Wild Joe*s Coffeespot in Downtown Bozeman is a great place for a caffeine fix, but it also doubles as a live music venue for local artists and those passing through our not-so-little mountain town. Here’s a look at what’s coming up.
Come check out Matthew Frantz on Saturday, April 22nd from 6–8pm. Frantz is a maverick in the music world. Not easily pigeonholed, his music is soulful, honest, gritty, and relevant to what’s going on in the world now. A few short years ago, Matthew released his album, Odessa Days on Ghost Note Records. The album features a broad spectrum of songs, from the melancholy “Silver Dollar Stream” and “Docks,” to the driving and dark “London Honey Bee,” and the emotive “Epic of Harvey Dylan.”
Alluvion brings a performance on Thursday, April 27th from 6–8pm. If anyone is wondering what the next “basement gem” to come out of Minnesota’s underbelly is going to sound like, they should probably talk to Berndt Evenson — the guitar-weilding gent responsible for this musical project. Evenson has been in various musical groups since he was a teenager. While playing numerous festivals and clubs in the surrounding Midwest, he was toiling with the sounds that would soon develop into what is now known as Alluvion. His latest release The Deepest Depths of Shallow Waters, is a whole new beginning in more ways than one. It is an impressive new turn and continues to show that Alluvion’s releases are anything but predictable. The Alluvion concert experience features live midi tweaking, guitar and analogue ribbon improvisation, and heavily effect-driven layered vocals. Evenson seems determined to assure audience members this is not typical electronic dance music or garage rock. Once you’ve seen or heard Alluvion, that becomes delightfully apparent.
Fox and Bones will close out the month with a performance on Friday, April 28th from 6–8pm. This conceptual folk collaboration between American songwriters Sarah Vitort and Scott Gilmore is based in Portland, Oregon. Both artists in their own right (Sarah Wild and The Watch, Just People), the pair had an instant spark when they met, quickly translating to an electric songwriting chemistry. The duo combines lush two-part harmonies and a complex, heartwarming lyrical landscape with soft-spoken yet rich musical accompaniment. Live, they draw their audience in with their quirky banter and adorable onstage chemistry, creating — and inspiring in their fans — an archetype for true love in the modern world. The duo released their self-titled debut EP in August of 2016 to critical acclaim. Chris Young (Vortex Music Magazine) calls “Warm,” their first single, “Intimate, delicate … a soft, beautiful, harmony-rich salvo,” describing their second single “Gravity” as “countrified, in the best possible way…the lyrics share deep thoughts while discovering essential connections with another and the universe.” They are currently in the studio recording their full length album with Justin Phelps (Cake, The Mars Volta) at the Hallowed Halls in Portland. Wild Joe*s Coffeespot is located in the heart of historic Downtown Bozeman. The “Wild” in the name refers to Montana’s abundant wildlife, endless wilderness, and the wildness of heart that draws people to this rugged part of the country.
Wild Joe*s identifies as an old school coffee house, its space inspired by the Beatnik-era cafes of New York’s Greenwich Village and San Francisco’s North Beach. People come to read, meet face-to-face, listen to music, share the family-style tables, or talk politics. Step inside and you’ll find a representative cross-section of the folks who make up this extraordinary town. Wild Joe*s is also one of Bozeman’s most popular spots for eclectic live music. Located at 18 W. Main St., learn more about these and other upcoming events at www.wildjoescoffee.com/. •