TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2014
@ GREAT NORTHERN BAR & GRILL ~ 27 Central Ave, Whitefish, MT 59937
DOORS 7:30pm / SHOW 8:30pm
AGES 21+
TICKETS: $17 ADVANCE / $20 DAY OF SHOW

JAMES McMURTRY RELEASES COMPLICATED GAME, HIS FIRST STUDIO ALBUM IN SIX YEARS

Celebrated tunesmith’s highly anticipated record an elegant collection “mostly about relationships” and “the big old world”

AUSTIN, Texas: James McMurtry spins stories with a poet’s pen (“Long Island Sound”) and a painter’s precision (“She Loves Me”). Proof: The acclaimed songwriter’s newComplicated Game. McMurtry’s first collection in six years spotlights a craftsman in absolutely peak form as he turns from political toward personal (“These Things I’ve Come to Know,” “You Got to Me”). “The lyrical theme is mostly about relationships,” McMurtry says. “It’s also a little about the big old world verses the poor little farmer or fisherman. I never make a conscious decision about what to write about.”

Complicated Game delivers McMurtry’s trademark story songs time and again (“Copper Canteen,” “Deaver’s Crossing”), but the record brings a new (and certainly no less energetic) sonic approach. First, recall blistering beats and gnashing guitars from his magnum opus Just Us Kids (2008). Now, unplug. “The label head wanted more acoustic,” McMurtry explains. “We built everything as we went so we ended up with more acoustic guitar as we went. We just played whatever sounded right for a given song, but we weren’t necessarily saying this is an acoustic record.”
Exhibit A: “How’m I Gonna Find You Now.” The record’s lead single boasts buoyant banjos and driving drums as endlessly energetic as anything electrified. Whiplash vocals further frenzy the beat. “I’ve got a cup of black coffee so I don’t get lazy/I’ve got a rattle in the dashboard driving me crazy,” McMurtry effectively raps. “If I hit it with my fist, it’ll quit for a little while/Gonna have to stop to smoke in another mile/Headed into town gonna meet you at the mercantile/Take you to the Sonic get you grinning like a crocodile.”

Such vibrant vignettes consistently turn heads. They have for a quarter century now. Clearly, he’s only improving with time. “James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he’s working at the top of his game,” says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. “He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don’t think anybody writes better lyrics.” “James writes like he’s lived a lifetime,” echoes iconic roots rocker John Mellencamp. Yes. Spin “South Dakota.” You’ll hear.

Further evidence: McMurtry’s Just Us Kids (2008) and Childish Things (2005). The former earned his highest Billboard 200 chart position in nearly two decades and notched Americana Music Award nominations. Meanwhile, Childish Things scored endless critical praise and spent six full weeks topping the Americana Music Radio chart in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, Childish Things won the Americana Music Association’s Album of the Year and “We Can’t Make It Here” was named the rapidly rising organization’s Song of the Year.

Of course, Complicated Game doubles down on literate storytelling longtime enthusiasts expect. Recall high watermarks past: “Childish Things,” “Choctaw Bingo,” “Peter Pan,” “Levelland,” and “Out Here in the Middle” only begin the list. (Yes, Robert Earl Keen covered those last two, “Levelland” remaining a live staple.) Just Us Kidsalone includes fan favorites “Hurricane Party,” “Ruby and Carlos” and “You’d a Thought.” High watermarks deliver equal measures depth and breadth and pierce hearts with sharp sociopolitical commentary (“Fireline Road”).

More history: McMurtry critically lauded first album Too Long in the Wasteland (1989) was produced by John Mellencamp and marked the beginning of a series of acclaimed projects for Columbia and Sugar Hill Records. In 1996, McMurtry received a Grammy nomination for Long Form Music Video for Where’d You Hide the Body. Additionally, It Had to Happen (1997) received the American Indie Award for Best Americana Album.

In 2004, McMurtry released the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records. The following year, Childish Things notched arguably his most critical praise, spending six weeks at No. 1 on the Americana Music Radio Chart in 2005 and 2006. In September 2006, Childish Things and “We Can’t Make It Here” won the Americana Music Awards for Album and Song of the Year, respectively. McMurtry received more Americana Music Award nominations for 2008’s Just Us Kids.

This album marked his highest Billboard 200 chart position in more than nearly two decades.
In 2009, Live in Europe was released, capturing the McMurtry band’s first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, the disc features special guests Ian McLagan (The Faces) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers, Skunks). Also, for the first time ever, video of the James McMurtry Band’s live performance is available on the included DVD.

The poignant lyrics of his immense catalog still ring true today. In 2011, “We Can’t Make It Here” was cited among The Nation’s “Best Protest Songs Ever.” “‘We Can’t Make It Here,’” Bob Lefsetz wrote, “has stood the test of time because of its unmitigated truth.”

McMurtry tours year round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances. The Washington Post notes: “Much attention is paid to James McMurtry’s lyrics and rightfully so: He creates a novel’s worth of emotion and experience in four minutes of blisteringly stark couplets. What gets overlooked, however, is that he’s an accomplished rock guitar player … serious stuff, imparted by a singularly serious band.”

THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS (Bluegrass/High Country- Charlottesville, VA)
www.thestringdusters.com

MONDAY MARCH 9, 2015
@ GREAT NORTHERN BAR & GRILL ~ 27 Central Avenue, Whitefish, MT
TICKETS: $22 advance / $24 day of show
AGES: 21+ only (w/ VALID ID)
Advance tickets are available at Great Northern Bar & Grill and online at www.ticketfly.com

ABOUT THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS:
The Infamous Stringdusters are at the forefront of a new movement in bluegrass music. Their unmatched virtuosity has enabled them to take acoustic music to a completely new level. They wield an expansive repertoire touching on masters from Jimmy Martin to John Hartford, but their strength lies in their original compositions. Dedication to arrangements sets them apart and extended improvisation makes every performance completely unique. The live Stringdusters experience is anti-formulaic, groove friendly, and mind‐expanding ‐ not your granddaddy’s bluegrass. Unless your granddaddy was Jerry Garcia.

FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014
@ GREAT NORTHERN BAR & GRILL ~ WHITEFISH
DOORS 7:30pm / SHOW 8:30pm
AGES 21+
TICKETS: $15 ADVANCE / $18 DAY OF SHOW

JAMES McMURTRY:
The son of acclaimed author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment), James grew up on a steady diet of Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records. His first album, Too Long in the Wasteland (released in 1989), was produced by John Mellencamp and marked the beginning of a series of acclaimed projects for Columbia and Sugar Hill. In 1996, McMurtry received a Grammy nomination for his Longform Music Video of Where’d You Hide The Body. 1997’s It Had To Happen received the American Indie Award for Best Americana Album.

In 2004, McMurtry released the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records. 2005’s Childish Things garnered some of the highest critical praise of McMurtry’s career and spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Americana Music Radio Chart in 2005 and 2006. In September 2006, Childish Things and “We Can’t Make It Here” won the Americana Music Awards for Album and Song of the Year, respectively. McMurtry received more Americana Music Award nominations for 2008’s Just Us Kids. This album marked his highest Billboard 200 chart position in more than 19 years.

In 2009, Live in Europe was released, capturing The McMurtry Band’s first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, the disc features special guests Ian McLagan and Jon Dee Graham. Also, for the first time ever, video of the James McMurtry Band’s live performance is available on the included DVD.

The poignant lyrics of his immense catalog still ring true today. In 2011, “We Can’t Make It Here” was cited among ‘The Nation’s’ “Best Protest Songs Ever.” Bob Lefsetz writes, “‘We Can’t Make It Here’ has stood the test of time because of its unmitigated truth.”

Never one to rest on his laurels, James McMurtry continues to tour constantly, and consistently puts on a “must-see” powerhouse performance. ‘The Washington Post’ noted McMurtry’s live prowess: “Much attention is paid to James McMurtry’s lyrics, and rightfully so: He creates a novel’s worth of emotion and experience in four minutes of blisteringly stark couplets. What gets overlooked, however, is that he’s an accomplished rock guitar player. At a sold-out Birchmere, the Austin-based artist was joined by drummer Daren Hess and bassist Ronnie Johnson in a set that demonstrated the raw power of wince-inducing imagery propelled by electric guitar. It was serious stuff, imparted by a singularly serious band.”

SUNDAY JUNE 1, 2014
@ DENNISON THEATRE
DOORS 6pm / SHOW 7pm
ALL AGES WELCOME!
TICKETS: $29 General Public Balcony – $39 General Public Floor | $24 Student/Senior Balcony – $34 Student/Senior Floor
Tickets are available at Adams Center Box Office, All GrizTix Outlets, 888-MONTANA, 243-4051 and online at www.griztix.com or at the door on the night of show (Service Fees may apply)

IN MY LIFE:
In My Life – A Musical Theatre Tribute to the Beatles is the award winning, smash hit musical biography of the Beatles as seen through the eyes of their manager Brian Epstein and featuring the live music of renowned tribute band Abbey Road. This family friendly musical tale is widely considered by industry insiders to be the most unique Beatles show in decades.

“The show delivers!” said the L.A. Times. “If you see one tribute show, see this one – smart and loads of fun,” said the O.C. Register. “This is the ticket for you,” said the Idaho Statesman. “The most original of all the shows on the Beatles,” San Diego Theatre Review.

More than just a Beatles tribute concert, In My Life gives the audience a chance to “be there” at pivotal moments in the extraordinary career of the Beatles – from Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club, to the Ed Sullivan Show, Shea Stadium’s 50,000 + screaming fans and their final live performance on the rooftop of their Apple Corp offices. With manager Brian Epstein serving as Narrator, In My Life allows the audience to get a glimpse inside the world of the Beatles from their point of view, as well as hear some of the greatest songs ever written.

In My Life takes the audience back to February 1964, when Americans saw the Beatles for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show, playing I Want to Hold Your Hand. Progressing through their various musical stages, the audience re-experiences the psychedelic era of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the creation of the haunting Yesterday and the raucous rock and roll of Revolution.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014
@ THE WILMA THEATRE
DOORS 7pm / SHOW 8pm
ALL AGES WELCOME!
TICKETS: $30 adv / $33dos

Tickets for this event are SOLD OUT.

With An Opening Performance by: The Dodos

NEKO CASE:
Neko Case has always been brave, but with her latest album she proves herself fearless. With her forthcoming Anti- release, The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, the singer known as much for her restless musical curiosity as her clarion voice charts a powerfully personal course across the rocky landscape of childhood, love, and loss.

Case’s 2009 album, “Middle Cyclone,” was her most ambitious to date, vaulting her to new heights of critical and commercial success and netting two Grammy nominations. But if “Middle Cyclone”–laced with frogs, tornados, and killer whales–was Case’s exploration of the potency of the natural world, the new album sees Case turning inward. The Worse Things Get… plunges into the wilderness of human experience, revealing Case at her most emotionally raw and yet, paradoxically, in steely control.

Executive produced by Case, The Worse Things Get… was recorded by Tucker Martine in Portland, Oregon, as well as with Chris Schultz and Craig Schumacher in Tucson and with Phil Palazzolo in Brooklyn.

Martine, Case, and Darryl Neudorf mixed the album, on which Case is supported by a battalion of musicians including guitarist Paul Rigby, bassist Tom V. Ray, longtime backing vocalist Kelly Hogan, multi-instrumentalist Jon Rauhouse, Kurt Dahle, and John Convertino. Other guests include M. Ward, Carl Newman, Steve Turner, Howe Gelb, and members of My Morning Jacket, Los Lobos, and Visqueen.

This far-flung set of collaborators mirrors Case’s own peripatetic path to creative maturity. Born in Virginia in 1970 and raised, for the most part, in working-class Tacoma, Washington, she’s lived and worked in Seattle, Vancouver BC, Chicago, and Tucson, before moving five years ago to a 100-acre farm in rural Vermont.

Now 42, Case is reluctant to talk about her family. “I am related to some stellar, beloved people,” she says, “but very few.” What she will say is that her parents were young and unprepared and divorced when she was five years old. She bounced around between mother and father until she left home for good at age 15. Marked by alcoholism, drug addiction, and neglect, her childhood was traumatic. “I should have been an abortion,” she said once, her characteristic bravado masking a harder truth.

From art school in Vancouver to early years making music in Seattle and beyond, Case has been on a lifelong quest for self-definition. During the making of this The Worse Things Get… she granted herself a long-held desire, committing fully to the life she’s created: tattoos on her forearms reading “Scorned as Timber” and “Beloved of the Sky,” from an Emily Carr painting. “I wanted them for 20 years!” she crows. “No bank job for me!”

With her new roots finally taking hold in Vermont–the place she says she plans to die–she says she’s now grounded enough to grab the past by the throat and let it take her for a ride. “I wanted to be in control, as much as I could be anyway,” she says. “My 40s are a lonelier place than I imagined, but I can look myself in the face and know that it was my choice. So anything that happens to me from here on out is mine. I’m at square one again.”

The Worse Things Get…, her sixth studio album, emerges from a three-year period the artist describes as full of “grief and mourning,” in the wake of the deaths of not just both her parents, but several intimates as well.

“I fought hard against the feeling of grief all my life,” she says, “but about three years ago I finally had to give in and mourn the dead. I had to look inward more than I wanted. It was sobering, and I often felt like I was blurring the lines of mental illness.

“When I stopped fighting it,” she adds, “it took me where I needed to go.”

The Worse Things Get… traces an emotional arc that reveals Case in all her thorny contradictions, each track in the 40-minute song cycle its own short story. “I like to have a linear flow,” she says of the album’s structure. “I wanted to have faith in the songs as a group rather than stacking the deck with all the upbeat songs at the top.”

From the prickly power-pop aggression of “Man” to the dreamlike “Where Did I Leave That Fire?” and the hopeful uplift of the album’s closing track, “Ragtime,”

she displays uncommon dynamic range and lyrical clarity, taking a leap of faith that listeners will hold on for the full journey.

“I just want people to feel like I was straight with them, and messy, because I just let go and trusted them completely.”

Early songs on the album show Case at her most lyrically playful, slip-sliding along the edges of gender, family, and identity. The first track, “Wild Creatures,” throws her themes into bold relief: “When you catch light, you look like your mother,” her voice soars, before asking, “Would you rather be the king’s pet? Or the king?”

“I grew up in the United States in the 70s,” says Case, with feeling. “The new mantra on children’s television then was ‘you can be whatever you want.’ I take that to heart so hard it’s my religion; it’s my personal American flag and Constitution. It makes petty societal obstacles crumble and I want every person in the world to feel it.”

Or, as she proudly proclaims on the single, “Man”: “I’m a man’s man, I’ve always been. But make no mistake what I’ve invested in. A woman’s heart is the watermark by which I measure everything.”

“Is a lioness not a lion?” she says rhetorically, when asked to decode the lyrics. “We are all ‘men’ – ‘man’ or ‘woman’ doesn’t cut it for me unless I’m at the gynecologist.”

Case’s rich, associative lyrics can at times be so elliptical as to be misunderstood by casual listeners. Not so with the a cappella “Nearly Midnight, Honolulu,” which marks the tonal shift of the album at midpoint with chilling clarity.

Spare and direct, the lyrics repeat verbatim the words of a mother’s verbal attack on her daughter, which Case overheard one night in, yes, Honolulu. “Get the fuck away from me,” she sings in affectless, bell-like tones. “Why don’t you ever shut up?”

“I died inside for that kid,” says Case-who framed the rest of the song as a message to the child to stay strong and to honor the truth of her experience. “But she just kept singing her own little song. She was my hero.”

The direct address of “Honolulu” is mirrored three tracks later with Case’s take on the Nico song, “Afraid,” the sole cover on the 12-song album.

That song’s incantatory quality carries the album through to the otherworldly “Where Did I Leave That Fire?” Underscored by the haunting pings of submarine sonar, what starts as a dreamscape of loss — “I wanted so badly not to be me,” sings Case – concludes on a note of wry humor. “I do believe we have your fire lady. You can pick it up if you come down with ID.”

But for all the pain and confusion that winds through the album, The Worse Things Get…ends on an unequivocal note of hope and power. At her darkest moments over the last few years, Case says, “I was uneasy and distractible. I couldn’t listen to music except ragtime. It was so hopeful and busy, like something working like a little factory to fix me.” Thus, “Ragtime,” the album’s final song.

“I’ll reveal myself when I’m ready. I’ll reveal myself invincible soon,” sings Case, as she builds to its ecstatic conclusion, the richly layered chorus of vocals and horns climbing and climbing into one glorious shout from the mountaintop.

“I am one and the same, I am useful and strange,” she soars, before closing with a line cribbed from Moby Dick, which she read for the first time while working on the album, and which proved a valuable yardstick: “There’s a wisdom that’s woe, and a woe that is madness.”

It’s Neko Case in a nut — and could well give listeners goosebumps.

FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2014
@ STAGE 112
DOORS 9pm / SHOW 10pm
AGES 21+
TICKETS: $5

With An Opening Performance by: The Hasslers

SKIN FLOWERS:
The characters that populate the songs of Skin Flowers are generally fringe dwellers who are simultaneously too self-aware to get what they want in life and bereft of any social graces that would inform them that they are fringe dwellers. Songwriters Colin Johnson and Nick Ryan have been honing their ability to exploit every petty emotion they’ve ever felt and turn them into snappy tunes that the kids crave. Joined by John Fleming (Secret Powers, The Oblio Joes), David Turley, and Tom Helgerson (Shahs), Skin Flowers reaches for somewhere on the spectrum between Steely Dan and Royal Trux, between David Bowie and Neil Young, between The Velvet Underground and 10cc. Tender ballads about passive aggressive murder, jaunty calypso numbers about deep self loathing, all this and more. They are currently mixing their debut album, “The Royal Family”.

TUESDAY APRIL 8, 2014
@ DENNISON THEATRE
DOORS 6:30pm / SHOW 7:30pm
ALL AGES WELCOME!
TICKETS: $29 General Public | $18 Student/Children 
Tickets are available at Adams Center Box Office, All GrizTix Outlets, 888-MONTANA, 243-4051 and online at www.griztix.com or at the door on the night of show (Service Fees may apply)

TAYLOR 2:
The internationally recognized American, modern dance troupe, TAYLOR 2, will be performing at the Dennison Theatre at the University of Montana on April 8, 2014. Paul Taylor is known as one of the pioneers of modern dance, his choreography noted for its physicality and grace as well as its cultural relevance. In selecting repertoire for Taylor 2, Mr. Taylor chooses dances that span the broad spectrum of his work. Several of the dances performed by Taylor 2 have been re-worked from the Paul Taylor Dance Company’s version to enable the smaller ensemble of dancers to perform them. Critics and audiences cheer as Taylor 2 introduces the athleticism, humor and range of emotions found in Mr. Taylor’s work.

TUESDAY APRIL 8, 2014
@ MISSOULA WINERY & EVENTS CENTER
DOORS 7pm / SHOW 8pm
ALL AGES WELCOME!
TICKETS: $10 adv / $12 dos
Tickets are available in advance at Rockin’ Rudy’s and online at www.ticketfly.com or at the door on the night of show. (Service Fees may apply)

With an opening performance by:

Mandolin Orange (Country/Grassy/Indie – Carrboro, NC)
http://www.mandolinorange.com
http://www.facebook.com/mandolinorange

WHEELER BROTHERS:
“Long, Hard Road,” the first song on the Wheeler Brothers’ first album and a title that gives you a pretty good indication of where this Austin, Texas five-piece feels most comfortable. Indeed, although they’re five-time Austin Music Awards winners who’ve never played a hometown gig that hasn’t sold out, the Wheelers view the world as one big stage.

“We’ve always respected the bands that just get out there and work their asses off,” says singer-guitarist Nolan Wheeler, who adds that the band’s goal this year is to play 200 shows by Christmas. “There’s really no better way to create a connection with your audience.”

Nor is there any better way to refine your music—to find yourself in it and discover what makes it yours. That’s precisely what the Wheeler Brothers—who also include bassist Tyler Wheeler and drummer Patrick Wheeler, along with guitarist Danny Matthews and lap-steel whiz A.J. Molyneaux—have done over the past two years, honing a unique roots-music sound PasteMagazine.com has described as bringing “a bit of the enthusiasm and flavor of The Arcade Fire into their Texas-tinged Americana” and Carson Daly has called “…music at its finest. Rock & roll with a bit of twang…”

They’ll be the first to tell you: Portraits, the group’s remarkable debut, arrives steeped in tradition, with a sound as rich as Southern soil with echoes of Willie Nelson and Townes Van Zandt, not to mention more recent trailblazers such as Wilco and Radiohead. (And let’s not forget Western swing institution Asleep at the Wheel, whose frontman Ray Benson released Portraits on his Bismeaux Records.)

But in these rough-and-tumble songs of home and heartbreak, fortune and family, the Wheelers tell their own stories, as well, drawn from their experiences as young men with old souls. In “Call Me in the Morning,” a propulsive rocker with fuzzy guitars, they channel the exuberant innocence of one’s salad days, while the quieter title track paints a heavy scene inside a hospital room; elsewhere, they envision life from different perspectives, as in the horn-enriched “Spent Time,” which ponders the way a just-released prisoner might greet the sky.

The Wheeler Brothers’ yarn-spinning dates back to their high-school days, when they first began jamming at the Wheelers’ place. “We’d just be in there, drinking beers, having fun,” A.J. remembers. Upon graduation, the lap-steel player enrolled at the University of Texas, while the band’s other four members went off to Louisiana State University; they played together during their time there, but things didn’t lock into place until their return to Austin, at which point A.J. rejoined the group and the quintet began playing around town.

“The support we’ve gotten from the community here has just been incredible,” Tyler says, and it’s that solid base—coupled with their extensive social-media presence—that’s allowed the Wheeler Brothers to venture out, wowing audiences around the United States between recording sessions for their upcoming sophomore disc.

“For us it’s just about writing great music, playing killer shows and staying in touch with our fans,” Nolan says. (To that end, the Wheelers travel with a special cell phone anyone’s welcome to call for a chat. Seriously, give it a whirl: 512-983-5934.) Of the new album, they can’t say much yet, except that it’s sure to reveal an evolution of one kind or another.

“I think we’re constantly in a place where we’re developing our sound,” Danny says, calling to mind again that long, hard road. “We’ll always be striving to make it more our own.”

TUESDAY APRIL 1, 2014
@ MISSOULA WINERY & EVENTS CENTER
DOORS 7pm / SHOW 8pm
ALL AGES WELCOME!
TICKETS: $8 adv / $10 dos
Tickets are available in advance at Rockin’ Rudy’s and online at www.ticketfly.com or at the door on the night of show. (Service Fees may apply)

With an opening performance by: TBD

HOWLIN’ BROTHERS:
The Howlin’ Brothers are a three-piece string band that brings heart and passion into every performance. Their upbeat shows are heavy with original and traditional music, featuring the sounds of slide banjo, harmonica and old-time fiddle. The Howlin’ Brothers are bringing their show all across America in 2013. Their latest album “HOWL” produced by Brendan Benson will be available March 5th, on Benson’s label Readymade Records.

Ben Plasse – upright bass, banjo, vocals

Ian Craft – fiddle, banjo, vocals

Jared Green – guitar, harmonica, vocals

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2014
@ MISSOULA WINERY & EVENTS CENTER
DOORS 7pm / SHOW 8pm
ALL AGES WELCOME!
TICKETS: $10 adv / $13 dos
Tickets are available in advance at Rockin’ Rudy’s and online at www.ticketfly.com or at the door on the night of show. (Service Fees may apply)

DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS:
Davina Sowers hit the Midwest scene in February 2005 and she hasn’t looked back since. It didn’t take her long after moving to Minnesota from Key West, FL to start making a name for herself. With great vocals and piano, she commands attention on stage and leaves everyone smiling. Davina has been performing since the age of 5, with the support of an extremely musical family. Sowers, a classically-trained pianist, has years of experience in piano performance. She and her band made a big splash at Duluth’s Bayfront Blues Festival in 2006 to2008, having the highest sales in CDs all three years. She has been called the “hardest working blues woman in frigid Minnesota.”

Davina and the Vagabonds are known in The Twin Cities, Minnesota as being the busiest band in town because of their hard-working professionalism, high energy stage performance, and original sound. They have shared the stage with Pinetop Perkins, Aaron Neville, Gary Moore, 10 Years After, The Mannish Boys, Robert Cray, Los Lonely Boys, Scottie “Bones” Miller, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Ana Popovic, Booker T and The MGs, Bobby Rush, Irma Thomas, James Hunter, and many others.