Local Missoulians Shakewell to Open for Lake Street Dive at KettleHouse Amphitheater

Longtime Missoula favorites and staple of the Montana funk scene — Shakewell — has been confirmed as support for Lake Street Dive at KettleHouse Amphitheater on Sep. 23, 2021. This will be the season finale for the 2021 KettleHouse Amphitheater season and we couldn’t ask for a better band to perform an opening set.

Shakewell has deep Missoula music roots, playing some of the most memorable shows around town over the past decade, particularly at the Top Hat. Lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Cove Jasmin, recalled first playing at the Hat shortly after the band formed. The Top Hat became one of our first regular gigs which helped us build a fan base in town and was a place we always knew we could have a good party.”

Cove noted all the shows they’ve played at the Hat, creating some very fond memories for Missoulians and the band alike.

“The New Years Eve shows have kind of always been the crown jewel where it’s been packed all night long. It’s cool to have grown up in the scene, where we started playing at the Top Hat when we were in college and had a bunch of friends at shows and now we’re more grown up, but still get to see a lot of the same community at shows. For it to grow like that and see people in Montana and even around the country say they saw us at the Top Hat like 7 years ago… it was a great place to build that community. Those New Year’s shows when it was just raging all night long were so much fun. It also led to us inviting some of our friends from around the Northwest to Missoula to see what the live music scene is like here.”

Shakewell also opened for 4-time Grammy winners Snarky Puppy at The Wilma in 2015, who were a big influence on the band (although they were actually under the name Three Eared Dog for that show). Shakewell has also shared stages with Fitz and the Tantrums, Galactic, The New Mastersounds, Thievery Corporation, Orgone, Dumstaphunk, The Wailers and more. And of course, as fans of Lake Street Dive, Shakewell is very excited to be opening on on the 23rd. Cove said “It’s great to play alongside a pro act like Lake Street. You can learn so much from a band like them and we’re extremely thankful for the opportunity.”

Shakewell will be just one of a handful of bands to have played the Top Hat, The Wilma and KettleHouse Amphitheater. This will be the biggest show the band has played in several years, especially given the pandemic. They’ve been limited to virtual performances or other smaller shows, although Cove said they “feel lucky to have performed at some really unique places over the past two years.” Recently, they played at Downing Mountain Lodge in the Bitterroot and the Salmon River Arts Fest in Salmon, ID. They’re playing it by ear to see what other shows they can book this fall, but said they’re in the midst of writing another album. Their most recent project, 3peatwas released in November 2020. It was recorded at Iron Wax Studio and produced & mixed by Owen Ross & Soulive’s Alan Evans.

Cove summed up the band’s excitement for the Amphitheater gig, “As it is for KettleHouse, this show is our last summer hurrah. It’s also a big one because the last legit time we played in Missoula was NYE 2019, so we’re really excited for this one. We can’t wait to see everyone, hang out and play some music for Missoula.”

If you’ve ever seen Shakewell, you know they’re gonna put on a stellar opening performance and if you haven’t yet, make sure you show up early so you don’t miss them! They’ll be hitting the KettleHouse Amphitheater stage at 8pm on Sep. 23rd.