The Arts Council of Big Sky has added one more event to this summer’s ‘Music in the Mountains’ lineup. This one, however, will have a different – and louder – flavor than the rest of the music presented so far.
On Thursday, September 14th, settle in for Metal in the Mountains, an end-of-summer festival featuring three local heavy metal bands. The event includes Big Sky’s Scavenger as the headliner, with support from Belgrade’s Liquid Gnar and Big Sky’s own Stoneman’s Way. Music starts at 5:30pm in Len Hill Park.
“We’ve been planning this for a few months and are super excited to announce this lineup to our Music in the Mountains series,” said Brian Hurlbut, the Arts Council’s Executive Director. “It will be great to showcase the area’s burgeoning heavy metal scene to a Big Sky audience.”
This year marks Scavenger’s ten-year anniversary since their first show at the Broken Spoke Bar in Big Sky. The riff-heavy metal band has played more than 150 shows since then at venues around Montana and beyond, showcasing their original material. Their first album, Cliff Manor, released in 2018, and the quartet will release its second album later this year. The band members – which include Timmy Bowers on drums/vocals, Ben Blodgett on bass/vocals, Joey Mathis on guitar, and Brent Philippi on guitar/vocals – have been part of the Big Sky community for decades.
“We’ve seen many shows in the park and it’s very validating to us all to get to showcase our music on that same platform,” said Philippi. “We are aware people look at metal music differently, but we’re committed to staying true to ourselves artistically while at the same time changing a few minds when it comes to heavy metal music.”
Liquid Gnar is based out of Belgrade and recently won the Belgrade High School Battle of the Bands competition, which included groups from all over Gallatin Valley. The band also performed at this year’s Rockin’ the Rivers Festival in Three Forks. The group’s latest single is “Eye of the Sun.”
Stoneman’s Way is a punk-influenced rock band based in Big Sky and Bozeman that released their debut album, Get It Right, earlier this year. The band frequently plays at venues around the area.
Len Hill Park opens at 6pm for the Pinky & the Floyd show, and 5pm for ‘Metal in the Mountains.’ These tobacco and vape-free events are family friendly with food and beverage trucks on site. Dogs and glass containers are prohibited. For more information and to check out what other events the Arts Council has going on, please visit www.bigskyarts.org. •
