Walking Sideways: event highlights at The Rialto
by Dalton Brink
Anthony Bourdain is still dead, and the rains have been falling for a week now. The small patch of grass in my northeast-side yard is beginning to wave at me through the windows because I can’t mow it and the robins are becoming obese from the earthworms they dredge up in the morning light. I’ve been catching up on Infinite Jest and listening to way too many podcasts examining existential crises, as if I need that in my life. After some final groaning, I say goodbye to Wallace, closing the book, and pull myself from the bed. Fuck it, I tell myself. I’m heading to the Rialto.
July 8 – Dean Ween Group
Dean Ween is the Jester of the Weirdos. As half of the Ween-founding duo, Dean has securely plasticized himself forever into the post-punk/indie music world. His fans adore him, elevating him to God-like status, a cult leader for those who disdain the banality of radio-friendly normalcy. Quirky, uncouth musings on everything from sex and death to crime and even fishing (as he’s actually a licensed fishing guide in New Jersey). His live performance utilizes his mastered craft of dark humor and light-hearted jesting, granting the audience the role of royalty being entertained within the King’s court.
July 10 – Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe’s website address is www.phoebefuckingbridgers.com. That alone should tell you that she doesn’t mess around, and though it may come off as pretentious, I’ll let her music defend itself. Supporting for the likes of Sylvan Esso, The National, American Football, and Conor Oberst, her track record is flawless. Her voice is like the first cool autumn breeze much-welcomed after a blistering summer. The music is pure and simple, with select dissonance in just the right places to cut up the blandness that would occur otherwise. Her lyrics are vague enough to be dreamlike and her stage presence is that of a choir girl gone rogue.
July 12 – Wire Rider, Blub, and The Salamanders: Music On Main After Party
All right. Disclaimer. I admit it, I’m biased as hell. I front the band Wire Rider, a five-piece which includes two guitars melded together with a synth that’s as smooth and poppy as it is raw and raucous. Imagine Echo and The Bunnymen married to Spiritualized who has an affair with The Black Angels, subsequently having a love child that is Wire Rider. Blub, fronted by the songwriting genius of Dan Beresford and based out of Livingston, plays some of the most refreshing, eclectic music being played in the whole state if not the entirety of the great American West. I’ve seen Marge Haggard join them on-stage. It’s an all-encompassing, anything goes fest of smiling dancers. The Salamanders has made a name for themselves as the most sought-after rock band in Bozeman. With members who’ve played in well-known bands in and around Bozeman for decades, they have carved themselves a niche within the Bozeman music scene and are here to stay. And the show is FREE!
More information on these events and more can be found at www.rialtobozeman.com. •
