Bozeman Magazine

The Arts Council is pleased to welcome the Whiskey Gentry to the Town Center stage on Thursday, July 23, 2015, for a FREE concert!!

Amongst many attempts to describe The Whiskey Gentry, perhaps the best take was from Paste Magazine who called them a "toe-tapping, steamrolling kind of band, its fingers picking deep into fields of bluegrass...with a punk-inspired kick drum."

The Whiskey Gentry's catchy tunes reel in listeners spanning from music novices to mainstream audiences, while their musical mastery garners the professional praise and respect of those with the most sophisticated of musical palates.

Two albums in, both co-produced by John Keane (R.E.M., Uncle Tupelo), they recently gained official recognition as a finalist in the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition held at MerleFest. From local haunts to the Nashville music industry's elite, the band's burgeoning followers and supporters have quite literally set the stage for nationwide venues and air waves.

Initially a quintet formed by husband and wife duo Lauren Staley and Jason Morrow, the band's debut album in 2011 Please Make Welcome became a critically-acclaimed success, quickly launching the Atlanta-based band into markets from Tampa to NYC, and at festivals priding themselves as the first to showcase the next best thing.

They have since expanded on both a physical and geographic level, becoming a septet comprised of Chesley Lowe on banjo, Sammy Griffin on bass, Price Cannon on drums, Michael Smith on mandolin, and Rurik Nunan on fiddle.

Their most recent album, Holly Grove, is another leap in the band's ongoing evolution on a musical and social scale. Mastered by Glenn Schick (Indigo Girls, Drive-By Truckers), Holly Grove infuses elements of country, bluegrass, folk, rock, and punk with a mix of poppy and poignant lyrics, fiery and heartfelt vocals, traditional and avant-garde sound, honesty, edginess, and entertainment all around.

Park opens at 6 p.m., music starts at 7 p.m. Food and beverages from local vendors will be available. Please no glass containers or pets allowed in the park during concerts. Admission is free and suitable for all ages! Plenty of parking!