Arts-Entertainment
The Shane Lalani Center for the Arts is presenting the first ever Livingston Bluegrass Festival in the Blake Pavilion on September 19th and 20th. The high energy event, devoted to one of the true American musical styles invented by Bill Monroe, will feature headliners Nick Dumas & Branchline, Stillhouse Junkies and the Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band. Local favorites Bridger Creek Boys and the Benson Landing String Band will also perform and there will be a flatpicking guitar contest with cash and prizes to the winner.
“Each year at our Summer Outdoor Concert Series, we find that bluegrass music draws fans of all ages," said Shane Center Executive Director Erika Adams. “We featured the Crying Uncle Band last year and they blew our minds—they’re incredibly young and unbelievably talented. An idea was born... and now we’ve got a chance for everyone to immerse themselves in this music for a weekend this September.”
The two-day festival will kick off Friday, September 19th with local beer and BBQ tasting at 4 pm. The first performance by Nick Dumas & Branchline takes the stage at 6 pm, followed by Stillhouse Junkies at 8 pm.
Nick Dumas & Branchline brings a hard-driving bluegrass performance to the stage and has been entertaining crowds across the country since 2021. In 2014, Nick joined Chicago-based Special Consensus as one of their lead vocalists and mandolin player. He toured the globe with them and recorded two albums, including one that was nominated for a Grammy and also won three International Bluegrass Music Awards (IBMA’s), including the Album of the Year award in 2018.
Acoustic adventurers Stillhouse Junkies explore the worlds between roots, bluegrass, Texas swing, blues, and rock. Their free-flowing musical interplay and improvisation make every show unique as they weave their way through high-energy, intricately composed original songs, never taking the same path twice. Their prolific songwriting, tight vocal harmonies, and blistering instrumentals earned them the prestigious IBMA’s “Momentum Band of the Year” award in 2021. As they tour relentlessly across the United States and abroad, Stillhouse Junkies are gaining a reputation as one of the most exciting bands in the acoustic music scene.
Saturday, September 20th begins with beer and BBQ tasting at noon. The contestants for the flatpicking contest will gather to draw performance slots at 12:30 pm. The contest will take place on stage from 1 - 3:15 pm and the final three contestants will perform in front of the crowd, where they will be awarded prizes.
Benson’s Landing String Band got started in the summer of 2017. They wanted a place-based band name and chose the name of the first establishment in the Livingston area - Benson's Landing, which was a trading post on the banks of the Yellowstone about a mile downstream of the KPRK bridge, and a stone's throw from where the band gather to practice. Historical writings about Benson's Landing suggest it was a place where trappers, soldiers, Indians, and settlers gathered to share friendship, whiskey, and fiddle music. The band plays a mix of bluegrass, country, folk, and Americana. They revere the masters of all those genres, and aspire to deliver vocal melodies, harmonies, and instrumentals that do justice to the history of the music.
The Bridger Creek Boys formed out of chance meetings at Bozeman area bluegrass jams in 2005. Matt Broughton and Jim Dungan remain from the original group, and Scott Stebbins joined the band in 2009. Together the guys have played +1600 shows. From festival stages to fireside singalongs, the music has taken the band to some fabulous events. This will be their first performance at The Shane Lalani Center for the Arts.
Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band is widely recognized as one of the most exciting young bands in acoustic music that plays a unique mix of bluegrass, Dawg (David Grisman music), jazz, and modern originals. Brothers Miles and Teo Quale are joined by bassist Andrew Osborn and 2023 National Flat Pick Guitar Champion Ian Ly, all outstanding musicians of the vibrant California bluegrass scene. In 2024, the bluegrass band celebrated their debut at the Grand Ole Opry; and in 2023, they received the International Bluegrass Music Association's Momentum Band of the Year award. The band was also honored to perform for the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame’s induction of their hero, David Grisman.
“We’re really looking forward to hosting the area’s only guitar flatpicking contest,” added Erika Adams, Executive Director of The Shane Center. “With significant cash awards and a new guitar as the grand prize, we’re expecting the finest competitors in the state to throw their hats in the ring. Watching a contest like this, with the judges hidden and unable to recognize anyone, is a thrill. It’s based on real talent and there are often surprises. I’d encourage everyone to get here for that contest on Saturday.”
Single day and two-day tickets are available. This event is sponsored by Roy and Regina Wunsch, Home2 Suites by Hilton, KGLT, Music Villa and the Yellowstone Lodge and Grill in association with Mighty Fine Time Live Events. For more information on tickets, the flatpicking contest or The Shane Lalani Center for the Arts, please go to www.theshanecenter.org. The Blake Pavilion is located at 415 E. Lewis Street in Livingston.
There is bike and car parking on site, as well as overflow parking at the Lincoln School at 215 E. Lewis Street. Carpooling is suggested, and bringing a chair is encouraged. Please no outside food or drink.