ELM stage hosts genre-bending variety of national acts
Outdoor venues seem to be the go-to during the summer months, but our hot Montana days sometimes require an escape to air conditioned spaces. Catch an indoor show with some fantastic live music at Bozeman’s ELM. Take your pick from one of these upcoming shows.
Nashville rock artist Liz Cooper brings her “Hot Sass Tour” to Bozeman on August 2nd. The music begins at 8pm and advance tickets range $20–$25.
Cooper performs in support of her roiling second record, Hot Sass. Over jagged, frenetic guitar parts, she sets expectations aflame with the record’s title track. Her songs unfurl like smoke spiraling off an incense cone late in the afternoon, with Cooper pushing deeper into psychedelic openness, punk ferocity, and beyond. Outside of her career with the Stampede, Cooper’s solo efforts pursue sounds and songs that let her chase the inspiration lent to her by the likes of Courtney Love, Lou Reed and David Bowie.
Following Aug. 3rd is Little Feat who come to town with their “Waiting for Columbus Tour” with special guest Hot Tuna Acoustic. The music begins at 8pm. Advance tickets range $46–$60.
Little Feat is the classic example of a fusion of many styles and musical genres made into something utterly distinctive. Their brilliant musicianship transcends boundaries, uniting California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country, rockabilly and New Orleans swamp boogie into a rich gumbo that’s been leading people in joyful dance ever since.
Rising indie star Lucy Dacus performs with help from Noso on Aug. 5th. The music begins at 8pm, with advance tickets ranging $20–$40.
Dacus is a musician, performer and “one of the best songwriters of her generation” (Rolling Stone). She has released three full-length albums under her name, including last year’s Home Video, plus the boygenius album in 2018 with her bandmates Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. Home Video was built on Dacus’ interrogation of her coming-of-age in Richmond, Virginia. She has been written about extensively in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The New Yorker and covered throughout her career on NPR.
Lucy Dacus
Multi-genre singer/songwriter Amos Lee performs Aug. 11th with opening support by Danielle Ponder. The music begins at 7:30pm. Advance tickets range $35–$55.
With one foot in the real world and the other in a charmed dimension of his own making, Amos Lee creates the rare kind of music that’s emotionally raw yet touched with a certain magical quality. On Dreamland, the Philadelphia-born artist intimately documents his real-world struggles (alienation, anxiety, loneliness, despair), an outpouring born from deliberate and often painful self-examination.
Rock n’ roll legends Built to Spill take the stage Aug. 12th. Prism Bitch and Papas will open the show at 8pm. Advance tickets range $30–$40.
The band was one of the most popular indie rock acts of the ’90s, finding the middle ground between postmodern, Pavement-style pop and the loose, spacious jamming of Neil Young. Frontman Doug Martsch’s rough-edged soloing heroics earned Built to Spill a reputation as an exciting and unpredictable live act. Their new album, When the Wind Forgets Your Name, releases in Sept.
Folk punk band AJJ bring a With Why?-assisted show to the ELM on Aug. 17th. Music starts at 8pm with advance tickets ranging from $18–$25.
The Phoenix-based group write songs incorporating themes spanning from poverty and religion, to addiction and politics. Their latest release, Good Luck Everybody, is available now.
Tomato Flower open for experimental pop band Animal Collective on Aug. 19th. The music begins at 8pm. Advance tickets range $30–$40.
Time Skiffs, the quartet’s latest studio album, feels like listening in on a conversation among four old friends, just as it felt during their inchoate early days or their Strawberry Jam heyday. These nine songs are love letters, distress signals, en plein air observations, and relaxation hymns, the collected transmissions of four people who have grown into relationships and parenthood and adult worry.
Later this month, The Polish Ambassador expose Bozeman audiences to their outerspace dance party on Aug. 27th. The music starts at 8pm. Advance tickets range $27–$40.
The group is among the premier EDM/live crossover artists in the country whose prolific output incorporates many styles, from exuberant global-house to fatback mid-tempo funk. Concertgoers will pick up on West African percussion alongside stirring Kirtan melodies and psychedelic sax solos. They employ live horns, keyboards, guitars, violins, and a bevy of talented instrumentalists on stage.
Coming up next month: Umphrey’s McGee on Sept. 9th, Bob Mould Sept. 11th, Tech N9ne Sept. 20th, Church of Cash Sept. 23rd, Wilco Sept. 24th and Theory of a Deadman Sept. 30th. 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 Facebook and Instagram for the most up to date event announcements. •
