Modern acoustic americana and folk artist Chad Okrusch will take the stage Wednesday, September 9th at 8:30pm. Chad is an ethics professor and singer/songwriter from Butte. Featured at the Red Ants Pants festival, Chad performs original and thought provoking folk songs, many of which are featured on his “Wisdom Road” CD. Songwriter Walter Sala-Humara will pefrom Thursday, September 10th at 8:30pm. 2014 brought the release of a his new solo album, “Curve and Shake.” Rolling Stone editor Anthony DeCurtis describes the album as, “That sense of being untethered from certainties, of floating, permeates Curve and Shake. The feeling is gentle, not quite scary, but with an element of unease. Letting go of expectations combines aspects of sadness, freedom and even wonder. Like so many great singers, Walter communicates as much by what he doesn’t say as by what he does. His raspy tone provides a rich counterpoint to the genial surrealism, the offhand magical realism, of so many of his lyrics. His words are presented as if they’re describing straightforward events, but they speak a rich, associative poetry that evokes emotions more so than facts. His guitar playing is similarly adaptable–raw and stinging one moment, dreamy and droning the next.”
Country rock band Western Electric is set to entertain audiences on Friday, September 11th at 9pm. If Montana’s Rocky Mountain backroads had their own country soundtrack, Western Electric would play most of the songs. Soulful old Country, combines it with a little Southern Rock and chases it all down with a burning shot of Outlaw. Western Electric is the grit in your teeth after a long and great day in the mountains. It’s that grit–that grit no one really wants–but when grit happens, everything is better than alright. Western Electric is Montana-made featuring Lyle Sutton on a backwards rhythm guitar, bending his harp and vocals; Joe Knapp on lead guitar and vocals; Bob Butts on bass; and Don Scott keeps time on the drum kit. One man band Sean Ashby will perform Saturday, September 12th at 9pm. Chances are, if you’ve had a radio on today you’ve heard his guitar playing. As one of North America’s go-to guitarists, Ashby has played and recorded with Sarah McLachlan, Delirium, Ginger (formerly Grapes Of Wrath), and many more. McLachlan’s guitarist on the original Lilith Fair, as well as the “Mirrorball” and “Afterglow” albums, Ashby appeared with her on“Just Like You (Cats In The Cradle)” for D from Run DMC’s solo CD. Also with Sarah, he received two 4x platinum US discs and one diamond Canadian disc for studio and live CD’s. He has appeared on the Grammy Awards twice, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno five times, SNL, and David Letterman three times. Sean’s guitar playing has appeared on CD’s with sales in excess of 10 million copies worldwide…so far.
Folk rocker Megan Burtt brings her talent to the Murray on Sunday, September 13th at 8pm. Burtt was born and bred in Denver. “I’ve always written songs,” she says. “I took piano lessons when I was young, but when I picked up my dad’s old classical guitar, things took off.” After two years of careful production, “The Bargain” arrived on August 25th, 2015, showing off Cato’s creative production and Burtt’s bold vocals. “It’s more honest and evolved than my first album,” Burtt says. “I’m beyond excited to start sharing these songs with my fans. I’m tying a bow around this album, knowing that I put everything I had to The Murray Bar is located at 201 West Park Street in Livingston. For more information , visit themurraybar.com. •
