Lucius launches its first acoustic tour with a Bozeman performance on Wednesday, March 7th with American singer, guitarist and pianist Ethan Gruska opening at 8pm.
The historic Rialto theater has reopened its doors in the heart of Downtown Bozeman. This brand new event venue promises to bring an exciting lineup of top-tier talent from around the country. Here’s a look at some of the upcoming happenings.
San Francisco-based Monophonics bring a performance on Thursday, February 22nd beginning at 8pm. Tickets to this 18+ show are $17. Doors at 7pm.
Raised amid the rich musical culture and history of the Bay Area, Monophonics play their own brand of music known as “Psychedelic Soul.” While their earlier tunes saw the band pulling influences from such acts as early Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Temptations, Monophonics has since shifted focus to the groups that inspired those soul acts to embrace the psychedelic sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s — bands such as The Zombies, The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Pink Floyd. Touching on Northern soul, doo-wop, rock n’ roll, Psych pop, and cinematic music, Monophonics show off their diversity while remaining true to their roots. Their latest album, Sound of Sinning, is available now.
The Rialto presents a Community Welcome Back Celebration on Friday, February 23rd with live entertainment by Paige & The People’s Band and Missy “DJ Miss Illaneous” O’Malley at 8pm. Admission to this all ages event is $8. Doors at 7pm.
The Paige Rasmussen-fronted nine-piece is a horn powered and vocally charged group who bring a feeling of ‘70s soul with a modern twist. The band is somewhat reminiscent of groups like Cold Blood or Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, but with a much more contemporary feel. Paige & The People dress to impress, giving their performances a sense of occasion, then blast the roof off with their big band, powerhouse sound! The soul, R&B, jazz, and pop group are one of Bozeman’s best, and are always excited to bring their brand of musical devotion and “funky spices” to “The People.”
Cincinnati-based indie rock/hip-hop group WHY? brings its “Moh Lhean Expanded Tour 2018” to Bozeman with help from Florist on Monday, February 26th at 8:30pm. Tickets to this all ages show are $18. Doors at 7:30pm.
WHY? is touring in continued support of last spring’s Moh Lhean LP and the album’s recently released Expanded set of B-sides. Consequence of Sound wrote of the original release, “Early Moh Lhean singles ‘This Ole King’ and ‘Proactive Evolution’ (featuring mewithoutYou’s Aaron Weiss) capture Wolf’s willingness to seize life at every turn, no matter its ugliness. Meanwhile other tracks like ‘Easy,’ ‘One Mississippi,’ and even instrumental ‘The Longing Is All’ seem to teach the art and importance of letting go.” Moh Lhean Expanded features eight of the original tracks reinterpreted by industry peers including Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, Paper Tiger of Doomtree, Kishi Bashi, Baths, Open Mike Eagle, Nick Diamonds of Islands, Ó + Bellows, and Astronautalis. Be sure to check out The BoZone’s recent interview with WHY? frontman Yoni Wolf at www.BoZone.com before the show!
Looking to next month, The Lil Smokies perform alongside local group Holler N’ Pine on Friday, March 2nd at 8pm. Tickets to this 18+ show are $20. Doors at 7pm.
With 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. The quintet — from Missoula — has been hard at work, writing, touring, and playing to an ever-growing fan base for nearly a decade. With a unique blend of traditional bluegrass, newgrass, innumerable unique originals, sheer raw energy, and exquisite musicianship, Lil’ Smokies weave seamlessly through genres, leaving behind melodies you’ll be singing to yourself for days and a jaw you’ll have to pick up. The Smokies’ latest bluegrass roots/rock album, Changing Shades, released in September.
Lucius launches its first acoustic tour with a Bozeman performance on Wednesday, March 7th with American singer, guitarist and pianist Ethan Gruska opening at 8pm.
Fronted by the enchanting Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, Lucius has drawn acclaim for powerful songs showcasing taut hooks, along with their mesmerizing stage presence and bold visual aesthetics. The New York Times described Wolfe and Laessig’s vocals as being “especially gorgeous,” while Rolling Stone says Lucius is “powerful enough to knock you over.” Talented multi-instrumentalists Peter Lalish and Dan Molad round out the group. The band has released a pair of albums: Wildewoman in 2013 and Good Grief in 2016, which landed on various best-of lists and elicited praise from London’s The Times for its “sunshine-drenched pop” and “vocal harmonies carrying songs rich in melody.” They recently contributed the song “Million Dollar Secret” to one of the last episodes of HBO’s Girls and scored the soundtrack to the film Band Aid. Wolfe and Laessig have become in-demand collaborators on their own —singing on albums for artists including John Legend, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, The War on Drugs, as well as Roger Waters’ most recent release, Is This the Life We Really Want?, and have toured as part of Roger Waters’ band over the last few years.
The Rialto is located at 10 W Main St. in the center of historic Downtown Bozeman. Get further acquainted with this exciting new event space at www.rialtobozeman.com, where you can also peruse current happenings and buy advance tickets. Follow the Rialto on Facebook for the most up to date event announcements, @therialto. •
