The shortened autumn days may be pushing us indoors earlier than we’d like, but the changing seasons give us a reason to enjoy some live music as the evenings get cooler. Catch an upcoming show with some fantastic performances at the ELM. Take your pick from one of these events.
New Zealand-born electronic project Opiuo brings a show on October 14th. Daily Bread and Maddy O’Neal will open at 8pm. Advance tickets are $27.
A genre-bending plethora of auditory and visual masterclasses, frontman Oscar Davey-Wraight’s formative years exposed him to the beautiful celebration of life through self-expression, dance and giant sound systems. Positivity and movement at the core of the project, his music is an infectious electronic-based blend of funk, soul, psychedelia and booty-shaking bass. Opiuo’s new release, A Shape of Sound, is out now.
Contemporary jam band Spafford will perform Oct. 15th with help from Sicard Hollow. The music begins at 8pm with advance tickets ranging $22–$35.
Known for their astonishing improvisational ability and off-the-cuff extended jams, Spafford paints a picture in real-time each night with a musical palette known only to each other. It’s a private language comprised of both their talent as musicians as well as their formidable catalog of influences, spanning ‘90s alt-rock radio hits to Steely Dan and the Crystal Method. Each Spafford show is a sonic pilgrimage, the journey of a team of musicians so in tune with each other that a single note communicates intent and purpose. Hindsight, the band’s new live compilation, released in the spring.
Check out Texan country artist Paul Cauthen on Oct. 22nd. The music begins at 8pm and advance tickets range $47–$55.
Steward of a rich, resonant, bass-leaning tenor dubbed Big Velvet, the unapologetic artist covers a lot of ground and embodies as many characters. His latest album, Country Coming Down, features a sense of campfire calm and “damn near off the map” idyll that set a bar, for both music and lifestyle, that Cauthen aspired to. The album also shows that Cauthen was able to get there without losing any of the playful “hot dog holly golly dagnabit” good-time spirit that rolls off his tongue like a tumbleweed in the west Texas panhandle.
Returning to Bozeman on Oct. 23rd is James McMurtry with support from Jonny Burke. The music begins at 8pm with advance tickets ranging $20–$35.
On his new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance and endless energy. This first collection in seven years spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection and revelation. Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.”
Long-touring tribute group Terrapin Flyer will front the seasonally appropriate “Night of the Living Dead Part 2” on Oct. 28th. The music begins at 8pm with tickets ranging $20–$30.
The band will be performing the music of the Grateful Dead with such authenticity that concertgoers will be transported back in time to the finest days of the Grateful Dead. The band is one of the top touring Dead tributes.
Looking to month’s end, Shovels & Rope bring their “Manticore Tour” with Tré Burt to the ELM Oct. 29th. The music begins at 8pm. Advance tickets range $30–$45.
Touring their album of the same name, the songs and stories that make up Manticore are visceral, bold and at times deeply personal. While most of these songs were written before the pandemic, they were all recorded at a time when everyone was inside. The album takes aim at the human experience and does so without pulling a single punch: reflections on idol worship, homelessness, social justice, the experience of fierce parental love and marital strife are all on the menu here; and in true American fashion, the helpings are plentiful.
Coming up in November: Chelsea Cutler on Nov. 4th, “Beyond the Darkside” with Pinky & the Floyd Nov. 5th, Cory Wong Nov. 7th, The Infamous Stringdusters Nov. 12th, Aaron Watson Nov. 17th, “Funksgiving” with Sweet Groovalicious Funk Machine Nov. 18th, Bozeman Symphony presents Current Commotion: Seven Pillars Nov. 19th, Deorro Nov. 22nd and Steve Vai on Nov. 25th. See venue website for additional details.
The ELM is located at 506 N 7th in the heart of Bozeman. Peruse current happenings and buy advance tickets at www.logjampresents.com/theELM. Concerts are all-ages. Follow on social media for the most up to date event announcements. •