The summer SLAM Festival, which stands for Support Local Artists and Musicians, will be bringing some of Montana’s best artists, craftsmen, musicians, and chefs to Bogert Park on Friday and Saturday, August 3rd and 4th. Admission is absolutely free, so there’s no excuse not to attend the whole lineup of performances, and let us tell you, the 2019 SLAM music lineup is a multi-layered ice cream treat with sprinkles featuring scoops of musical flavors that range from Classical and assorted variations on Jazz and Blues, layers of folk, country, Americana and bluegrass, whole slabs of indie, punk and rock and roll topped with a smidgeon of world music. Any of these flavors individually are enough to make anybody do Eddie Murphy’s “Ice-Cream Dance,” but eat the whole thing and you’ll feel you’ve won a prize – and all without the brain freeze.
SATURDAY
Schubert String Quartet
Classical (11 – 11:55am)
Emma & The Ledge
Rock (noon – 12:55pm)
Emma and The Ledge are sixth generation Gallatin Valley sisters who are making a name of their own in the Montana music scene. Despite their youthful age, this duo wows the crowds with musical talent far exceeding their years.
Emma is a soulful powerhouse with a voice and range that is both inspiring and moving. Artfully crafting lyrics to the band’s independent feel and sound, her music is expressive, visual and meaningful. Abby (“The Ledge”) has a unique ability for sculpting the perfect sound through her intricate guitar effects and patterns in every composition. Together, they skillfully create a sound that is luminous and atmospheric, yet energizing enough to send an audience to their feet.
In addition to writing and performing original songs, they offer an eclectic mix of covers from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jack White, and U2 (whom they are greatly inspired by). Their music is not limited to one genre: blues, alternative, rock, folk and independent styles are woven together utilizing a mix of acoustic and electric guitars. The sisters can often be spotted playing on the sidewalks of Downtown Bozeman, local hot spots, farmer’s markets, battles of the bands, talent shows, and several music festivals throughout Montana.
Alex Robilotta &
The SLAM Allstars
Jazz (1 – 1:55pm)
Alex Robilotta & The Slam Allstars will feature some of Bozeman’s finest and funkiest musicians, playing new quintet arrangements of funky soulful jazz that will get people dancing in the sun. Orin Gunderson, trumpet. John Swendseid, sax. Eddie T, bass. Alex Platt, drums. Alex Robilotta, guitar.
Michelle Manzo Quartet
(2 – 2:55pm)
The Michelle Manzo Quartet is an acoustic jazz band founded upon a shared passion for irresistible music. An acclaimed vocalist dedicated to jazz, Michelle Manzo Cobb puts her heart in everything she sings. She believes improvisation is not just a technique but a way of life. Originally from Miami, she moved to New York to further her music studies and began performing with Les Paul, Gene Bertoncini, Ray Santos and Victor Jones. Among the countless music endeavors she embraced there, she also dazzled audiences in the far East. She has performed in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Now based in Bozeman, she looks forward to exploring all the music it has to offer.
The Love Darts
(3 – 3:55pm)
The Love Darts are high-energy rock and roll guaranteed to knock your socks off!
SlomoJoe & the Noshows
(4 – 4:55pm)
A veteran of the Montana music scene, for well over a decade Joe Knapp has been writing, performing and recording an eclectic mix of guitar-driven American roots music. Depending on the band or the billing, you can expect anything from Depression-era folk songs to honky tonk classics to soulful psychedelia. His ever-expanding repertoire of originals and covers offers a little something for everyone.
In 2016, Joe made his theatrical debut, composing the original soundtrack to Freak Out! the Musical, a rock and roll horror comedy written by Ryan Cassavaugh. Joe was voted Best Local Solo Musician in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Sam Platts & the Great Plainsmen
Country/Honky-Tonk
(5 – 5:55pm)
Southwest Montana’s Sam Platts and the Great Plainsmen play honky-tonk music meant to be danced to.
Songs range from originals written by Platts to traditional country staples, led by his vocals and guitar. The group calls the small mountain town of Pony, Montana, home, but has played across the country, and even as far away as France. Each member of the band spends the time they aren’t playing music working in agriculture, including Platts who can often be found working or feeding cows. The group has a passion for traditional country music that few young people have today.
Tropical Bandwidth Samba/Rumba/Funky Jazz Latin Rhythms (6 – 7pm)
SUNDAY
Wes Urbaniak & the
Mountain Folk
(11 – 11:55am)
The Mountain Folk have been emulsifying Urbaniak’s genre expressions into their more creative forms, so that the tempo fusions hit when the strings hammer down. Some conscious music got snuck in, and Urbaniak made sure the beatboxing dissolved backward into the mix, too. Over the past year, the group has begun to form a catchphrase while playing that audiences pick up on right away and love. After coming into a hard break, Urbaniak will lean over to the group and yell out, “Bluegrass it!” From here, they play crazy fast, and that beautiful stomp comes full on. It’s about the best speedboat ride in the ocean you’ll get.
Urbaniak has been touring the country for years, and now that the Mountain Folk has joined up, the group has been touring the nation with him sharing that Montana music they play. Plus, they’ve been playing all this music on custom Montana made instruments from Urbaniak’s shop. Nothing quite like it anywhere, and no better place for it to have come from.
Singer/Songwriter Power Block (noon – 2pm)
Chelsea Hunt & Jim Averitt
Chelsea Hunt and Jim Averitt are a musically diverse and dynamic vocal, acoustic guitar and violin duo drawing from jazz, Americana, singer- songwriter, and blues influences. Both Jim and Chelsea are fixtures in the local music scene, and have performed in the Gallatin Valley and beyond for decades. The duo’s new album, Music in My Coffee, features vibrant and creative original instrumental tunes. The guitar and violin music is both carefully crafted and freely improvisational and is at times playful, poignant, melancholy and joyful.
Amber Ikeman
Amber Ikeman’s spirited, earthy folk songs carry audiences across the open spaces of the American West and into the depths of their souls. With soaring vocals ranging from a husky chest voice to a bell-clear soprano, her powerful and intimate songs tell stories of self- discovery, resilience and wildness.
Inspired by her solo journey from her Florida hometown to live and work in Yellowstone National Park, her debut album, Free, recorded By Chris Cunningham at Bozeman’s Basecamp Studio, was named one of Southwest Montana’s top local albums of 2015. Amber’s engaging performances earned the 2017 Vic Heyman Songwriting Award and the 2018 John O’Hara Outstanding Folk Song Award. She recently completed a cross-country tour with her second album, Rise.
Jessica Eve
Jessica Eve, a singer/songwriter from Billings, has all the gears behind her vocal engine. She can pull the smooth, slow, long notes with ease right into amazing highs that is beautifully controlled power. She has stepped into music performance as a singer/songwriter and entertainer full-time, and you’ll pick up immediately that she has the spirit, drive, and talent sitting well upon her shoulders. Her songs are a mix of Folk, Country and Blues.
Eve’s self-titled EP Jessica Eve Lechner, consisting of six original songs, is a recording of her voice and her guitar just as you would hear it live. Her newest release, Next Train Home, is a full-length album with lyrics that reflect her life experiences, and the highs and
lows of the road.
Jessica Eve has been named Best Female Vocalist at the Magic City music awards three years in a row. She has opened for acts such as Blackhawk, Restless Heart, Colt Ford, Dan + Shay, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin brothers, Davina and the Vagabonds, as well as many others.
Steve Squared
Bozeman locals Steve Squared is comprised of Steve Reida and Steve Schwab, a duo who have enjoyed a musical collaboration together for over 30 years. Their focus is on writing, arranging and recording original songs that vary from acoustic to electric, folk to blues to rock. In addition, mandolin and a variety of percussion rounds out their sound.
Steve Squared have recorded two full length albums, The Soul Tree Sessions and Out West, as well as an EP, Decade. Steve Squared will be joined by guest musicians for their SLAM performance.
Tom Catmull’s Last Resort
(3 – 3:55pm)
Tom Catmull’s Last Resort is an exercise in musical evolution. Yes, that’s a little vague and mysterious. Try this out. At a show, the sound you will hear is that of a veteran singer/songwriter amplified, elevated and occasionally made more sinister, by the creative musical syndicate of Jaime Rogers, Travis Yost and Aaron Jennings. Over the past year, this band has continued to round a stylistic corner, regularly trading in its roots-inspired inclinations for the seductive impulse of a sleeker American rock sound.
Tom Catmull has been featured on Montana PBS’s 11th & Grant in a stripped-down acoustic showcasing of his most recent release, Words and Malady. With an extremely loyal following, he has been voted “Best Musician” in the Missoula Independent’s annual “Best Of” issue for over a dozen years in a row. This summer already has the band slated to cover Oregon, Washingtion, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana for festivals, private events and the occasional gas tank-filling honky-tonk show. Two slightly questionable foreign cars will be loaded with acoustic and electric guitars, upright and/or electric bass, drums, keyboards, iPads, harmonicas, melodicas and any other noisemakers that happen to fit between the seats.
Long story short, The Last Resort has found itself in the arc of transition, and that is by design. New songs, new sounds. Don’t miss it!
Cole & the Thornes
(4 – 5pm)
Mountain-reggae gypsy-infused soul band, Cole & The Thornes of Bozeman, began with an infectious restlessness, a ukulele, and a heart engraved with longing adventure. This funky eclectic group is known for their playful horn melodies, islandy ukulele, and sultry, empowering vocals.
In 2013 the music started out with Cole Thorne singing her songs on the uke, and Jordan Rodenbiker on the bass. After Cole’s first tour to Maui and a freight train music tour across the country, the band grew into a fully bloomed six-piece group in the summer of 2016. They added members Andy Gavin on drums, Aaron Banfield on jazz guitar, Daniel Wood on the pocket trumpet, and Matt Sloan on the saxophone.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Cole & The Thornes released their debut album Map Maker to a sold out crowd at the Rialto in March of 2018. Since then, the Thornes have performed throughout the state, playing with popular reggae bands HIRIE, Solseed, and Treehouse. They have shut down the streets for Music on Main, jammed out the Brew Fest in Big Sky, and have performed at various music festivals such as The Original Festival, Silver Cloud Campout, Harvest Fusion, Groovin On, and SLAM. The group plans to tour around the country in the spring and summer of 2019, while working on writing their second album.
So head on down to Bogert Park on August 3rd and 4th! Check out some local art, listen to some live tunes and devour some absolutely divine culinary creations. SLAM has something for everyone!
Visit www.slamfestivals.org for additional information about the 2019 summer festival. •
