Upcoming Shows
John: Grammy Award-winning musician John Reischman has been a foundational mandolinist, composer, bandleader, and musical educator in bluegrass and North American roots and folk music since emerging from the vibrant “new acoustic” bluegrass music scene of the Bay Area in the 1980s. A member of the groundbreaking Tony Rice Unit, Reischman’s mastery of bluegrass, old-time, swing, and multiple Latin American musical styles, coupled with an Old Master’s sense of tone, taste, and musicality, has brought him a global reputation as one of the finest mandolinists of his era.
Bruce is returning to Longstaff House for an evening of fiddle and banjo, songs and stories witty banter as only he can do.
There will also be a fiddle workshop sponsored and paid for by The Montana Oldtime Fiddlers at 3:00pm on June 1st. Bruce is the master and this should not be missed.
“… wonderfully inspiring… the music was magical…”
“You will learn things you didn’t know about birds… Eye opening and uplifting.”
Part new music ensemble, part American roots string band, and part historical music excavators, the conservatory punks of the Plectrum Five combine the improvisatory timbral explorations of their urban experimental orientation with the Rocky Mountain folk twang of their collective family trees (with a touch of Balkan flair, and whatever else might be lingering in our ancestral pasts). When you hear the Plectrum, you might imagine a covered wagon lilting harshly over the rocks and boulders of the Bozeman Trail, the metal utensils clanging like the resonator, bouzouki and banjo, kids in the back crying like the cello, all in a plodding rhythm that promises you’ll get there soon. You might be reminded of a time in the past when the only music you heard came from living, breathing people playing wooden instruments, who asked you to sing and dance along. This might evoke a deep knowing that survival, joy, and collective music-making, are, somehow, intertwined.
The Plectrum Five is fronted by artistic director Kaley Lane Eaton (vocals, banjo, other th(str)ings as needed), with Rian Souleles (Greek bouzouki), Tom Baker (guitar, resonator guitar), Mariah Larsen/Lady Zade (cello), Jon Butler (bass and vocals), and Kayce Guthmiller (viola and vocals). Yes, there are six people in the core band of the Plectrum Five. And sometimes, there are even more – when we expand beyond this, inviting global traditions to make something greater than the sum of our parts, we become the Ineffable String Band. Limitless and unable to be captured or articulated, we celebrate the ephemeral nature of music, something so fragile and fleeting and yet strong enough to become the connective tissue of humanity.
A fixture of the American roots scene, Koskinen has earned praise from Rolling Stone Country for his “authentic voice and vivid storytelling,” while No Depression has called him “one of the best songwriters in the Midwest.” His music draws comparisons to artists like John Prine and Steve Earle, yet his sound remains uniquely grounded in the landscapes and working-class stories of the Upper Midwest. Critics frequently point to the emotional honesty and craftsmanship of his writing-songs that feel lived-in, reflective, and deeply human.
On stage, the Erik Koskinen Band brings those songs to life with muscular musicianship and a warm, road-tested chemistry. The result is a performance that moves easily between intimate storytelling and electrified roots rock, creating a show that is both powerful and deeply personal.
Martha Scanlan is a ranch hand and singer-songwriter who is working to show the importance of preserving agricultural life and landscape through her highly original song project, Tongue River Stories. She grew up in the upper Midwest, went to college in Montana then moved back to Tennessee to play old-time music. After playing music at a friend’s wedding on a family ranch in southeast Montana, Martha couldn’t get the place out of her head and ended up moving to the ranch and working there. She still tours the country as a professional folk singer.