Big Music Night

I usually start Friday mornings with KBGA listening to Swim Lesson with the Mermaid. This morning's show featured an interview with 10yoGF (10 year old Girl Friend), who will appear tonight at the Badlander as part of the Total Fest program. This may be one of your last opportunities to see this band,

because the drummer is leaving town. 

What these other creative folks will do without him, only the future will tell.

These images came from their Endathon performance on February 18, 2011.

Total Fest is the biggest event of this weekend, and expands beyond the Badlander/Palace complex to fill some other venues with the multi-faceted music its famous for. The complex will be jamming tonight from top to bottom, the Palace, the Badlander, Central, Golden Rose, the Savoy Casino, music, food and alcohol.

Japanther returns to Missoula, tonight, and will be over at Zoo City Apparel with four other bands, including Goddammitboyhowdy.  This, too, is Total Fest.

Goddammitboyhowdy is another local (or are they back in Browning again?) band I've enjoyed listening to and photographing.

Zoo City Apparel, in addition to iconic t-shirts, is making a name as an underground music venue. They are providing space lost with the closing of the BSMT and other shifts in the local scene.

This is one of those days when there is too much available in Zootown, and hard choices must be made.

Tom Catmull will be on the Union Club Stage tonight, beginning at 9:30.

Mudslide Charley will be at the Top Hat, along with the Frederico Brothers and Full Grown Men.

Slanky Revs It Up

Cody welcomes back Phil and Chris

Sam White wails on the sax

Jaron Hein on trumpet

Longtime veteran, Jim Rogers, remains at the keyboard.

Reverend Slanky has been one of Zootown's most popular bands for years. Many university students have played with this outfit and moved on, after graduation, creating vacancies. The line-up has evolved with regular updates. Cody Hollow has been the glue holding the sound together and recruiting new members. 

On Friday, July 8, 2011, the Reverend showed his latest face at the Badlander. A couple of lost sheep returned to the fold, and Cody moved to a drum kit, giving up the big drums. Sam White, who can't always come down from Helena, hit his horn hard. Slanky has always loved to funk with swing tunes. This incarnation brings back more rock sensibility, still swings, and, in the Reverend's proud tradition, is still among the most dance-able music in town.   

Do I need to tell you there are more images from this night and previous performances on the flickr archive? You will find thousands of photos of local bands over there. 

One Zootown Week--June 12-18, 2011

Summer Carnival

The carnival kicked off the week with jugglers, kids' games and other family entertainment early,

moving on to more adult themes in the evening, including my favorite fire eater

with a soundtrack by Voodoo Horseshoes.

Meanwhile, at the Missoula Winery

The Ed Norton Big Band,

under the direction of this man,

was swinging away in front of a happy crowd.

Jazz Martini

Later, Margi Cates joined the Front Street Jazz Band on stage at the Badlander, during Jazz Martini Night. For those who don't know, Jazz Martini is a weekly, Sunday night event at the Badlander. Bands alternate weeks, and Front Street will be back tonight, Sunday, June 26.

This night was fun for all.

Out to Lunch

Members of Zeppo also had a good time on the Caras Park stage for Out to Lunch on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Anybody visiting Missoula should plan on Wednesday, for lunch, or Thursdays 5:30-8:30pm for dinner. Lots of vendors offer their foodstuffs, and the live music is free at both events. 

Hot Harleys

On Friday night, the annual Harley rally brought a bunch of hot bikes to Caras Park. 

Mudslide Charley was one of the bands providing the music,

and, of course, a good time was had by all.

Christian and the Sinners

Overlapping the excitement in Caras Park was a show at the Top Hat featuring a group new to me, Christian and the Sinners. That's Christian up front, and there are some marvelous musicians backing him up, including Bethany on the cello and Grace Decker on the fiddle. 

More images of every band and event in this post has a set on the flickr archive. Grace also performs with Cash for Junkers, while Bethany seems to be everywhere, but particularly with Wartime Blues and Butter in the archive. 

In the Streets

In Zootown, you can find music everywhere, and some of the travelers playing on the streets are very talented, not to mention varied and diverse in material and style.

Before Bellatrix, There was Endathon

One week before Bellatrix lit up the Winery, KBGA threw a terrific party to celebrate the end of their annual pledge drive. Endathon inhabited the Badlander/Palace complex on Friday, February 18, 2011.

The Count caught his plane this time, and Rooster Sauce reunited to play for the first time in many moons.

Hello. Welcome to Endathon. Would you like to buy a raffle ticket?

DJs downstairs in the Palace,

and 10yoGF on the Badlander stage,

where Green Horse followed.

Kitty Deyo is one of my favorite people. You can see her on flickr in the Cabaret and Bellatrix sets, also.

To summarize: Endathon was a rousing party, and a good time was had by all.

Afterwards, however, the coat check area turned into a major cluster fuck.

There are two sets on flickr with Endathon and Rooster Sauce. Check those out, too.

Dodgy Mountain Men Torch the Palace

The Dodgy Mountain Men are a bluegrass outfit with a tabla player providing the percussion. That certainly isn't a standard band formation, but this fun loving group makes it work. On Saturday, January 29, 2011, they launched into a free-wheeling set, which ignited the crowd, which fed the band, which led to one of those energy tornadoes which lift venues right off the ground. When it was over, many participants had to drink considerable amounts in order to recover.

There's a set on flickr with more shots of these guys, and a set for Voodoo Horseshoes who released their CD, Flight of the Platypus, at this event.  Horseshoes also turned in a rip-snorting set on this night.

I  bring this up now, because the Dodgy Mountain Men will be playing the Badlander's Live and Local evening on Tuesday, February 15, tomorrow, as I write this. Peoples is also on the bill.

Since the Badlander music will start at the usual late hour, one could easily enjoy the open mike program at Brooks and Browns (in the Holiday Inn at the river end of Pattee St), 7-10pm Tuesday, and then cruise to the Badlander for even more good home-made music.

Voodoo Horseshoes