This Week in Concerts: March 5th thru March 11th
Montana gets a double dose of Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Amanda Shires headlines the Top Hat, Twiddle is back at the Rialto and more! Check out the full lineup for this week below.
Thursday, March 5th
Halladay Quist at the Top Hat
The daughter of a famous Montana musician, Halladay Quist was born and the next day she on the road, experiencing a world that would set the stage for her distinctive songwriting, voice and unique musical talents. A multi-instrumentalist (guitar, stand-up bass, banjo, ukulele, piano), Montana’s rising daughter brings to the stage a sultry vocal blend of country, bluegrass, folk rock and blues in her own original music appealing to a broad range of audiences throughout the northwest.
Halladay has appeared on stage with highly accomplished and award-winning artists like Jewel, Michael Martin Murphey, Collin Raye, the Doobie Brothers, Dennis Quaid and the Sharks, and Berry Oaks Jr. This fall she struck out on a Barn Dance Revival Tour, jumpstarting the new annual summer series in Victor, MT at the Homestead on McVey, a 115 year old barn. From there she headed south on her way to Austin, TX playing shows along the way.
8:00 PM | FREE | All Ages | More Info
Friday, March 6th
Moonshine Mountain at the Top Hat
A trio from northwest Montana playing original Americana, Folk, and Country. Moonshine Mountain is often accompanied by a mix of other musicians who play either bass, drums, cajon, harmonica, fiddle, keys, or banjo. Their talented songwriting along with their high-energy sound and harmonies have helped them gain the great opportunity to open for Trampled by Turtles, Leftover Salmon, The Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Keller Williams, Fruition, Yarn, The Lil’ Smokies, and many others. Moonshine Mountain has released two full-length studio albums.
This show will also feature an opening performance from Missoula’s own Milltown Damn. Milltown Damn has been holding it down for 2 years in Missoula, MT. Playing trad-grass to new-grass and country, this five-piece brings high energy classics and tightly arranged original tunes to private parties, bars, theatres, campers, porches, and pretty much anywhere there’s a few pairs of ears willing to listen.
10:15 PM | FREE | 21+ | More Info
Saturday, March 7th
Amanda Shires at the Top Hat
It’s been jam-packed since the release of Shires’ critically hailed My Piece of Land in 2016: constantly touring with her band and as a member of husband Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit; finishing her MFA; and winning the Americana Association’s 2017 Emerging Artist award. In 2018, She released her next album, To the Sunset, which Rolling Stone gave 4 out of 5 stars. She joined The Highwomen earlier this year alongside Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Natalie Hemby. Together, they released their self titled debut album, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country charts.
Shires is renowned for her carefully crafted songs. Her influences include Leonard Cohen and John Prine, the latter of whom has been a mentor. “I was talking to John Prine while I was writing this record,” says Shires, “and he was talking about how using images that actually happened to you makes the songs true. Also, if you use images that you can see daily, it’s more relatable.”
9:00 PM | All Ages | Tickets & More Info
Saturday, March 7th
Fuuls, Bull Market & Panther Car at the Rialto
Careening out the ashtray like a phoenix terrified of losing it’s edge, Post-Whatever band FUULS establishes their panicked dynamism through metempsychosis. The boys went soul searching and have returned to offer a beehive of pissed off notes and sweet existential nothings. Bull Market is an investment firm/rock band based out of Billings, MT. Welcome to our office. Panther Car comes in the shape of a traditional rock band yet sounds far from it.
9:00 PM | All Ages | Tickets & More Info
Monday, March 9th
Colin Hay at the Wilma
Aside from his work with the Grammy award winning, multi-platinum selling rock band, Men at Work, Colin Hay has released thirteen studio albums since 1987. Most recently, he released his 2017 album Fierce Mercy. Fierce Mercy explores themes of love and loss, mortality, and even the odd UFO sighting, but always with the singular perspective and insightful wit that define Hay’s work. The album uses a palette of pop songcraft, Americana flourishes, and soundtrack-ready strings.
Hay has stayed quite busy in recent years: with performances on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and ABC’s Greatest Hits; sharing the stage with Of Monsters and Men, Milk Carton Kids, Choir Choir Choir!, Kings of Leon; being publicly cited as an influence by artists as distinct as James Hetfield of Metallica, Jeremiah Fraites of The Lumineers, Troy Sanders of Mastodon, and The Infamous Stringdusters; as well as the completion of a documentary film about his career entitled Waiting for My Real Life, named for one of his best known solo recordings.
8:00 PM | All Ages | Tickets & More Info
Monday, March 9th & Tuesday March 10th
Tommy Castro at the Top hat & Rialto
Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Tommy Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. Since then, he’s gone on to become a key player in several acclaimed acts. He joined The Dynatones in the late 1980s and performed all over the country. Later in 1991, he formed the first Tommy Castro Band and released his debut album in 1996. In the mid-1990s The Tommy Castro Band served as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television’s Comedy Showcase (airing right after Saturday Night Live), bringing him in front of millions of viewers every week.
During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Castro recorded a series of critically acclaimed CDs for Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street Records, as well as one on his own Heart And Soul label. The San Francisco Chronicle describes Castro’s music as, “funky Southern soul, big city blues and classic rock…silvery guitar licks that simultaneously sound familiar and fresh.” No Depression says “Castro plays gritty, string-bending blues like a runaway soul train…a glorious blend that rocks the soul and lifts the spirits.”
Top Hat: 8:00 PM | All Ages | Tickets & More Info
Rialto: 8:00 PM | All Ages | Tickets & More Info
Wednesday March 10th
Twiddle at the Rialto
The Vermont-based four piece have been building a fervent fanbase as they’ve toured relentlessly for the past 12 years. Since their 2007 release Natural Evolution of Consciousness, Twiddle have built an impressive resume — playing shows at Red Rocks to Bonnaroo, and selling out historic rock venues including Port Chester, NY’s Capitol Theatre, and Washington D.C.’s 9:30 Club. They incorporate a wide variety of music genres, including rock, jazz, bluegrass, reggae, and funk, which is wonderfully displayed on their most recent full length studio album Plump (Chapters 1 & 2).
Twiddle is comprised of Zdenek Gubb on bass and vocals, Ryan Dempsey on keyboards and vocals, Mihali Savoulidis on guitar and lead vocals, and Brook Jordan on percussion and vocals. Check out the old photo galleries from a few of their past performances in Montana here. P.S. Twiddle was also added as support for Vampire Weekend at KettleHouse Amphitheater on Aug. 12, 2020.
8:00 PM | All Ages | Tickets & More Info
Complete event listings can be found here.