ve learned anything in this town over the years it’s that I can always count on friends to share things around by word-of-mouth.  Your help, please?  Maybe even forward this email to some friends? 

Here’s hoping we’ll see you this Saturday night for music that’s guaranteed to chase the winter blues away!

+ Tim Christensen

Here are some bluegrass shows coming up in our area:

Nov 7, 2009 – Bozeman 3rd Annual BG Festival – see our post

Nov 11-15, 2009 – Cherryholmes tour through our neck of the woods (Nampa, Idaho Falls, Spokane, Helena) – see their website schedule

Myspace Calendar