It’s been a barn-burner of a summer at one of Southwest Montana’s favorite outdoor venues, with a ton of shows set to close out another sunny season. Pine Creek Lodge brings acts of every genre to its space with a grab-bag of acts set for the coming weeks. Here’s a look at what’s on the schedule.
Next up is singer/songwriter Erik Stucky on August 2nd. The Coloradan performs on the mandolin and guitar, combining his passion for lyric writing, folk instrumentation and big band arrangements.
Following on Aug. 3rd is fellow songsmith Branson Anderson. The seasoned folk/blues artist performs his own songs influenced heavily by the 60s folk revival and country music of the same era.
Charlie Parr returns to Southwest Montana with a Tony Polecastro-assisted show on Aug. 4th. His latest album, Last of the Better Days Ahead, is a collection of powerful songs about how one looks back on a life lived, as well as forward on what’s still to come. Its spare production foregrounds Parr’s poetic lyricism, his expressive, gritty voice ringing clear over deft acoustic guitar playing that references folk and blues motifs in Parr’s own exploratory, idiosyncratic style.
Charlie Parr
Montana musician Dan Dubuque takes the stage on Aug. 5th. With a show consisting of slide guitar, ukulele, charango, electric and acoustic guitar, he expertly blends these strings into an experimental one-man guitar show.
Bringing their summer tour to Paradise Valley, Greensky Bluegrass perform on Aug. 8th. Known for their live performances and relentless touring schedule, the fivesome are connected through a deep bond, a band of brothers who have seen each other through decades of ups and downs, collective highlights and the moments when life turns it all upside down. The band embraces tradition while ushering bluegrass forward on their eighth full-length offering, Stress Dreams.
Check out the Freddy Jones Band on Aug. 9th. Standing out as one of America’s most noteworthy and revered alternative rock acts for over three decades, the band marks the 30th anniversary of their biggest hit, “In a Daydream,” this year, which topped the Mainstream Rock Charts in the mid-90s.
Contemporary pianist Holly Bowling showcases her talents on Aug. 10th. Whether behind the piano on a windswept mountainous cliff, at a hallowed venue such as Carnegie Hall, or playing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most legendary musicians in history, Bowling subverts convention with virtuosic playing, emotional immersion and a thirst for invention.
Visiting from Billings, Holland Dotson performs on Aug. 11th. With heavy influences from her Appalachian roots, she draws inspiration from artists like Tyler Childers, Colter Wall and Chris Stapleton to create a unique sound of familiar favorites.
The Infamous Stringdusters deliver back-to-back shows on Aug. 12th and 13th. Inspired by self-reflection and a strong sense of solidarity, their latest full-length Toward the Fray documents the Grammy Award-winning group’s remarkable growth as instrumentalists as well as songwriters. The collection firmly establishes the band’s stature on the modern acoustic music landscape, where they’ve built a solid and enduring fan base among traditional and progressive audiences alike.
Cactus Cuts open for AJ Lee & Blue Summit on Aug. 16th. The Bay Area bluegrass band comes to Montana in continued support of their latest full-length, I’ll Come Back. Their configuration – featuring steel stringed acoustic guitars, mandolin, fiddle and upright bass – effectively creates a unique space and texture in the arrangements not as commonly found in the music of their peers.
Performing on Aug. 17th is Fruition with support by Certainly So. Their latest album, Broken at the Break of Day, may be hard to categorize, yet it feels complete because of their dedication to honesty as well as harmony. Influenced equally by acoustic music and rock n’ roll, the Portland-based band have performed alongside some of the industry’s brightest stars.
The inaugural Creekside Revival Music Festival comes to the Lodge on Aug. 18th and 19th. Get ready for two days of jammin’ by the creek with a barrage of bands from across the country. Set to performmmmmmm are: Sicard Hollow (Nashville), Pert Near Sandstone (Minneapolis), Tenth Mountain Division (Denver), Floodgate Operators (Crested Butte, CO), High Country Hustle (Durango, CO), Wood Belly (Denver), Moonlight Moonlight (Bozeman), The Pickin’ Pear (Cincinnati), Walcrik (Bozeman), Ryan Acker (New Glarus, WI) and Lee Henke (Monroe, WI). Festival hours are 5–11pm on Friday and 10am–11pm on Saturday.
Comedian Rich Hall returns to Paradise Valley with two Pine Creek shows on Aug. 23rd alongside Tom Rhodes, then again on Aug. 31st with Kyle Kinane. Rightly regarded as one of the funniest comedians, Hall’s straight-talking and acerbic comedy leaves his targets reeling and his audiences in stitches. He is a superb live performer. Hall’s critically acclaimed grouchy, deadpan style has established him as a master of absurdist irony and the king of rapid-fire wit – he’s also the inspiration for the marvelously cantankerous barman, Moe Szyslak, in The Simpsons.
Says Hall of his Pine Creek performances, “I am crazy with excitement to be working with not one but TWO of the best comedians this country has to offer. Tom and Kyle are both true originals and Montanans deserve no less. With the Absarokas as a backdrop it will be like doing comedy at the beginning of a Paramount film.”
Delivering the live entertainment on Aug. 24th is Big Richard with openers North Fork Crossing. The neo-acoustic super group began as an all-female festival collab, but quickly morphed into a serious passion project driven by sisterhood, harmony and humor – along with the shared desire to rage fiddle tunes and smash the patriarchy. The band has gained notoriety for their charismatic stage presence and vocal-instrumental prowess.
Rock juggernaut Futurebirds are set for Aug. 25th. Celebrating their 13th anniversary as a band, the Atlanta-based indie rock band has received rave reviews for their unparalleled live performances. Catch the show to see why Rolling Stone calls Futurebirds “one of the most fascinating and captivating rock acts touring today” on and off the stage. Their latest EP, Bloomin’ Too, is available now.
Settle in for a fantastic performance by The Travelin’ McCourys on Aug. 27th. As the sons of bluegrass legend Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Rob McCoury on banjo continue their father’s work – a lifelong dedication to the power of bluegrass music to bring joy into people’s lives. And with fiddler Jason Carter, bassist Alan Bartram and guitarist Cody Kilby, the ensemble is loved and respected by the bluegrass faithful. But the band is now combining their sound with others to make something fresh and rejuvenating.
Nick Shoulders & the Okay Crawdad perform with help from Dean Johnson on Aug. 30th. Wielding an ethereal croon and masterful whistle crafted from a lifetime chasing lizards through the Ozark hills, the band is a living link to roots of country music with a penchant for the absurd. Combining his family’s deep ties to regional traditional singing with his years of playing to crowded street corners, Shoulders has sought to forge a hybridized form of raucously clever country music – born of forgotten rocky hollers and bred to confront the tensions of the 21st century South.
Also in Paradise Valley, Pine Creek presents its Brunch Live Music Series. The weekend offering regularly showcases regional musicians from 11am–1pm. Order some food and find a spot! Upcoming acts include: Made Marion on Aug. 5th, Wes Urbaniak Aug. 6th, Jackson Holte Aug. 12th, Benn & Abel Aug. 13th, Raven Roshi Aug. 20th, Emma & the Ledge Aug. 26th and Paul Lee Kupfer on Aug. 27th. These shows are free of admission and open to the public.
All night shows begin at 7pm, unless otherwise noted. Advance admission to ticketed shows on sale now, or at the door based on availability. Select performances are free of admission. Please visit www.pinecreeklodgemontana.com for ticketing details, cabin reservations, and more about these and other upcoming events. •
