Bozeman Magazine

The Arts Council is thrilled to welcome back the Black Lillies to Town Center Park for an amazing night of Nashville roots rock! Tonight's show is generously sponsored by Big Sky Resort!

The Black Lillies' Cruz Contreras and his bandmates – harmony vocalist Trisha Gene Brady, multi-instrumentalist Tom Pryor, bass player Robert Richards and drummer Bowman Townsend – have grown from a few friends sitting around campfires and living rooms to a band that shows up in far-flung cities where folks to whom they’ve never played before already know the words to the songs. Eschewing record labels, they’ve still managed to conquer the Billboard Top 200 charts, put three tracks in Country Music Television’s top 12 requested videos, and film a nationally broadcast commercial for Twizzlers. They’ve been featured on numerous television specials and played festivals as widespread as Bonnaroo, Rochester Jazz Festival, MerleFest, and CMA Fan Fair.  Despite trafficking in a richer, more authentic brand of country and Americana than what gets played on mainstream country radio, they’ve still been invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry more than twenty times – a record for an independent act.

The quintet's current album, Runaway Freeway Blues, debuted at #21 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #43 on the Billboard Top 200 Country Albums chart. It peaked at #4 on the Americana Music Association’s radio charts, with two months in the top five, ending the year as the AMA’s #18 album of 2013 based on radio airplay.

"With one foot planted firmly in Appalachian music culture and the other always expanding and evolving, the Black Lillies have created a unique sound embraced by fans old and young."
- Vanity Fair

Watch the Black Lillies perform "Smokestack Lady" live at the Grand Ole Opry by clicking here .

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!