The 2011 MRBA Old-time Bluegrass Festival will be held at the Lone Rock School, 1112 Three Mile Creek Road, Stevensville, MT on Saturday, April 16. The music starts at noon and goes until 10:00 p.m. Bluegrass bands from Montana, Idaho and Oregon will perform. Space is available for dry camping. Food is available at the festival. Kids in Bluegrass kick off the festival. Admission is $3 for MRBA members and $5 for the general public. Kids 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Lone Rock School is located about three miles up Three Mile Creek Road which is about half way between Florence and Stevensville off Eastside highway. Look for MRBA and Lone Rock School signs on Eastside Highway.
The Hangin Art Gallery is hosting A FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER WITH MUSIC by The Gravely Mountain Boys. Great opportunity to get out, get some food (optional) and hear some music. Very kid friendly, just 30min from Missoula & No Cover Charge  Hope to see you there! Link to the Hanging Art Gallery at arleemontana.com Or call 726-5005. Thanks, Ron Snyder
April 16th at the Lone Rock School.. We have 17 bands coming to perform a great day of entertainment. This year the festival is at the Lone Rock School, which is aprox 5 miles north east of Stevensville Mt. Lone Rock is the oldest school in Montana, kind of a step back in time. There will be free rv camping at the school and Sunday morning we will do a biscuits and gravy breakfast at the school. For more info call me, Mike Conroy, at 1-406-821-3777. Ya’ll Come
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band ( Missouri Ballroom Friday 2/18 9:15pm w/ Crooked Still and Emmitt?Nershi Band $25) Grammy?award winner and five?time Grammy nominee, Peter Rowan is a bluegrass singer?songwriter with a career spanning over five decades. From his early years playing under the tutelage of bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe, and following his stint in Old & In the Way with Jerry Garcia and subsequent breakout as both a solo performer and bandleader, Rowan has built a devoted, international fan base through his continuous stream of original recordings, collaborative projects, and constant touring. On the road, Rowan performs internationally as a solo singer?songwriter and the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, a quartet featuring Jody Stecher, Keith Little, and Paul Knight.
Emmitt –Nershi Band (Missouri Ballroom Friday 7:30pm $25 Whiskey Jack Saturday 11pm $15) With years of collective experience under their belts, Drew Emmitt and Bill Nershi exemplify the forward? thinking modern bluegrass musician. As linchpins of two legendary jam?bands ?? Drew with Leftover Salmon, Bill with the String Cheese Incident??both men have done the stadium?filling, high?profile rock ‘n’ roll thing to perfection. Along the way, however, they’ve honed their songwriting and playing chops and studied the bluegrass, rock and jazz masters they admire. Above all, Drew and Bill have shared a commitment to keeping music human?scaled and hones
Infamous Stringdusters (Whisky Jack Friday 11pm $15– Whiskey Jack Sunday 9:30pm ) The Infamous Stringdusters are the new vanguard of acoustic music. Well crafted songs, vivid arrangements, instrumental virtuosity, stunning improvisation, unique individuality and complete harmony… Bluegrass, Rock, Country, Blues, Folk, and Jazz, the “IS†is American Acoustic Music. ’ Fork in the Road was named Album of the Year by the International Bluegrass Musicm Association. Its title named Song of the Year, and the band itself earned the honor of best emerging artist in a competitive field.
Crooked Still (Missouri Ballroom Friday 6:00pm, $25 Talus Room at the Summit Hotel, Saturday 7:15 pm $10) Crooked Still is now on the cusp of a new musical chapter. The quintet became five with the addition of fiddler Brittany Haas and Tristan Clarridge on cello and second fiddle. With Haas and Clarridge, the band has proven themselves to be even more adventurous, breathing their cosmic fire into old songs. O’Donovan says. “Brittney adds another female presence to the band; I can hear my voice in her fiddling. Tristan has a refined cello tone, with a powerful, restrained energy. They bring a fresh outlook to the arrangements that keep the music
exciting.
Great American Taxi ( Whiskey Jack Sunday 10:30 pm $15) Great American Taxi has been equated with roots rockers like the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Grateful Dead, Wilcox, Uncle Tupelo, The Byrds, and LittleFeat. Herman finds the comparisons flattering. “We’re definitely connected to all the acts in the country/rock spectrum, as well as the spirit of Gram Parsons and Woody Guthrie,†he says. “We want to address the issues appropriate to our times, while making music that gets people up and moving.†They’ve made their reputation as an exciting live band, willing to invite the audience on stage for impromptu jams and sing?alongs. “When strangers join in to sing and play, you don’t know what’s going to happen,†Herman grins. “It keeps you on your toes musically and brings out feelings of camaraderie and community.â€
Two Bit Stringband, Bluebird Sky, 8 Party Line and Random Canyon Growlers round out this year’s line?ups. These artists represent our local /regional community and present blends of traditional music with bluegrass and old time influences. You will be delighted by adventurous instrumentation, sweet harmonies, and savvy improvisational prowess.
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) 586-4123Â (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
Join us this Saturday for the Annual Meeting , jam and potluck.
If you would like to get more involved with this association, now is the time to step up and volunteer to help out on the board. Fun folks to work with for a fun cause, supporting and promoting bluegrass music.
The events start at 2 with potluck dinner at 2. We’ll be providing free pizza. Bring your side dishes.
I just found your website and really enjoyed it. Having lived in Missoula from 1981 – 2004 wished I had know of the MRBA. Now live in Casa Grande, AZ. If anyone is down this way let me know via e-mail. We can get together an jam. Many good ones in the area. Also will be having a great Festival the weekend of Jan 28, 29 and 30, 2011, at the Pinal County Fairgrounds. Two stages, plus a car show, quilt show and many vendors. Lots of jaming and a potluck and band scramble on Saturday evening. Agazin great website and look forward to hearing from some of you.
