SOJA-fronted ‘Back to School’ show descends on Bridger Brewing
Bridger Brewing is home to the very best Montana craft beers and artisan pizzas available. In addition to its fantastic menu items, the family-friendly brewer also hosts Music & Mussels every Wednesday, {Pints with Purpose} every Monday, and an annual outdoor show to usher in a new academic year. Here’s a look at some of the upcoming acts and nonprofits.
In collaboration with Juniper Cannabis and ChickenJam West, Bridger presents its next ‘Back to School’ outdoor show with SOJA on Saturday, August 25th. Satsang and Policulture will open at 6pm. Tickets to this all ages event are $34 in advance at Cactus Records and www.chickenjamwest.com, or $39 at the gate depending on availability. Gates at 5pm.
Nearly two decades ago, SOJA began as high school friends in a D.C. area basement teaching each other to be musicians and play roots reggae music. Today, the 2x GRAMMY-nominated eight-piece band, with over 7 million online followers and over 300 million YouTube views, headlines concerts all over the world for their massive dedicated fanbase. The feeling of true magic, collaboration and brotherhood that started it all is still evident today in their music and each night at their live shows. The group is touring in continued support of its most recent release, the reggae-focused Poetry In Motion.
Wednesday nights from 5–8pm, Bridger Brewing hosts Music & Mussels! Come enjoy some live music and a half pound of succulent, steamed mussels with house-made sweet Italian sausage, tomatoes, garlic, and chili flakes, topped with parsley and tomato salsa.
Cole & the Thornes showcase their talents on Wednesday, August 22nd. The Bozeman band began with an infectious restlessness and a heart engraved with longing adventure. Front woman Cole Thorne (ukulele) and Jordan Cole Rodenbiker (bass) founded the group in 2013, then performing as a soulful, R&B infused, reggae-influenced duet. After a tour to Maui and a freight train music tour across the country, the band bloomed into a seven-piece in the summer of 2016 when members Jelani Mahiri (afrobeat-inspired percussion), Andy Gavin (drums), and Aaron Banfield (jazz guitar) were added. The Thornes then brought in Daniel Wood (pocket trumpet) and Matt Sloan (saxophone) to create a playful horn section. Cole & the Thornes have since performed throughout Montana, playing at various music festivals like Harvest Fusion, The Original Festival, and Groovin On’. The band released its debut, Map Maker, early this year. The album is a collection of songs filled with funky grooves, sultry vocals, and empowering lyrics that capture the true meaning of being in the now.
Bridger hosts Walcrik on Wednesday, August 29th. Andrew Morehouse and Tim Baucom have been playing and writing together for the better part of a decade, with their debut EP available now. This Bozeman-based folk/bluegrass duo plays original, traditional, and cover music.
Christy Hays and Tony Polecastro team up for an evening of tunes on Wednesday, September 5th.
“Like Lucinda Williams in a Carhartt jacket, Christy Hays works rugged metaphors into emotionally charged country folk,” wrote a reviewer for The Austin Chronicle. Hays’ music has folk and country tinges, thoughtfully penned stories and a full band sound that’s both driving alt country and moody folk rock.
Compared to Brandi Carlile, Lucinda Williams, Rhett Miller, Kathleen Edwards and Patty Griffin, Hays has a sound uniquely her own. She has shared the stage with Hayes Carll, Sturgil Simpson, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis and Jeffery Foucault to name a few. River Swimmer, Hays’ third full-length and fifth release overall, brings the culmination of her influences and experiences traveling the world. The album is available now.
Polecastro is a YouTube Guitar Geek, instructor, and lover of all things strings. The local artist plays original material spanning from American Primitive guitar-influenced instrumentals a la John Fahey and Daniel Bachman, to more modern fingerstyle flights of fancy. To round out the sonic pie, he also sings his originals and covers out of the traditional and folk catalog. Often teamed up with singer/songwriters such as Shelly Bessler and Christy Hays, Polecastro rarely has a microphone in front of him, but his solo shows turn all that inside out. Expect multiple guitars, dobro, and even some old time banjo to blend with his elegant croaking – ahem – singing.
Bridger Brewing not only takes pride in its stellar menu items, but also in the community it serves. The brewery hosts {Pints with Purpose} every Monday evening from 5–8pm where $1 of every pint sold will be donated to a featured local nonprofit. Here’s a look at some of the nonprofits on the calendar in the coming weeks. Come enjoy a house-brewed pint and be charitable in the process!
Take a peek into the work of Big Sky Bravery on Monday, August 20th. The local nonprofit provides our Military’s Active Duty Special Operations Forces with post-deployment decompression programs throughout Montana’s restorative surroundings. Big Sky Bravery tailors its programs to these elite forces by focusing on psychological and emotional well-being, and by building trust, brotherhood, and friendships that last a lifetime. Learn more at www.bigskybravery.org.
Proceeds from Monday, August 27th will aid the efforts of Eagle Mount & Summit Aviation’s Cancer Survivors Flight Camp program. Since 2014, Summit has hosted a weeklong camp for young adults who have survived cancer in which the participants take to the skies. Over the course of five summer days, the four chosen participants learn the basics of the aviation industry first hand. Learn more at www.flysummit.net.
Have a brew and help raise dollars for the WWAMI Spanish Healthcare Interest Group on Monday, September 3rd. The first-year medical students are committed to serving rural and underserved Latino communities. A service trip to Leon, Nicaragua, has been organized for the students to work with a local non-profit. Their focus will be on nutrition and developing a relationship with the community. Learn more at www.montana.edu/wwami.
Bridger Brewing provides the Bozeman community with unique hand-crafted brews, fresh artisan-style pizzas, and more. Locally owned, family friendly, and Bobcat proud, Bridger Brewing is the perfect place for lunch or an evening out. To learn more about upcoming events and daily specials, visit www.bridgerbrewing.com or call (406) 587-2124. Bridger Brewing is located at 1609 S 11th Ave. in the Town & Country complex, near campus and just across from the Fieldhouse. They’re open for business from 11:30am–9pm daily. •
