Hair bands to hip-hop and everything in between

A summer music roundup in the Greater Yellowstone

By Yogesh Simpson

As the Gallatin Valley shakes off its annual winter coat, local mountain bikers itching to get back in the saddle typically head for the arid trails of Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. If you’ve ever taken part in this annual migration through Three Forks, Montana, you’ve probably noticed the strange sight of a trestle bridge marooned in a field next to scores of porta-potties huddled in penguin-like colonies.
This curious plot of land lies dormant for much of the year, but will come to life this summer on June 15, when it transforms into the setting for the Headwaters Country Jam, the first of many diverse music festivals happening throughout the Greater Yellowstone. 
The Headwaters Country Jam will have “The Bridge” swarming with Wranglers, cowboy hats and sleeveless denim shirts as fans flock to see some of country music’s biggest names. Former “Nashville Star” reality TV show contestant Chris Young headlines, as well as his doppelganger Randy Houser for the festival’s 10th anniversary. Other highlights include Tim Montana and The Shrednecks, and Missoula’s The Cold Hard Cash Show.
A few weeks later and a little farther west, the Montana Folk Festival also celebrates it’s 10th anniversary July 7-9, with typically eclectic offerings on seven stages in uptown Butte. Distinctly American folk traditions like gospel, cajun and Western swing music will be on display, as well as a cornucopia of international acts like Tuvan throat singers, Brazilian tap dancers, and a Venezuelan tambor ensemble. Tireless reggae giant Clinton Fearon will headline with his Boogie Brown Band.
Unlike the other weekend festivals, the Grand Teton Music Festival is a summer-long series of events running from July 7 to August 20 in Jackson, Wyoming. Free family concerts, open rehearsals and regular appearances by the Festival Orchestra fill out the impressive schedule. Notable performances include classical/pop crossover cellist Ben Sollee on July 12, and Yo-Yo Ma on August 1.
Just on the other side of the Tetons in Alta, Wyoming, Grand Targhee Resort is home to two great music festivals and a recreational playland for outdoor enthusiasts. Music stages and camping at the base of the ski area offer opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, and trail running. First up this summer is Targhee Fest, July 14-16, with a decidedly funk-infused lineup. The three nights of the festival will feature headliners Michael Franti and Spearhead, North Mississippi Allstars and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, respectively. 
Over on the Yellowstone River the town of Livingston will host its hometown heroes The MAX, and Belgrade’s Western Skies, to provide the nightly entertainment for their July 21-22 celebration Summerfest.
The following weekend, and just one hour north of Livingston on Highway 89, the tiny town of White Sulphur Springs will come to life for Red Ants Pants Festival. Established in 2011, it has fast become a crowd favorite for its community feel and for drawing big names including Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris and Taj Mahal. This year the festival brings seasoned performers Lucinda Williams and Shooter Jennings as well as rising stars like Lydia Loveless and Darlingside. The festivities begin Thursday, July 27, with a free street dance.
On the upper reaches of the Gallatin River, Big Sky will play host to the world’s top professional bull riders for the Big Sky PBR event. In addition to testing the mettle of some bold cowboys, the weekend also features three nights of music. Oklahoma country-rockers the Turnpike Troubadours kick things off Thursday, July 27, with a free concert on Town Center Stage. Your PBR ticket will get you in to see James McMurtry and the Jamie McLean Band close out the party after the arena dust has settled Friday and Saturday nights. 
And there’s free music throughout the summer in Big Sky as part of the Music in the Mountains Thursday night concert series on Town Center Stage. 
Downtown Bozeman’s Sweet Pea Festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary on August 4. Starting the festivities in funky fashion Friday night is reggaeton/hip-hop act Congo Sanchez—featuring the drummer from Thievery Corporation—followed by Colorado funk/afrobeat veterans The Motet. The rest of the weekend is stacked with rootsy folk rock acts, including crowd favorites Charlie Parr, Laura Gibson and Cloud Cult. Bozemanites can also expect a regular dose of outdoor performances on Thursday nights for the Music on Main summer concert series.
On August 11, a classical-loving crowd will convene in Big Sky for an opportunity to hear Bozeman’s own world-renowned violinist Angella Ahn, in a recital with trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden, and pianist Molly Morkoski on the opening night of the Big Sky Classical Music Festival. The Mambo Kings will bring their contemporary afro-cuban jazz fusion from upstate New York to Town Center Stage on Saturday, and The Big Sky Festival Orchestra will close out the festivities on Sunday.
In the Tetons that same weekend, Grand Targhee Resort hosts the premier bluegrass festival in this corner of the country August 11-13. Now in its 30th year, the Targhee Bluegrass lineup reflects a concerted effort to balance jamgrass staples, including Greensky Bluegrass and The Infamous Stringdusters, with members of the bluegrass old guard like Tim O’Brien, The Del McCoury Band and Peter Rowan. For those who want to hone their bluegrass chops for the late-night parking lot picking circles, Targhee offers four days of music camps preceding the festival.
But wait, there’s more! Only the most omnivorous music fan will be torn by the options on this busy weekend, but The Bridge will be rockin’ once again August 11-13 with the biggest hair and tightest pants in the Greater Yellowstone for the Rockin’ the Rivers music festival. This head-banging good time features the best named, if not the biggest, bands in metal. On the bill are “(Don't Fear) The Reaper” legends Blue Oyster Cult, ‘90s stalwarts Slaughter, all-female AC/DC cover band Hell’s Belles, and metal tribute band Hairball, among many other tattooed and pierced rockers.
Winding down the festival season in the heart of Gallatin Canyon is the Groovin’ on the Gallatin Festival, September 15-17. It promises to be a groovy weekend, with acts like Kyle Hollingsworth of String Cheese Incident, and Michal Menert, whose seven-piece band includes an MC, DJ and violin. Bozeman bands Laney Lou and The Bird Dogs, MOTH and The Hawthorne Roots round out the lineup. 
There are also some big names coming to the Missoula area that will be worth a road trip this summer. Montana native and Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy has put together a heavy-hitting lineup of indie bands August 12-13 at the Big Sky Brewing Company Amphitheatre called the Travelers’ Rest Festival. The Decemberists will play both days along with sets from Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, Belle and Sebastian, The Head and the Heart, Shakey Graves, and Sylvan Esso.
Also, the new KettleHouse Amphitheater will open to the public July 13 with a performance by Lyle Lovett and His Large Band. The lineup for the rest of the summer is shaping up nicely, including shows by Ween and the Tedeschi Trucks Band. 
However you like to get your live music fix, there’s no shortage of options in the Greater Yellowstone and beyond this summer, so get out and get down!

Q&A with James McMurtry

James McMurtry is an English teacher and the son of a novelist, Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry, so it’s no surprise that his story-like songs have been engaging listeners for over 30 years. McMurtry is also one of a handful of artists playing multiple festivals in Montana this summer, including the Big Sky PBR. Mountain Outlaw caught up with him in late April from his home in Austin, Texas, after a morning deer hunt.

Mountain Outlaw: How’d the hunt go this morning? 

James McMurtry: I got up at five in the morning, I had one doe come up, but she had a fawn with her so I let her walk. It’s OK. They’re non-native so you can hunt ‘em year-round. If they don’t have predators [the population] can get away from ya. We have a few mountain lions down here, but we got lots and lots of rednecks to keep ‘em in check. 

MO: You’ve played quite a bit in Montana over the years, what do you look forward to about performing in Big Sky Country? 

JM: Well, people get up and move in Montana. Montana festivals are nice because they do it right. They usually have the dancers down front and the sitters and listeners farther back. It’s gotten where a lot of festivals do it the other way around. They put a VIP section up front, and that’s just wrong. It doesn’t sound very good front and center, it can’t. Down front you get drums and guitar amps in your face, but that’s fine if you’re drinking and dancin’ and jumpin’ around. 

MO: You have some fishing references in your latest record. Do you get to do any fly fishing when you’re up here?

JM: I haven’t fly fished since I was kid, most of my fishing is a lot more primitive. I float some jugs for catfish now and again. You take a Clorox jug with a piece of cord, a hook and sinker, and put big hunk a shad or something on it and let it blow around in the wind, then you follow it. It’s a good workout if you’ve got a canoe or some kind of man-powered craft. It’s fun. Every now and then you get a 4, 5-pound blue cat [that] will drag that jug completely under. Reminds you of Jaws. 

MO: Your songs all tell compelling stories. Is there anything we can learn about you from listening to them? 

JM: Very little of my songwriting is even vaguely autobiographical. My songs are fiction, I write from the perspective of a fictional character generally. They may be loosely based or conglomerates of people I know. I start with a couple lines and a melody, and I think, “Who said that?” Then I try to come up with a character who would say those lines. And if it’s cool enough to keep me up at night, maybe I finish the song.  

MO: Your last record Complicated Game came out in 2015, are you working on a new record these days? 

JM: Well, we need to cause the club draws are starting to fall off a bit. It used to be we’d tour to promote records. Now we make records to promote tours. Cause if you have a new record out then you guys will write about us and people will come to the gig!