Stephanie Davis | Western Bliss and Western Bling
After spending a good number of years writing hit songs for others in Nashville, Columbus singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Stephanie Davis is devoting time to new things. The first two volumes of a promised series, Western Bliss and Western Bling, have hit the shelves. The two collections feature 11 tunes each, the same production team and accompanists, and cover art by none other than Missoula artist Monte Dolack. Read more
Jack Gladstone | Blackfeet Legends of Glacier National Park
Blackfeet storyteller Jack Gladstone, dubbed “Montana’s Troubadour” by the governor, offers a timely tribute to the century-old park with his new album, Blackfeet Legends of Glacier National Park. The 12 pieces are equally split between Gladstone songs and narratives written by James Willard Schultz (1859-1947).
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Blue Argon | Bluer Blues
Webster’s says argon is a “colorless, odorless gas used in electric bulbs.” See it turn blue, shut all the other lights off, and you get a sultry collection of great cover tunes on the second effort by this Kalispell trio. Colleen Cunningham provides plenty of smolder, rhythm guitarist Jim Clayborn plays oodles of fine bass runs and lead guitarist Steve Sellars fingers creamy riffs. Read more
Wylie and the Wild West | Hang-n-Rattle!
Wylie Gustafson, the long-legged cowboy yodeler with deep Montana roots, has released a 14th album with the Wild West. Produced by John Carter Cash of the legendary Cash family, it covers the gamut of all-things cowboy. That means western. Also, sweeping vistas and wide-open spaces, and above all, rodeo, rendered in the inimitable Wylie style. Read more
David Boone and the Mercenaries | The State of the Union
Missoula singer/songwriter David Boone has followed up his 2007 recording, A Tale of Gold, with his most professional effort yet. With the talented Mercenaries in tow, and plush production to boot, Boone rails, rants and wails through 11 new rock tunes that feature waves of guitar, shouts and whispers and cool hooks. Read more
T.J. Casey | From Whence They Came
Billings’s cowboy singer T.J. Casey has a new CD out that features standards from the dusty-trail heritage, backed by instruments that include fiddle, harmonica, and mandolin. He starts off with the clip-clop cadence of the condemned man in “Tom Dooley.” Read more
National Folk Festival announces musical line-up
The National Folk Festival organizers recently announced the full musical line-up for the 71st National Folk Festival, July 10-12 in Butte. The roster of 20 bands and musicians varies from New Orleans jazz to Native American drumming, from Mexican mariachi to Texas fiddle music. Read more