Friday, August 28, 2009

Vote on your favorite local bands and musicians

The Billings Outpost Tuney Awards nominations are under way. 2009 marks the 9th year. This year, you can even cast your vote online!

The award celebration will be held September 19th at the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company at 4pm. Past Tuney Award winners such as ENDever, Dan Page and the Barncats, The Peach Pickers, Matt Rogers, and Earthshine will perform. There will be a $2 cover with the proceeds benefiting Gy Moody a local musician who recently suffered a heart attack.

Find the Tuney Awards Facebook Group Here.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Have you been to Cafe DeCamp?

When one of my co-workers came back from lunch raving about Cafe DeCamp another co-worker and I decided we had better give it a try. Cafe DeCamp is in the old Mamacita's location. I had never been to Mamacita's but I've heard that it was a favorite local spot for many.

So, what's so great about the place? Well, Cafe DeCamp focuses on serving local Montana grown foods and you can definitely taste the freshness. I went for the quiche of the day served with potato hash and a small salad with a vinaigrette dressing. My co-worker went for the empanadas which were served with Mamacita's salsa. There was a meat loaf sandwich on the menu that was also calling my name but I didn't want to go back to work so full. You won't find the usual soft drink and beverage selections. They serve peppermint iced tea, Italian sodas and espresso drinks.

Cafe DeCamp is small and quaint. I only stepped inside briefly so I can't explain the decor. We decided to sit outside on the patio wich seems more like a "courtyard" as it is fully fenced with a brick wall on one side and all sides are nearly fully covered with leaves. It's a nice shady spot to have lunch on a warm day.

The only bad thing is that it, like Mamacita's is just in a weird location. Most of the businesses around it are industrial and it just seems a bit out of place. But, it was busy so the location doesn't seem to affect them much. And the new First Interstate Building is just a block or two away so I'm sure they'll catch some patrons from there.

I thought it was a great place to take a break from the daily grind and have lunch that was fresh, healthy and local.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Billings Band will open for SlipKnot

This Monday at the Railyard, 3 Billings bands will compete to open for SlipKnot at MetraPark on Wednesday, August 26th.

Last week, 20 local bands submitted their demos to The Zone 96.3 and listeners voted on their favorites to determine the finalists. The three lucky bands include EndEver, Grudge, and Zen In Zion. Each band gets a 30 minute set at the Railyard on Monday to determine the winner.

Good Luck to all three. I'm sure they've all had several sleepless nights practicing up for the opportunity.

Anthrax cancelled their tour dates slated with Slipknot back in July due to the departure of vocalist, Dan Nelson. This left room for the Battle of the Bands competition...a fun way to promo the show, get the locals involved, and make one local bands dreams come true.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Inglourious Basterds

Dustin and I went to Inglourious Basterds on Friday at Shiloh 14. The film is Quentin Tarantino's take on WWII.

The film follows a couple of story lines. The Inglourious Basterds are a troup of Jewish American Soldiers lead by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) who are set out to kill every Nazi they encounter and are eventually tasked with taking out members of the Third Reich. The other story line follows a young Jewish girl who saw her family executed by the Nazis and she narrowly escaped. She flees to Paris and takes on a new identity as the owner of a cinema. She finds herself in a position to get revenge on the Nazis and her plans coincidentally overlap with those of the Inglorious Basterds. We watch to see if either one of their plans will succeed in the end.

I don't pretend to be a film critic of any sort. I just know if I liked a movie or I didn't and I thought this was an excellent movie. 1) It had a great bad guy to love to hate (double oximorons there, I know). 2) Brad Pitt had a stellar performance (you will love his character). 3) And you know how certain movies kind of suck you in and when it's over you kind of feel like you were there right along with the characters kicking ass?...Obviously, I can't explain it clearly, but it was like that.

There are graphic parts (i.e., scalping) that will make you want to look away and your stomach turn but that's to be expected with a Tarantino film.

Elephant Revival tiptoes into town

Elephant Revival was anything but elephantine in their performance in Billings last night. The an Americana folk music revivalist group’s delicate and graceful music reminded more of tiptoeing than of a large, lumbering pachyderm. Read Full Story...


(Source: Pen and Paige)

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Railroad Earth lights up the Babcock Theater


Amongst the flying glowsticks and wafting pot smoke, the New Jersey jam band Railroad Earth took the stage at the Babcock Theater last night.




It’s been a while since the Babcock, located on Second Avenue North in downtown Billings, has seen such action. Sure, it’s been sweated upon by boxers for years, but only recently has the theater been available for live musical performances.

Read Full Story and see more Pics...

(Source Pen and Paige)

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Hana Pestle sells out Venture Theatre

Hana Pestle can make finding a dead girl in a lake sound delightful.

Her original songs—themed around dark, imaginative worlds where lake swimmers entangle their fingers in the hair of the deceased or guests at the “Red Death Ball” perish—are disturbing on paper, but enchanting in song. Read Full Story...

Source (Pen and Paige)

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Have you seen the Extreme Canines at MontanaFair?

In addition to carnival rides, critters, and fair food, MontanaFair's got free entertainment for everyone.

Have you seen the Extreme Canines? This is a fun family friendly show with some of the cutest and most talented dogs. What's really special about this show is that all of the dogs performing have been rescued from pounds and shelters across the country. Chris Perondi, the show's creator posted an entry on his blog about the show-Check it out Here The Video below is footage from the show at MontanaFair.



Also performing at MontanaFair are Comedy Hypnotist-Alan Sands, Gwen Sebastian (a little bit rock and a little bit country), Hotel California (Eagles tunes), The Bad Larrys (so fun over at the Exchange Club Beer Garden), John Dunnigan (James Taylorish), The Blond Curly Haired Magician, and Hedrick's Exotic Petting Zoo.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Senses Fail, Bayside to perform Billings in off day from Warped Tour

Denver-based indie rock band The Photo Atlas returns to Billings Aug. 10 to perform with national acts Senses Fail and Bayside (appearing during an off-day from the Vans Warped Tour) Aug. 10 in the basement of the Shrine Auditorium. Read Full Story...

(Source: Pen and Paige)