Russ Nasset and the Revelators

Russ Nasset and the Revelators just played Downtown Tonight in Caras Park. Russ will be playing solo, starting about 10p tonight, at the Old Post. And tomorrow night for First Friday, July 1, this whole group will be playing at the Union Club, starting at 9:30.

If you aren't getting down to Caras Park for the great, free and family friendly events there such as this one on Thursday evenings and Out to Lunch on Wednesdays at noon, shame on you.

And if you haven't seen this band, check them out at the club, Friday, July 1.

Ho, ho, ho, maybe I'm not so old and slow after all. They quit playing at 8:30 and I have this up less than 90 minutes later. There are a few more images from this event on the flickr archive, along with approximately 8000 others of this and other Missoula bands.

Bob Wire, Slowly But Shirley, Star Anna, Red Elvises and Weather

Where does the time go? My last blog concerned the second weekend of July, and August has begun. I have some catching up to do. The last chapter ended with Amanda Cevallos and Bob Wire at Ryan Creek Meadows. Soon after that, Bob was sizzling at Caras Park.

It was the weekly Downtown Tonight event on Thursday, July 22, 2010, and Bob was really cooking on stage.

Listeners were enjoying a spectacular Montana day, in addition to the music. 

I want you to come to Fact and Fiction tonight (Friday, Aug 6) and buy my book. I might sign it if you do.

note:Bob Wire did not pay for this promo. I think his lyrics are some of the funniest around, and I expect his book to be amusing, too.

Ciara Keeton, Angie Biehl, Kristin Janis, Teri Llovet

Not one Shirley in the batch, but the band is Slowly But Shirley. They played a big part in producing and playing Zulapalooza at the Top Hat on Saturday, July 24.

Teri Llovett

One of the powers which helped create Zulapalooza was Teri Llovett. Teri was with Full Moon Prophets, who played their final gig on this same Top Hat Stage, last November. See Good-bye Prophets in a previous post here and in a set on Flickr. That was a whing-ding and a half, featuring many local musicians who wanted in on the fun. Zulapalooza produced more of the same infectious fun. One high light was Joe Half Cocked. Joe is an entity, who was being channeled by a local performer, but now busts out when he pleases.

Joe Half Cocked, Kristin Janis, Ciara Keeton

The Missoula Winery has a new stage. Performers and audience are protected from the hot afternoon sun, as this is on the east side of the building. Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs played there on Friday, July 30.

Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs

Mother Nature chose to bring special effects to the event. It wasn't so much fun for the band, as the temperature fluctuations began to mess up the tuning. The guitar player just knew he was going to die, electrocuted on stage in Missoula, Montana. 

A few drops fell on the assembly, but the body of the storm missed us and moved off to the north-west. Did I mention The Winery has an incredible view of the entire Missoula basin? I should also say this old photographer had a great time with the changing light, noted with approval the evolution of the Winery and tasted some fine Cabernet.

The Red Elvises have made the pilgrimage to Missoula an annual event. I saw them in Santa Monica many years ago (15?/more?). They had changed their name from Limpopo shortly before that, and I bought the Limpopo CD, and the first Red Elvis CD, and enjoyed every minute of their performance. I missed their previous visits here, but I was determined this time.

Igor has sandwiched himself with a pair of women, since I saw them.

A throng of Red Elvis fans packed the Badlander to see them again.

Every day I thank the powers that be I found Missoula before I died. Yes, I have said that before. Brace yourselves, because I will say it again. Life is sweet, and it gets better every day.

If you aren't enjoying yourself, as much as I, try turning off your television and getting out to some live music.

PS: See more of these events on Flickr. Don't hurt yourself by trying to view everything on my Flickr archive, because it is too much. It is best to approach the archive looking for a band you know, or want to know, because the search function will allow you to find the images you want (if I have key-worded properly).

Summer is Over; Get Ready for Christmas

Salsa Loca provided a hot and spicy finale to the Out to Lunch program for 2009. Where did the summer go? Three months of live music in Caras Park at noon time on Wednesdays has concluded. Next stop Christmas.

You don't believe summer is over? Check it out. Football season is starting and the final Downtown Tonight pitted the band ShoDown against Montana's football team and cheerleaders. It was not a fair contest.

Obviously, some people were just there to see the cheerleaders.

The band had some loyal fans, ready to dance.

Reverend Slanky @Palace & Downtown

Reverend Slanky performed in Caras Park for Downtown Tonight, on Thursday, July 30, after blowing the doors off the Palace, the previous Saturday.

Here's Chuck Lester joining the merrymaking on stage, at the Palace.

The reverend's loyal co-ed fan base always turns up at these events.

A wedding party arrives, and the bride negotiates some mike time.

Reverend Slanky will need to retool, as the trombone player and drummer depart the area, after these two performances. The metronome below has been the heart of Slanky's rhythmic weavings for a long time.

Perhaps the largest crowd of the season turned out for Reverend Slanky, when they played Downtown Tonight. There are four weeks remaining of this excellent program.

The sun is wicked at this time of evening. Come out for the event, but protect your eyes and skin.

Catch Up Caras

Right up there in the corner, it says I'm old and slow. I haven't covered The Downtown Association's splendid summer series for two weeks. Mark your calendars for Out to Lunch, every Wednesday, 11a-2p, and Downtown Tonight, every Thursday, 5:30-8:30p.

Now let's do the timeslip to Wednesday week and catch up four events.

Full Moon Prophets Out to Lunch

Jazzy oldies you can sing along with played in clean, hard rocking style with an emphasis on bass.

The emphasis on bass is my friend, Teri Llovet. She sings a Cheryl Crowe song that gives me goose bumps.

Bob Wire & Magnificent Bastards Downtown Tonight

Bob Wire was cooking at Downtown Tonight. Only lining the tent with foil could make this venue tougher on Thursday nights. Week after week, brave performers face this trial. Poor Bob's plump turkey thermometer was about to pop. Bob still poured his heart into his "extreme honky-tonk," until the timer went off, and then he ran for the shade and a cold brew.

This is the new proprietor of the Celtic Connection, and I can't spell her name in Irish to save my ass, but it's pronounced Keeva. I'm not sure whether she was telling me to take a picture, or telling me to stuff my camera. She's a delightful woman, and the revival of the Connection has already started.

RMSP photography students showed up in large numbers to shoot the event. It looked like superbowl with all those fancy cameras and lenses waving along the sidelines.

Secret Powers Out to Lunch

Secret Powers is usally fronted by Schmed on the keyboard (above), but they switched up a bit at Out to Lunch. This may be the most professional combo in town, with their technical expertise and polished performances.

Clumsy Lovers Downtown Tonight

The Clumsy Lovers are visitors from Vancouver, B.C. who play zootown two or three times a year. Their music is kicky stuff with a lot of influences, including Celtic, folk and bluegrass. They have several cds, stickers and t-shirts to choose from at their merchandise table. Also Celtic Connection will join the local merchants who sell the cds.

If you have not attended one of these events, shame on you. They live up to the old ad line "fun for the whole family."

There are more images on the flickr archive, although I am trying to cut back on how many I post. The 5000 images over there are overwhelming. There are also older sets of all the bands featured in this post.