Summer Music Festivals

July 19 2019

Billings & Eastern Montana

Roundup Independence Days Extravaganza (R.I.D.E.) – July 4-7 at Roundup City Park and downtown; fun four-day event features concerts by The Georgia Satellites and Jason Larson on Thursday; High Country Cowboys on Friday; and Lonestar on Saturday (all at 7 p.m.). Festivities also include a 5K Run/Walk, parades, rodeos and kids’ activities. Call 406-323-4163 or visit www.roundupindependencedays.com for details.

Magic City Blues Festival – Aug. 2-3 on the 2500 Block of Montana Ave. in Billings; Montana’s urban music festival attracts thousands to the historic downtown for two nights of blues and rock. Now in its 18th year, the festival opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday with a free, all-ages show on the Stillwater Stage, featuring Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band. Appearing Friday on the Budweiser Stage are Hawthorne Roots, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, and George Thorogood and The Destroyers; Mudslide Charley, the Nick Schnebelen Band and Marcia Ball perform on the Stillwater Stage. Arterial Drive, Little Hurricane and Postmodern Jukebox are Saturday’s headliners; the Stillwater Stage features Not Your Boyfriend’s Band, Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal and Kalo. Call 406-534-0400 or visit www.magiccityblues.com.

Miles City Bluegrass Festival – Sept. 20-22
at the Eastern Montana Fairgrounds in Miles City; the 22nd annual “Music on Wings” bluegrass festival boasts a slate of top-notch bluegrass bands, including The Buckleys, Song Dog Serenade, the Edgar Loudermilk Band featuring Jeff Autry, Cotton Wood, Lockwood and Milestown. Call 406-234-2480 or 853-1678 or visit www.milescitybluegrassfestival.com.

Bozeman & Big Sky

Peak to Sky Festival – July 5-6 at Big Sky Town Center; curated by Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, the inaugural festival offers world-class rock under the backdrop of 11,166-foot Lone Peak. The Friday line-up includes an opening set by local favorites Dammit Lauren and The Well, followed by headliner Thunderpussy, a Seattle-based female rock ’n roll quartet. Earlier in the day, McCready and Kate Neckel will perform a segment from Infinite Color & Sound, their collaborative art and music project. Saturday’s lineup features Grammy Award-winning artist Brandi Carlile followed by All Star friends McCready (Pearl Jam), Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses) and Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters). Bozeman-based Paige & The People’s Band opens the evening’s performance. Visit www.peaktosky.com.

Livingston Hoot – 4 p.m. Aug. 8 on Main Street in Livingston; community festival returns with food vendors, non-profits, a kids’ area, and top-notch musical talent on the big stage. Opening the show this year is The Western Flyers, a western swing trio, followed by Texas boogie-piano queen Marcia Ball, accompanied by blues vocalist/legend Tracy Nelson. Admission is free; learn more at www.livingstonhoot.com.

Big Sky Classical Music Festival – Aug. 9 at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, and Aug. 10-11 at the Town Center Park Center Stage in Big Sky; the ninth annual festival opens Friday evening with a ticketed event featuring acclaimed clarinetist Jonathan Gunn, along with Angella Ahn and Friends at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center. The festival continues Saturday at Town Center Park with Dallas Brass, one of America’s foremost musical ensembles, and Sunday with the Big Sky Festival Orchestra, with Maestro Peter Bay and guest artist Jonathan Gunn in a performance that includes works by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Ravel. Call 406-995-2742 or visit bigskyarts.org.

Moonlight MusicFest 2019 – Aug. 16-17 at Moonlight Basin Resort in Big Sky; enjoy two days of stellar music, surrounded by views of Lone Mountain and the Spanish Peaks. This intimate outdoor festival features performances by Trampled by Turtles, Blackberry Smoke, The Record Company, The Wood Brothers, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band, The War and Treaty, Satsang and Dusty Pockets. Call 617-909-6062 or visit moonlightmusicfest.com.

Butte & Southwest Montana

St. Timothy’s Summer Music Festival – 4 p.m. Sundays, June 30, July 14 and 28, and Aug. 11 and 25 at St. Timothy’s Chapel above Georgetown Lake; the festival begins with the always entertaining Wylie and The Wild West, who have delivered their refreshing blend of cowboy, western swing, old school country, and yodeling music worldwide. The Montana Chamber Society with Muir Members and Guests return to the chapel July 14; this year’s performance includes the premiere of an original composition commissioned by patron of St. Timothy’s and former Butte resident, Dianne Kimball. Concert pianist and singer Karen Herrin returns to the St. Timothy’s stage July 28 with young guest artists Marin Sewell and Nora Spring. Herrin is a soloist with extensive training in multiple genres of music including pop, opera, jazz, folk, gospel and classical. Jim Salestrom, a Colorado musicians and songwriter who has performed on-stage, “sat in” or recorded with such diverse performers as Dolly Parton, John Denver, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Livingston Taylor, Kenny Rogers, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Ozark Mountain Daredevils, plays Aug. 11; and the season wraps up Aug. 25 with Bozeman-based Montana Manouche, a quartet inspired by the repertoire of famed Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Call 888-407-4071 or visit sttimothysmusic.org.

Montana Folk Festival – July 12-14 in Uptown Butte; three-day celebration of traditional music, dance, arts and ethnic cuisine offers continuous performances throughout the weekend. More than 20 of the nation’s finest musicians and dancers appear on six stages, including a dance pavilion, a family stage, and the Original Mine Yard. A sampling includes bluesman Eddie Cotton, bluegrass by David Davis and the Warrior River Boys, Cuban music by Gerardo Contino y Los Habaneros, dancehall Cajun by Kyle Huval and the Dixie Ramblers, hip-hop by Rahzel, and gospel by Cora Harvey Armstrong. Rounding out the free festival are dozens of artists, demonstrators, instructors and performers in two Arts Markets, the Family Area and Montana Folklife Area. Visit www.montanafolkfestival.com for details.

Rockin’ the Rivers – Aug. 8-10 at The Bridge in the Jefferson River Canyon near Three Forks; Montana’s original homegrown rockfest for 18 years features more than 30 bands including Dead Fervor, Saliva, Warrant, Cheap Trick and Pinky and the Floyd on Thursday; and Nova Rex, Adelitas Way, Dokken, Zakk Sabbath and Whiskey River on Friday. The festival closes Saturday with Comatose Posse, Hinder, The Guess Who, Lou Gramm and Hot for Teacher. Call 866-285-0097 or visit rockintherivers.com.

An Ri Ra Montana Irish Festival – Aug. 9-11 at the Original Mine Yard in Butte; founded by the Montana Gaelic Cultural Society to promote and preserve Gaelic culture through language, music and dance, this free festival brings Ireland to the Mining City. Music begins at 2 p.m. Friday and noon on Saturday; performers include The Whileaways, Evans and Doherty, Tom Sweeny, Kevin Doyle, the McLean Avenue Band, Dublin Gulch, the Trinity Irish Dance Company and the Tiernan Irish Singers. The annual celebration also features Montana and Irish authors, art, crafts, food, and children’s activities. Call 406-498-3983 or visit mtgaelic.org.

Central Montana

Red Ants Pants Music Festival – July 25-28 at the Jackson Ranch in White Sulphur Springs; the festival starts downtown with a free street dance at 9 p.m. Thursday, featuring Tris Munsick and The Innocents, and runs through Sunday with live music at the festival grounds. Headliners include Patty Griffin, Shakey Graves, Bobby Bare, Colter Wall, Valerie June, Suzy Bogguss, The White Buffalo and Darrell Scott. The line-up also includes Mipso, The Steel Wheels, The Waifs and Dustbowl Revival, as well as The East Pointers, William Prince, Lilly Hiatt, Bo DePeña, and many more. The festival is designed to bring people together and support the Red Ants Pants Foundation, which is dedicated to women’s leadership, working family farms and ranches, and rural communities. Offerings also include agriculture and work-skill demonstrations, a yodeling contest and the annual Beard and Moustache and Cross-Cut Sawing competitions, plus local food, beer, wine, art and crafts. Call 406-547-3781 or visit redantspantsmusicfestival.com.

Montana Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Western Music Rendezvous – Aug. 15-18 at Fergus High School in Lewistown; a slew of cowboy poets, western musicians and artists convene at the 34th annual festival to celebrate and preserve the history and heritage of the cowboy lifestyle. The Bellamy Brothers headline Saturday’s stage show. Other highlights are Friday night’s Jam ’n Dance; and Cowboy Church on Sunday morning. The festival also includes hourly sessions of cowboy poetry and western music, a western art and vendor show and workshops. Call 406-538-4575 or visit montanacowboypoetrygathering.com.

Boulder Music and Art Festival – Sept. 7 at Veteran’s Park in Boulder; enjoy a weekend of music, food, art and fun during the free end-of-summer festival, now in its 12th year. Call 406-465-7282 or visit www.bouldermtchamber.org.

Flathead & Mission Valleys

Under the Big Sky Music and Arts Festival – July 13-14 at Big Mountain Ranch in Whitefish; inaugural festival presents stars from across the spectrum of Americana, folk and alt-country on a 350-acre ranch near Glacier National Park. Headliners include Nathaniel Rateliff and the Band of Horses, Dwight Yoakam, Jenny Lewis, Cody Jinks, Elle King, Jamestown Revival, Ryan Bingham and a slew of other musicians, including Corb Lund, Bones Owens, and Justin Townes Earle. Accompanying the musical programming is a rough stock rodeo, trail riding and food and beverage vendors. Visit www.underthebigskyfest.com.

Festival Amadeus 2019 – Aug. 2-11 at the O’Shaughnessy Center and Whitefish Performing Arts Center and Aug. 9 at St. John Paul II Church in Bigfork; Montana’s only week-long summer classical music festival kicks off Aug. 2 at the O’Shaughnessy Center with “It’s a String Thing,” featuring the Cascade String Quartet from Great Falls, and continues Aug. 3 with “A Gala Evening of Voices,” featuring the six-member cast of Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte.” Tre Virtuosi, featuring violinist William Hagen, flutist Mark McGregor and pianist Jed Moss, offer the third chamber concert, Aug. 7 at Whitefish Performing Arts Center and Aug. 9 at the St. John Paul II Church in Bigfork. The first orchestral concert on
Aug. 6 at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center is “Flute, Fire and Idomeneus” featuring flutist McGregor; the second, on Thursday, Aug. 8, is “Turkish, Hebrides, Beethoven 4” with violinist Hagen. The festival concludes with “Cosi Fan Tutte (or “The School for Lovers”) – one of Mozart’s greatest comic operas, Aug. 10-11, at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. Call
406-407-7000 or visit www.gscmusic.org.

Riverfront Blues Festival – Aug. 9-10 at Riverfront Park in Libby; 11th annual blues bash by the Kootenai River offers two days of top-notch entertainment that spans a wide range of blues styles. The festival kicks off Friday with CD Woodbury, Skyla Burrell and Duwayne Burnside; Saturday’s line-up includes Terry Robb, Carl Rey Trio, Sara Brown, Corey Dennison and Zac Harmon, culminating in an all-star jam. Call 406-291-0185 or visit www.riverfrontbluesfestival.com.

Flathead Lake Blues and Music Festival – Aug. 16-17 at Regatta Shoreline Amphitheater at the Polson Fairgrounds; ninth annual event kicks off Friday with music by Jordan Albert, The Kelly Brothers, Moneypenny and Ocelot Wizard. Saturday’s diverse lineup includes Blue Moon, the Bobbie Patterson Band, the Zach Cooper Band, the Michelle Taylor Band, and the Stacy Jones Band. Visit flatheadlakebluesfestival.com.

Missoula & Western Montana

The Bob Marshall Music Festival – June 28-29 in Seeley Lake; this year’s line-up includes Shinyribs, The Black Lillies, Tony Furtado Band, John Roberts y Pan Blanco, Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, The Artisanals, Dodgy Mountain Men, Hawthorne Roots, and more. Call 406-442-5960 or visit www.thebobmusic.com.

Chamber Music Montana Summer Festival – July 5-6 in Missoula, July 7 in St. Ignatius and July 8 in Glacier National Park; the festival opens at 7:30 p.m. July 5 at the plaza adjacent to the UM Music Recital Hall in Missoula with wine, cheese and music ($25). The Sapphire Trio with pianist Barbara Blegen, Duo del Sol, the Jenhankinson Duo, Duo Nyans, Flute Duo Extraordinaire and the Post-Haste Reed Duo offer Chamber Music Favorites, 7:30 p.m. July 6 at the UM Music Recital Hall; Music at the Mission, 1 p.m. July 7 at the St. Ignatius Mission Church (a benefit for the historic church’s Mural Restoration Project); and Chamber Music in the Park, 6:30 p.m. July 8 at Many Glacier Hotel near Babb. Call 406-243-4581 or visit www.chambermusicmt.com.

Lost Trail Fest – July 12-13 at Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Sula; performers include Dead Floyd, The Higgs, Rotgut Whines, Skurfs, Tiny Plastic Stars, Letter B, Double Dirty Ocelot, Straw Hat Riots, Why We Came West, Dammit Lauren and The Well, Westfork, Annalisa Rose and Lonesome Gold. Alongside live bands, the event boasts an adventure hike, live art show and morning yoga. Call 406-821-3211 or visit adventurecrewpresents.com.

Montana Baroque Music Festival – July 16-18 at Quinn’s Hot Springs in Paradise; enjoy three nights of classical music by world-renowned musicians during this 16th annual event. Themes are “Baroque Masters” Tuesday; “Mozart for Andre” Wednesday; and “Faux Baroque” Thursday. Call 406-826-3150 or visit www.quinnshotsprings.com.

Symes Hot Springs Blues Festival – July 26-27 at the Symes Hotel in Hot Springs; the tenth annual festival features music by Kevin Van Dort and Full Grown Band on Friday and the Pleasure Kings and Mudslide Charley on Saturday. Call 406-741-2361 or visit www.symeshotspringsbluesfestival.com.

Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival – July 26-28 at 163 Forest Hill Road in Hamilton; celebrate the sounds of traditional bluegrass music at the 11th annual event with concerts, competitions and lots of jamming. This year’s roster includes 10 bands and five featured pioneers. Call 406-821-3777 or visit hardtimesbluegrass.com.

Big Sky Blues Festival – Aug. 2-4 at Pilgrim Creek Park in Noxon; the 10th annual festival kicks off Aug. 3 with a pre-party on the big stage at the festival site. The weekend line-up includes Amanda Fish, Stacy Jones, Franco Paletta and The Stingers, StepBrothers Band, Bryan Warhall, Randy McAllister, Dean Haitani, Mark Dufresne, Robin Barrett with Tiphony Dames and Coyote Kings, Cros, Jimmy D. Lane, and L.A. Smith. Call 406-827-4210 or visit bigskyblues.com.

Bitterroot Celtic Games and Gathering – Aug. 17-18 at the Daly Mansion in Hamilton; the 10th annual gathering is filled with Highland games, dancers, music and pipe & drum bands. Festivities also include dog-herding and hurling demonstrations, kids’ activities, a clan gathering, history and cultural displays, and a concert Saturday night. Visit www.bcgg.org for details.

River City Roots Festival – Aug. 23-24 in downtown Missoula; the community’s signature celebration draws more than 15,000 people to the heart of Missoula for a variety of fun activities and exceptional music. Headlining Friday night’s line-up is the Honey Island Swamp Band, delivering “Bayou Americana.” Leftover Salmon, considered the architect of what’s become known as “jamgrass,” headlines Saturday’s Music on Main. Other performers include Moneypenny, Ashleigh Flynn and The Riveters and The Black Lillies on Friday; and The Whizpops, Cascade Crescendo, a Guy Clark Tribute by Shawn Camp and Verlon Thompson, and the Acoustic Syndicate on Saturday. The Roots Fest also features a Family Fun Festival, juried art show, food vendors and a fun run. Call 406-543-4238 or visit rivercityrootsfestival.com.

Tags: MAC News