Fresh off a quick tour through Colorado (that was GREAT; thank you Coloradans, and friends and family from afar!!), we are back in Bozeman with 3 shows in 4 days. After that, we head to Whitefish to mix our album with Brett Allen of SnowGhost Studios. Then we make our way south, back to Prescott, Arizona. At that time we'll be sending our album to Airshow in Boulder, CO to be mastered by the best of the best. Then we'll turn around and head back to Bozeman by mid-December. We'll spend some time playing up at the Big Sky Resort, and before we know it we'll be heading to Memphis in February for another Folk Alliance Conference in the land of the dry-rub barbecue. By the end of April, we will be touring across the entire southern United States.Shadowfax, Lord of All Tour Vehicles, has his work cut out for him. I still prefer to think of him as a her. But that's neither here nor there.Wednesday (TONIGHT!), 10/5 @ Starky's, Bozeman, MT (6:30)Friday, 10/7 @ Choppers, Big Sky, MT (with FULL BAND) (8pm)Saturday 10/8 @ Ted's, Bozeman, MT (7:30pm)Friday, 10/14 @ The Raven (Our-Album-Is-Almost-Done! Party), Bigfork, MT (8pm)Saturday, 10/15 @ The Raven, Bigfork, MT (8pm)Sunday, 10/16 @ The Badlander, Missoula, MT (10pm?) (short set for Martini Sunday)Monday, 10/17 @ Trillium Cafe, Hood River, OR (9pm)Friday, 10/28 @ Ukiah Brewing Company, Ukiah, CA (9pm)
We are excited to wrap up this second album of ours; everything is going well and there has been a whole lotta luck thrown in for good measure. We can't wait to see what you think. But for now, it's time to ramble on. See on down the road.
WELL, ART IS ART, ISN'T IT?
Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now you tell me what you know. --Groucho Marx
West is west and we're headed West, young man! We have a short Southwest Montana tour coming up this week and it's gonna be a hootenanny. Here are the dates:Wednesday, 8/10--Livingston Farmer's Market 6pm.This is one of our favorite farmer's markets because they have BEER because the market is set up to not only include local music but make it a focused feature, which goes great with the tasty eats and drinks. Thursday, 8/11--Montana Land Reliance Fundraiser outside Columbia FallsFriday, 8/12--Bitter Root Brewery in Hamilton, MT, 6pmSaturday, 8/13--Bale of Hay Saloon in Virginia City, 9pm.James P. Miller walked 450 miles from Salt Lake City to Virginia City in 1865. Here's an excerpt from his diary: "Resolved on October 22, 1865, that from this date I do not spend a cent for foolish expenses such as Billiards, Drinking or Eating, Driving, Riding, Smoking, that I limit my monthly expenses for Dancing and Gifts to $10." Here's an except from the same diary, two days later: "Bought a 5 gallon keg of beer, which I propose to drink for my health. Cost $2 per gallon, resolution intact."Friday, 8/19--The Raven in Bigfork, 8pmThe Raven, on Flathead Lake, is a very, very special place to us and we encourage you to visit it immediately. Saturday, 8/20--The Raven in Bigfork, 8pmMonday, 8/22--The Red Bird in Missoula, 7pmLocated through the lobby of the historic Florence Building. The food and drink here are damn good.
So there you have it. Buffalo Bill once said, "I felt only as a man can feel who is roaming over the prairies of the far West, well armed, and mounted on a fleet and gallant steed." We are well armed, too. With nutritious snacks and hideous sunglasses. We have a fleet and gallant steed that seems to be holding up just fine (she goes by "Shadowfax").We have several reading materials from which to read aloud and learn nothing. We over-pack and under-budget. We are covering only the basics in hygiene. We will need bear spray.We are heading WEST.-Gillian
We're Opening for Eilen Jewell This Wednesday!
That's right folks, Bozeman is lucky enough to have Eilen Jewell stop along the way for a show, and we're lucky enough to open for her! The show will be at the Filling Station this Wednesday, August 3rd, after the Bite of Bozeman. We will be joined by Adam Greenberg on drums and Sean Lehmann on bass. We've been covering a tune of hers (High Shelf Booze) for quite some time now (we should probably refrain from that on Wednesday) and have followed the news of her success over the last couple of years.Here are a few of the praises sung in her honor:"She's got a sweet and clear voice with a killer instinct lurking beneath the surface." -NPR Song of the Day"Dark and haunting...but alluring just the same...give me more of that voice" -USA Today's Pop Candy"Not to be missed" -No Depression"With a burnished voice lingering somewhere between Billy Holiday and Neko Case, Eilen Jewell's aching vocals are pure, country gospel, box-car soul." -My Old Kentucky Blog"Sometimes as darkly damaged as Lucinda Williams, at others as defiant and teasing as prime Peggy Lee and always authentically Americana in the Gillian Welch tradition...she's mighty good." -LA Daily News"Jewell's songs are achingly good, twanged-out elegies to a world of barbed wire, rusty trucks, and a frontier that no longer exists. Listen for the swagger of 'Mess Around.' Blue state or red, cowboy or city girl, this is likely the best song about cutting loose that you've heard all year." -Boston GlobeI'm definitely a fan of her "Letters from Sinners and Strangers" and "Boundary County" albums, but her work is solid, across the board, and I look forward to hearing her current tunes. Her latest album, "Queen of the Minor Key" was written in a cabin in the mountains of Idaho. She had no electricity and no running water. But she had a long, winding dirt road, a broken down truck, and access to a little local hot springs. I can find all those things here in Montana, and I have to agree, they're quite inspiring. But perhaps they also hold a key to some of the success she's had; maybe fame lies in a field somewhere, in the bottom of a steaming, muddy puddle full of naked people. Only one way to find out.
So if you like rockabilly, country, surf rock, old-time, Chicago blues, '60's UK garage rock, or alt-country, there's a bit of it all across her albums. If you like a little darkness or a little sadness or a little honky-tonkin', dancin', boozin', swing, sweat, or stomp, then don't miss this show. The Filling Station is the perfect backdrop for her. She'll probably play at the Emerson for a higher cover charge next time she rolls through, so grab some grub at the Bite of Bozeman and come on down for a fine show.This is what Bozeman summers are all about.The show starts at 9pm at the Filling Station (2005 North Rouse Ave.) on Wednesday, August 3rd. $8 at Cactus Records in advance, or $10 at the door. Kevin Koutnik, from Helena, opens at 9pm, we're on at 10pm, Eilen Jewell at 10:45 or 11. Three bands for 8 bucks! Your employer knows you check out by Thursday, anyway. See you there.-Gillian
If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words..
Then our new videos should be worth a novel. Maybe not Steinbeck, but Dan Brown at least.With the help of Bryan Matuskey from AZeventVIDEO.com, we have several new videos featuring our incredibly talented backup band. We hope to be playing more and more gigs with other musicians in the future and hope the videos will help us in our goal. Please feel free to forward or repost these vids to anyone you think might be interested.Brothers McGheeLittle CastawayTriplets of BellevilleIn other news, we set off tomorrow for a beautiful summer in Montana, including a side tour in Oregon for a few weeks in July. Check out our shows page for a list of performances. We're beginning work on our new album, "Postwar Jukebox", and in general, are very happy, healthy, and slightly stressed out.Cheers,TR