More Top Notch Zootown Music

Where did all the musical talent in Zootown come from? For a small burg like this, it's a large, diverse and deep pool. The previous two posts high lighted a couple of upper echelon local bands. There are so many quality groups performing around Missoula, it would be impossible to name them all. You can read back through this blog to find others I praise. Here are some others I want to mention again.

Secret Powers

Downtown Tonight's weekly event on Thursday, July 7, 2011, featured the Independent's Best Of winners. Secret Powers and Reverend Slanky played, after being announced as finalists in the Best Band category. 

I must insert a photographer's note here: the light really sucks at most of these daytime events in Caras Park. I am not good at shooting sky, and my camera weighs me down in the hot weather. I'm going to quit carrying my camera and just dig the music, the crowd and the smell of food. Indoor events are more my cup of tea, anyway.  

Here are a few shots taken in the Top Hat on Friday, February 11, 2011. 

Secret Powers rates bonus points with me for producing so much original material. Shmed simply cannot rest on his laurels and charges into the next project almost immediately after the last one is done. 

Fans know these guys can handle covers, too, as their amazingly textured Beatles' work has shown. Let them practice a bit, and they can do most anything. 

$4J = Cash for Junkers 

$4J the ads say, as this group appears all over the map, including a monthly gig at the Union Club. These practiced musicians know their stuff and quickly fill any dance floor. Their crowd-pleasing allure has to place them among Missoula's best bands.

Cash for Junkers is intertwined with Broken Valley Roadshow, as Nate Biehl is in both bands, and other members trade off and fill in.

Nate Biehl with Caroline Keys, BVR at the Top Hat, Thursday, July 14, 2011

Nate Biehl and John Rosett/$4J @Union Club 

Tom Catmull and the Clerics

 When top bands are discussed, Tom Catmull and the Clerics have to be mentioned. They appeared in Caras Park at the Downtown Tonight event a week after winning Best Band for the fifth consecutive year. Tom was again a double winner as Best Musician.

Mudslide Charley

Mudslide Charley @Bernice's Bakery July 7, 2011

This being the first Thursday of August, Mudslide Charley will be playing their monthly "Blues and Bread" event at Bernice's.  It's a benefit for the Missoula Food Bank with fresh hot rolls on sale inside, and hot blues outside. This is smack you in the face authentic style blues with classics any blues fan will recognize, and a growing number of original tunes. 

 Mudslide Charley @Old Post July 15, 2011

Mudslide recently had a CD release party at the Old Post, and for that event back-up singers were added.

As usual, there are sets of images on flickr of all the bands mentioned here.

Prowling Zootown Music Again

My heart had taken flight, during the days in wilderness, on the coast and by the rivers. Reconnecting to my home town took some time. I tiptoed into the Sunrise Saloon to hear Cash for Junkers, and they hooked me right up.

I love people happy in their work, and I love good music. Nailed the twofer on this night, Thursday, August 26, 2010.

It was great to return to the Saturday markets, and find Hot House Tomatoes performing under the bridge at the Clark Fork Market.

The final weekend of August belonged to the Roots Fest, although only the headliner, Robert Earl Keen, could lure me back downtown Saturday.

Broken Valley Roadshow inspired me to spend more time at Roots, as they opened the second day.

Tom Catmull and the Clerics were up second on Sunday.

Susan, 7X a grandmother, now homeless, busking on Higgins

And then came Hempfest on Saturday, September 11, 2010 

with Not Quite Punk

Secret Powers

and Voodoo Horseshoes highlighting a strong line up. 

The big event was followed by the Hempfest After Party at the Top Hat, where Miller Creek performed.

Headliners, Lubriphonic, produced an extravagant sound, deep, strong and tight. 

Hundreds of photos have gone on the Flickr archive in recent days, as I work to catch up from vacation hang over. There's new stuff coming soon. I want to cover more jazz like the Indulge Jazz Quintet, which has a Flickr set of their recent Missoula Winery appearance. 

LYME Fest--Day Three

High lighted and starred on my Sunday schedule was Secret Powers with Shmed, one of my local heroes, up front. After doing some of their original material, easily purchased on their CDs, they launched into their famous full-coverage of Abbey Road. This is no simplified to three chord rock anthem version. This has the subtle, complex depth of the original, or as close as you can get live on stage. 

Ryan Farley and John Fleming

I fell in love about 30 times over the weekend at the Love Your Mother Earth Festival, and here are three of my new loves on stage with Broken Valley Road Show. None meet my minimum age requirement, and I think all are spoken for, but, sweet mother of god, they are beautiful, smart, talented and funny. Who could ask for more? See Cash 4 Junkers in the previous post, where Grace fiddles with another band.

Nate Biehl, Angie Biehl, Caroline Keys

A surprise delight was the Anonymous String Association, whose sound side tracked me from a rush to the main stageand pulled me to the Ramble Stage.  

I was out of steam early Sunday, heading back to the Campground Stage to see Clyde drumming with the Dodgy Mountain Men, and making them my final act of the day. 

I can't end my coverage of Day 3, without showing the accordion player above, and another of my beautiful friends below. There are a total of 127 (I think) images in three sets titled by day over on the flickr archive. Soon there will be follow ups of Sister Monk (Day 1) and Elephant Revival (Day 2), when they played the Top Hat this week Equaleyes played too late at LYME, but I caught them at the Hat with Sister Monk. 

Baby, it's cold outside

It was five below zero outside, when I first looked out, and everything was dusted with snow. The old myth of too-cold-to-snow was shattered. I was planning to visit my bank and do some errands downtown. Now, I'm thinking it's a perfect day to do some filing and to sort my t-shirts.

Earlier on KBGA I heard someone say they had once equated punk rock with Cheap Trick. KBGA is way too hip to call Cheap Trick punk. I'm thinking X, the Motels, Agent Orange, and the like, while Cheap Trick is merely a novelty. And in that category, I think the Red Elvises blow them out of the water.

Vera is on KBGA discussing their new CD and playing cuts from it. The release is this Friday at the Badlander. Secret Powers and Butter will also play. That is one hell of a line up. This will be the hipnhot event in Zootown on Friday, December 11.

This is Vera playing the November Artini at the Missoula Art Museum. There are more images on the flickr archive from that event. Of course, there are many images of Secret Powers and Butter, as well.

The hipnhot event for Saturday will be at the Top Hat, when Zeppo plays and Reverend Slanky gives their final performance with this line-up. Someone is always leaving Slanky amid rumors the group will be no more, but Cody has always plugged, patched, adjusted and continued on in the Reverend's name. We'll see what happens this time. Chris Ente and Sam White are the departing members.

There's a rant building about the Nobel Peace Prize winner expanding the war in Afghanistan. It's beyond irony and into the adsurd. Holy shades of Kissinger, Batman! Don't you dare compare this mess to Vietnam the neo-con Bushites demanded. Surely, it is OK to make the comparison now. I'll leave it there for now, because I want to work on my next show.

Halloween Report 2009

My favorite Halloween party is the one in the Badlander/Palace complex, because it is a maze of interconnected venues with something different happening in each one. As I entered on this Halloween, the Twister championship was in progress, and soon the victor stood triumphant.

Then the rappers took the stage with Tonsofun and Linkletter starring.

Next door, the Mermaid and Siren were spinning away.

Everywhere people wanted their pictures taken.

In front of the Golden Rose, I found a plastic surgeon and one of his satisfied clients.

For me, the highlight of the evening was Secret Powers covering Abbey Road in the Palace.

They were followed by the Volumen doing Ziggy Stardust.

Meanwhile at Charlie B's, Mudslide Charley was rocking some old time blues.

The Union Club is a popular spot, especially on Halloween. As usual, the club filled to capacity and the line stretched towards the corner. They were waiting to see Russ Nassett and the Revelators.

Russ wasn't in costume, but his son dressed up a bit, and the crowd had a good time.

The streets were full of people in costume.

It was a busy evening keeping the Kitchenpoet on the run. There are more images from that night on the flickr archive. Each set has a title beginning with Halloween and ending with 2009 sandwiching the venue. Check them out, and look for the Day of the Dead report coming soon.