Christian Rock coming to Billings

Christian Rock Fans rejoice...The Creation Festival is coming to Billings at the Shrine Auditorium on November 8th.

Bands on the tour include Jars of Clay, Thousand Foot Krutch, Audio Unplugged, B. Reith, This Beautiful Republic and FM Static.

Tickets are just $20 for General Admission and for $50, you can get a Meet and Greet Ticket. Tickets are available at Harvest Church, Berean Christian Store, Rimrock Mall, Off the Leaf and on iTickets.com.

2009 Tuney winners announced

The 2009 winners are as follows:

Best Local CD: 1090 Club, Natural Selection

Best Blues Act: Soul Brat

Best Bluegrass Act: Anonymous String Association

Best Country/Western Act: The Bucky Beaver Ground Grippers

Best Folk/Americana: Dan Page and the Barn Cats

Best Soul/R&B/Jam: Funk in the Trunk

Best Jazz Act: 4 or More

Best Metal Act: ENDever

Best Punk Act: The Montana Law

Best Rap Act: Impurity

Best Rock Act: ZeN

Best Alternative Rock Act: Past Mars

Best Banjo Player: Wade Steinmetz

Best Bass Player: Parker Brown

Best Drummer: Marco Castro

Best Female Vocalist: Linda Villareal

Best Guitar Player: Art Eichele

Best Horn Player: Jeff Long

Best Keyboard Player: Dave Green

Best Male Vocalist: Nate North

Best Mandolin Player: Dennis Nettiksimmons

Best Percussionist: Matt Devitt

Best String Player: Megan Dibble

Best Harmonica Player: Dan Page

Best Live Venue (21 & Over): F.O.E.

Best Live Venue (All Ages): Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co.

Best Musical Instrument Store: Hansen Music

Best CD Store: Ernie November

Best Radio DJ: Big J (Hot 101.9)

Freeman Lacy Award: Tim and Pam Goodridge

Read Anna's Full Review of the Tuney Awards Show...

Tuney Awards this Saturday

Tuney time has new meaning for me this year. Before, I was a casual spectator enjoying the show. Now, as a sponsor of the event and a coordinator of all things Tuney, I’ve got a behind-the-scenes look, which has included counting boatloads of ballots, coordinating the performers’ schedules and the awards presentation, and the last-minute kinks we’ve been ironing out. And that’s just the work that goes in before the first award is handed out. Read Full Story...

Sera Cahoone returns to Billings

After wrapping a tour with Son Volt in Minneapolis, alt country musician Sera Cahoone is gigging her way home to Seattle and plans her only Montana stop in Billings on Sept. 30.

Frontwoman for her self-titled band, Cahoone was last in Billings in early May. Read Full Story...

The Mighty Modest Mouse

At times when Isaac Brock speaks, he’s unintelligible. But when he sings, it’s a different matter.

At Modest Mouse’s appearance in Billings Thursday night, Brock mumbled a few statements between songs, but it was his musicianship that impressed the most.
Brock fronts an accomplished lineup of performers (albeit Johnny Marr, former guitarist of the Smiths, was missing, perhaps out gigging with his Wakefield indie group The Cribs. Jim Fairchild played Marr’s guitar parts), and his poetic connection to language creates eccentric verses, which, in song, are quite infectious. Read Full Story...

(Source: Pen and Paige)

Modest Mouse rocks the Alberta Bair Theater

I love seeing Modest Mouse live. We saw them for the first time in Bozeman a few years ago. Up until that point, I enjoyed and had downloaded some of their songs--everyone's heard "Float On" as it was a top 40 hit for a long time--but I didn't really consider myself a "fan." After seeing them live though, I had to download every album they had put out and was excited to discover each and every song. So, when I heard they were going to be playing the Alberta Bair Theater here in Billings, I was thrilled to get to see them again.

(photos are taken by cell phone so no, they aren't the greatest)
Some concerts seem to be more about the "production" of the show than they are about the music. A Modest Mouse show, to me, is purely about the music. The band members are musicians not performers. The stage is covered with instruments and nearly every band member switches out instruments at least once during the show. Most impressive in this regard would be Tom Peloso who plays everything from the upright bass to the trumpet, keyboard, etc.

Modest Mouse has so many great songs. They started a bit late, around 10pm or so and I think the show got over (including the encore) around 11:30pm. The set list was great and they played so many songs but they left out just a few of my favorites--"Ocean Breathes Salty," "Paper Thin Walls," and "3rd Planet." They also did not play "Float On" which isn't one of my favorites but is the song that seemed to bring their career to a new level so when it isn't played, it is noticed.

The Alberta Bair Theater proved to be a great venue for the show and I think brought a whole new audience in its doors. It was a much more fitting venue than the dirt floor barn I saw them in at the Gallatin Valley Fairgrounds in Bozeman a few years ago. But it doesn't really matter what conditions they play in, if Modest Mouse is in the area, I'm there.

$12,000 Diamond Ring Treasure Hunt in Billings

Montague's has a pretty cool--Amazing Race style--promotional event happening on Saturday, September 12th. They are going to hide a $12,000 diamond ring somewhere in Downtown Billings. Teams of two (couples or friends, 18+) can register to participate in the event.

Teams will meet on the courthouse lawn on Saturday at 11am. Clues and challenges will be delivered to couples’ mobile phones via text message taking the teams all around the city. One lucky couple will find the South African $12K Diamond Ring.

There will be an after party, post-hunt, at Hooligan's with drink specials, food and prizes for all.

Kudos to Montague's for being inventive with this promotion. It involves competition, physical activity, technology, a party, and one heck of a great prize! I like it.