Bozeman Band STiLGONE Prepare for NYE Debut at The ELM
Bozeman’s own, psychedelic soul fusion band STiLGONE are gearing up for their opening performance on December 31st at The ELM as they’ll be joining Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs and Madeline Hawthorne for a big New Year’s Eve celebration with the theme Aloha 22′. This will be STiLGONE’s first time at The ELM, so we wanted to get to know them a bit more. Check out the short Q&A below, and get ready for an exciting night of local music as we say goodbye to 2022 and hello to a new year.
What brought y’all together as a band?
Stilgone was formed in 2016 by Symon Palmer who was looking to create a band around his rapping and songwriting. It has since gone through a number of iterations with lineup and repertoire changes. What has brought past and current members together is the unique and open blend of styles and openness to creativity that exists within Stilgone.
What does STiLGONE mean?
While it is unclear if STiLGONE has any true definition it does have a supposed origin. If memories serve us well it started with a text from founding member Ben Morris (of Desperate Electric) to his friend. Allegedly he texted him to ask if he was still partying, to which he was texted back “still gone”.
Have you recorded any music yet? Do you plan to?
We have a batch of songs tracked and hope to release them sometime in the earlier part of 2023. There is some live recordings of us floating around on YouTube and archive, some of which can be found through the links on our social media.
Which artists have had an influence on your sound?
Our influences vary between members and all of it shines through in the playing. I think the full list would be a little too vast. But just to list a few: Hiatus Kaiyote, Phony Ppl, Jimi Hendrix, Mac Miller, Anderson Paak, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, SiR, Bob Marley, and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.
Have you played with Laney Lou before? Have you ever played a NYE gig?
It will be a first for both. Can’t wait!
As a band, what was the best highlight of 2022? What are looking forward to next year?
We played 3 shows in 2 days the weekend of Sweet Pea which was really fun. The first was our friends super chill wedding reception, then our Sweet Pea set opening for Houndmouth, who put on an amazing show themselves. And had a cherry on top playing with three other bands at the Filler with tons of sit-ins that same night. It was just smiles and good weather all weekend long. For 2023, we are excited to release some studio stuff, as well as keep putting on shows and growing as musicians and friends.
What’s the most memorable show you’ve ever played?
Oh that’s so hard to say because there are so many memorable ones. Playing the last weekend before the Zebra closed the last time was pretty memorable. Or the next night we had an awesome backwoods mountain party we got invited to and had a blast at. Lots of good memories.
Have you been to any concerts at The ELM?
We all get there every now and again. A few of us were at Steve Vai just recently. Cory Wong almost all of us went to. Dead Sky. We like to go to shows.
What’s your favorite part about Bozeman?
The passionate local music scene that we are so lucky to have grown from.
How can fans have the best time possible at The ELM on Dec. 31st?
Put on something that makes you happy, do a little dancing, and bask in the good vibes of community, friendships, and music.
Anything else you’d like to let people know?
It’s a Hawaiian theme, but just to inform everyone, all Stilgone shows are bolo tie optional.
