Bozeman Magazine

The 10th Annual Bozeman Bluegrass Festival is set for the 12th and 13th of November at The Emerson Cultural Center.  Seven sets over two days are sure to satisfy your hunger for hot picking and sweet singing.  This year’s festival will feature two different types of show.  Saturday will be the hootenanny dance party in the Ballroom.  Sunday's show will be in the Crawford Theater for a more refined concert atmosphere.

A little about the Saturday show, which runs 6-11:30 p.m.  The Fresh Boys are the Phoenix that has risen from the ashes of Flatt Cheddar, picking hot numbers, and singing strong.  Their fun style and musicianship will kick off the party in grand Bozeman style.  The Dirt Farmers will hit the stage next with their big band sound.  If you like Montana bluegrass, country, and roots music, you will love their "paisley-grass" style.  The Dirt Farmers know how to dig down and enjoy life.  Trout Steak Revival, a five piece Colorado bluegrass masterpiece, pushes the envelope on a progressing genre while drawing creatively from the many canons of American roots music.  TSR has earned a place in the mountain states bluegrass scene, winning the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition, placing in the 2012 Rockygrass Band Competition, and even winning an Emmy Award for a soundtrack with Rocky Mountain PBS.  Laney Lou and The Bird Dogs will close out the first night with their raw and rich blues-driven sound. Drawing from old country, classic and modern rock, and old timey  traditionals.  LL&TBD have been stunning crowds with their infectious energy and hard stomping  sound.  They were proud to be recognized by The Red Ants Pants Festival as a top emerging act in 2014 and rocked the main stage in ’15 like seasoned pros.

Sunday's show will run 4-8 p.m.  The Bridger Creek Boys are veterans of the Montana bluegrass scene.  Founded in 2006, the BC Boys have been gigging hard since their start.  Touring and playing from Whitefish to Denver,, the band has had over 1400 shows.  They have also had weekly gigs in Bozeman from most of that time.  The constant hard work results in a style that is confident, complex and full of improvisation that will draw you in and get you shaking all over with bluegrass joy.  You'll hear standards you know, rock covers reinvented, and thoughtful originals pondering the trials of life.  The Growling Old Men have been performing and recording together since 1998. The band presents a tight, yet relaxed set of original and traditional bluegrass songs, ballads and tunes – informed equally by the music of the Appalachian hills and the western plains.  They strive to contrast simplicity with complexity; all with good tone and a warm sense of humor.Trout Steak Revival returns to headline the theater stage and wow you with their intoxicating sound.

Tickets are available at Cactus Records, $20 for Saturday, $30 for Sunday, $45 for both shows.  Everyone will get a wristband, so you can come and go as you like.  Heck, it's over 8 hours of bluegrass, you might have to take a break.  In addition to the awesome music of this event, finely handcrafted Red Tractor Pizza, beer, and wine will be available both nights to refresh you and fuel your bluegrass experience.