Mountain music fest back in Big Sky for lucky 13th year
Music sounds better in the mountains, and the 13th Annual Big Sky Big Grass festival is more than ready to prove it! Set for April 11th–14th, the four-day gathering will feature a mix of small-stage and large-venue shows at Big Sky Resort. Spend the day on the slopes making first tracks before spending the evening tracking up the dance floor!
As always, Big Sky Big Grass delivers an all-star lineup for 2019. Acts include Big Grass seasoned vet Sam Bush Band; Nashville’s Travelin’ McCourys; Drew Emmitt Band featuring the dynamic lead singer and mandolin player from Leftover Salmon; Jeff Austin, formerly of Yonder Mountain String Band; Jacob Jolliff, mandolinist from Yonder Mountain; Montana’s own Lil Smokies; Grant Farm, an Americana band from Boulder, CO; stomp-grass tunes from Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs; Bozeman roots-rock band The Hawthorne Roots and local acoustics of the Lone Mountain Trio. Here’s a look at a few of the headlining acts.
Mandolin-extraordinaire Sam Bush is often credited as the father of “Newgrass,” a bluegrass style that uses electronic versions of common bluegrass instruments. His latest album, Storyman, is a freewheeling collection that gleefully picks and chooses from jazz, folk, blues, reggae, country swing and bluegrass to create a jubliant noise only classifiable as the Sam Bush sound. Many of the songs are stories, several true, which he co-wrote with friends including Guy Clark, Emmylou Harris, John Randall Stewart, and Jeff Black, among others.
The Travelin’ McCourys visit Big Sky on the heels of their Grammy win for Best Bluegrass Album. The long-awaited, self-titled debut is a brilliantly executed set overflowing with inventive style, stellar musicianship, and, of course, plenty of burnin’ grass. From the headwaters of Bill Monroe and the waves of Jerry Garcia to a sound both rooted and revolutionary, soulful and transcending that belongs only to the Travelin’ McCourys.
Their roots submerged in the thick buttery mud of traditional bluegrass, The Lil Smokies have sonically blossomed into a leading player in the progressive acoustic sphere, creating a new and wholly unique, melody-driven sound of their own. Showcasing a unique blend of excellent songwriting, bluegrass roots and the sheer raw energy of a rock band, the Smokies weave seamlessly through genres, leaving behind melodies stuck in the heads of their audiences for days. The Smokies’ latest album, Changing Shades, is available now.
The career of the Colorado-based Jeff Austin – celebrated for his fleet fingers and penchant for improvisation on stage – has seen him break through jam and bluegrass scenes (as a co-founder of the legendary Yonder Mountain String Band), play stages from the Fillmore Auditorium to Red Rocks Amphitheater, and events like Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, among many others. Austin is now building on the foundations of previous ventures while honing his own sound and charting new courses.
One of the largest and most exciting winter bluegrass gatherings moves to spring in 2019, and this year’s lineup promises not to disappoint! Tickets, detailed schedule, and lodging promotions for the 13th Annual Big Sky Big Grass mountain music festival are available at www.bigskyresort.com/biggrass. •
