Counting down to Pine Creek Lodge’s summer concert series, the Paradise Valley venue is once again set to bring a plethora of touring acts to its outdoor stage. The first official show of the sunny season comes at the end of this month when the Kitchen Dwellers deliver a three-night residency in support of their new album, Seven Devils. Performing Friday to Sunday, May 31st–June 2nd, the shows begin at 7pm each night.
In Dante’s Inferno, the author grapples with sin, its various manifestations, and its consequences. This time ultimately traces a trajectory of self-realization, acceptance and accountability. Kitchen Dwellers embark on a similar odyssey over the course of their fourth full-length offering, Seven Devils. The Montana quartet – Shawn Swain (mandolin), Torrin Daniels (banjo), Joe Funk (upright bass) and Max Davies (acoustic guitar) – thread together an immersive and inimitable conceptual arc inspired by Dante’s Inferno and set to a soundtrack of folk-infused bluegrass spiked with psychedelic vision and rock energy.
Continuing their own journey as brothers, they deliver their most ambitious and anthemic body of work yet.
“These tunes deal with the human experience, and Torrin initially drew a parallel between the music and Dante,” Max states. “We explored the connection by correlating each song with a sin. Some of these connections are only apparent if you dive deep into the lyrics. Our goal is to essentially take the listener through our own interpretation of the Inferno story.”
“We didn’t go into the studio with the intent of making a concept album,” recalls Torrin. “I was driving around listening to everything, and I noticed these parallels. To dive deeper, we’re discussing topics like mental health, the human condition, and what we go through on the road. In life and music, everything is recurring and universal. I was reading Dante at the time, and it naturally fit.”
It proved to be a logical next step as well.
Thus far, Kitchen Dwellers have engaged and enraptured listeners with albums such as Ghost in the Bottle (2017), Muir Maid (2019), Live from the Wilma (2021) and Wise River (2022). Of the latter, Holler. praised how “Kitchen Dwellers have preserved their sense of youthful experimentation,” and Relix proclaimed, “The songs on the new record build on this range, while also reflecting on the group’s Bozeman, Montana home.” Between tallying millions of streams, the band ignited hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and graced the bills of Telluride Bluegrass, Northwest String Summit, WinterWonderGrass and beyond.
And looking to a new month, the always anticipated ‘Pine Creek Summer Concert Series’ continues with a full spread of shows. Performing next are Coral Grief on June 5th, the Colorado College Bluegrass Ensemble June 6th, Keller & the Keels June 7th, Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons June 8th, Casper Allen with support from Nathan Xander June 9th, Jakob Alexander June 12th, Mountain Grass Unit June 13th, STS9 on June 14th and 15th, Tyler John Kraehling June 16th, Old Crow Medicine Show with The Timber Rattlers June 18th, The California Honeydrops June 19th, Zoso: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience with As We Become June 20th, Cactus Cuts June 21st, Melvin Seals & Jerry Garcia Band June 22nd, James McMurtry June 23rd, Cosmic Charlie June 26th, Executive Dysfunction June 27th, North Fork Crossing with WC Huntley June 28th, The Last Revel with Abby Webster June 29th and Declan Banko on June 30th.
Please visit www.pinecreeklodgemontana.com for ticketing access and to learn more about the upcoming summer shows. •
