Helena was treated to some good Red Dirt music at the Lewis and Clark Brewery's Tap Room on March 11, as Cody Canada and the Departed blazed into town.

Montana's own John McClellan and Josh Keehr, who number among their musical endeavors their duo act they've dubbed The Wench, opened for Cody Canada at the Tap Room on Friday night. Founding members of the popular Montana band The Clintons, McClellan and Keehr rolled out a few of that band's tunes, but stuck mostly to Americana music as they warmed the stage up for Cody and the Departed, who have become a mainstay on the Red Dirt music circuit.

Cody Canada tries to play a show at the Tap Room twice a year, and the sold-out show was a good indication that Helena likes its Americana music. Fans also showed up from Bozeman and Great Falls to catch Canada playing tunes from his latest release, HippyLovePunk, as well as old favorites from the Cross Canadian Ragweed days.

The Lewis and Clark Brewery Tap Room is also a lovely venue, offering live music both indoors and out, as well as dining and their stellar beers on tap. The sound is great in the two-story space, parts of which date back to the 1880s, and the friendly staff is courteous and capable, all of which led to a fine evening in Montana's capital city on a Friday night.