A lovely night of exceptional songwriters and performers
Devin Champlin is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, luthier and artist from Northwestern Washington. As the frontman/songwriter for Sons Of Rainier (along with bandmates Dean Johnson, Sam Gelband, and Charlie Meyer) he has carved out a unique voice in the contemporary indy-folk americana world. Intimate lyrics filled with optimistic existentialism are unhurriedly sung with a woodgrain baritone over fingerpicked guitar, the occasional elbow fiddle or keyboard. He prefers not to lean too hard into any specific genre, although he’s satisfied with the umbrella term “folk” as the idea of non-commercial music made by people for the people. He’s spent the better part of two decades studying traditional American musical styles, specifically country blues guitar and old time fiddle tunes, learning from old source recordings, elders in the scene, and the festival/camp community. Along with that cultural musical nerdery he has a prolific output of original music. As an artist with a DIY aesthetic, he uses songcraft as a medium to create imagery- along those lines he also produces animations, videos, paintings, drawings, and prints in tandem with his musical output. Keeping the audience (and himself) on their toes, he rarely plays the same thing twice- sometimes it may seem as if the wheels are about to fall off, but the tra
Izaak Opatz’s music has always been about longing, run through with nostalgia for the passed-by and out-of-reach. His first two albums, Mariachi Static and Extra Medium, were propelled by a longing for specific people and places, made relatable by wry humor, thoughtful simile and close observation. More recently, he’s been writing songs thatlong for an alternative reality, for differentpossibilities than the short, doomed menu offeredby tech lords and the kakistocracy failing to regulate them.Songs that push back against the coercive pressure to indulge in small conveniences at the expense of personal privacy, a 20th-century attention span and the steady drip of a monthly subscription. in stays on the tracks and it’s a satisfying roll. His recordings, solo and with Sons Of Rainier have found their way into the permanent library of hobos, widows, fry cooks, and fancy pants alike. In addition to his 2 releases with Sons Of Rainier he has a handful of self-released full length solo albums out, including one all instrumental album recorded on an Amtrak train, and the most recently released Lonesome Splendor In The Circus Tent (2024)
Sounds to me like another good show.
Jack Barksdale is a Folk/Americana singer/songwriter from Texas. Inspired by folk, rock, and blues legends, Jack started performing original music at the age of nine and has already shared the stage with Wynonna Judd, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Junior Brown, John Fullbright, and Hayes Carll.
Recently Jack signed a record deal with Truly Handmade Records, formed by the estate of Guy Clark. Jack released a full length album under the Truly Handmade label in June of 2025 featuring many notable guest artists.
To date Jack’s music has garnered well over 5 million streams on Spotify.
Jack tours nationally (most recently at SXSW and Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion) and wows audiences with lyrics wise beyond his years. Jack plays guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, mandolin, piano, and ukulele, but identifies first and foremost as a songwriter. American Songwriter wrote “Jack Barksdale has insights and awareness far beyond people twice his age, and he’s able to put them into songs that touch listeners.”
Caroline Davis is a Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer, and activist, whose work is driven by a desire for connection and a belief in music’s capacity to expand listeners’ ears, minds, and hearts. A 2025 Guggenheim Fellow in Composition, she is the recipient of the DownBeat Critics Poll Alto Saxophone Rising Star Award, as well as fellowships from NYFA, the Jerome Foundation, Chamber Music America, and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Her residencies include MacDowell, The Jazz Gallery, Civitella, and the Rockefeller Estate, and she has served as a mentor for New Music USA’s Next Jazz Legacy program.
Trombonist, improviser, composer, and educator Naomi Moon Siegel is committed to creating a positive, transformative music culture beyond conventional genre norms. Her musical vocabulary draws on the richness of a variety of global musical traditions including Black American Music and the sonorities of the natural world. Siegel explores the trombone as a vehicle for sonic expression colored by breath, spit, space, and physicality. Now based in Seattle, Naomi returns to Missoula for this intimate solo appearance in support of Caroline Davis.
We are pleased to announce a new group to the Longstaff House.
While they truly enjoy all of those genre descriptors, the band self identifies as “Living Room Folk.” Their superpower is the energy and joy each band mate pulls from playing music together, and those feelings are often transferred to sweet listeners–making them feel cozy, as if they were receiving a concert in their living room. The band is currently in the studio for their sophomore album, Dead Little Thing, that highlights the struggles of 2023 – 2024, which will release in the fall of 2026. The group is based in Redd’s hometown of Knoxville, TN.
These two singer/songwriters did a fabulous show a couple years back and they are coming to Longstaff House again. Local guy, Izak, is always a good show , and his buddy is great on fingerstyle guitar, fiddle, and even piano. It’s the perfect pair for our intimate venue.
Stillhouse Junkies is an American roots, bluegrass, and Americana trio formed in 2017 and based in Durango, Colorado. Known for high-energy improvisation and genre-blending original music, the group won the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Momentum Band of the Year award in 2021
I have already gotten numerous calls even before I listed this show on my site. Should be a good one.
MONTANA — Cult-favourite Texas songsmith Willis Alan Ramsey and acclaimed Cajun-born troubadour Drew Landry have announced a joint acoustic run across the Northern Rockies this August. The “Yellowstone to Glacier Tour” will bring intimate, story-driven songwriter showcases to select venues throughout Wyoming and Montana.
Ramsey’s legendary 1972 self-titled debut on Leon Russell’s Shelter Records—often affectionately called “The Green Record”—predated the Cosmic Cowboy movement and altered the landscape of Americana songwriting. Hailed by Texas Monthlyas “one of the best singer-songwriter albums ever made,” the hallmark release earned praise from contemporaries like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and J.J. Cale. Over the decades, Ramsey’s songs have been recorded by a wide range of iconic artists, including Waylon Jennings, Lyle Lovett, Jimmy Buffett, Jerry Jeff Walker, America, and Widespread Panic. Despite stepping away from releasing music shortly after his landmark debut, Ramsey remains a towering figure in Texas music history—and is currently preparing a long-awaited follow-up album.
Joining Ramsey is former Warner Nashville artist Drew Landry, whose deep-rooted storytelling earned praise from Kris Kristofferson, who called Landry’s track “Last Man Standing” the best song he had heard in 30 years. Now based in Montana, Landry regularly performs at the Glacier Park Lodge with his band, The North Country Ramblers, and is set to release a new album this fall.
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Hot, local, bluegrass band, Bluepoint returns for a visit to Longstaff House.
We’re a five piece Bluegrass Band from beautiful Missoula, MT. We specialize in traditional Bluegrass and Old TIme music, as well as Folk and Americana with a modern twist. Our performances are wildly energetic and heartfelt and just might make you leave your seat to dance, or hold the ones you care about a little tighter. Our repertoire includes everything from classic songs, that everyone can sing to, and originals that stem from those deep places within the human condition that we all know and feel. Give us a listen and catch a live show if you can! We appreciate you!
Kena and Ro will be sharing the stage at Longstaff House Lena will be playing as a duo and Ro as a trio.
A year ago, driving late one night, singer/songwriter Lena Rich watched an emerald city materialize from the delirious haze of long miles on the road. As she sped nearer, the mirage faded into an oil refinery glowing sickly green in the darkness. Yet that liminal moment between imagination and reality lingered in Rich’s mind, and eventually became the guiding concept and title track for her latest album, Emerald City. Written mostly while on a tour that began the day after Rich’s partner and collaborator at the time broke things off, Emerald City (September 4) is a series of stories about finding your footing, composed as Rich was finding hers. Quickly discovering the collaboration had only been holding her back, Rich steeled herself and set out on the road alone, instead of folding. And as she gained solid ground day by day, she surprised herself with a new vulnerability, deeper connection to audiences, and a newfound creativity that flourished.
Nowhere, Nebraska, Myra’s extraordinary debut, is more than just a musical homecoming, though. Recorded over the last few years in Denver, Nashville, and Austin, the album is a complex reckoning with the past, a nuanced, literate reexamination of small-town life in the shadow of heartbreak, self-destruction, and second chances. While the arrangements here are broad and sweeping, Myra’s storytelling is sharply focused and firmly rooted, offering up rich, detailed character studies with keen insight and deep empathy. She writes with a novelist’s eye, isolating moments and emotions with surgical precision, and she sings with a weathered grace that makes the hard truths go down easy. The result is a warm embrace of an album all about memory and forgiveness, growth and pain, freedom and fate, a collection that calls to mind everything from Lucinda Williams to Bruce Springsteen to Lori McKenna to Brandi Carlile to Sheryl Crow as it makes peace with the past in order to more fully inhabit the present
Our very own Timber Rattlers are back at Longstaff House. This is some fine bluegrass.
STYLE
The Timber Rattlers are an energetic bluegrass band from Missoula, MT. They pull inspiration from their traditional roots, but continue to push their boundaries in the realm of acoustic music.
EXPERIENCE
Each member has spent extensive time touring and in the studio. From the west coast to parts of Europe.
MEMBERS
Jamie Drysdale – A class act guitarist with on-point bluegrass runs. Naturally entertaining the crowd with his quick, witty humor. He is always writing unique and ear-catching originals. Also known for his touring/songwriting with the Jackson Hole band “The Random Canyon Growlers”
Jesse Brown – A violinist who has genre hopped many bands and instruments. He is known for his years spent with “The Lil’ Smokies” both touring and writing music. You can also catch him playing with legendary Montana band “Mission Mountain Wood Band”.
Dave McMeekin – Guitar plater turned banjo player who finally settled on the mandolin. He writes tunes the way they oughta be written with three chords, three verses and one chorus. Bringing in that high tenor harmony that every bluegrass song needs!
Dillon Johns – A graduate of the music program at The University of Montana. He now teaches elementary school music, passing on his extensive knowledge of music to the next generation. You may have heard doghouse bass, but you haven’t heard it like this! One thing you’ll get a Timber show is proper dose of delicious bass solos.
Caleb Dostal – A prodigy in the field of contemporary banjo. Caleb has been playing since he was 11. He first heard the banjo on some old CD’s around the house and fell in love with the sound, and from then on has had an almost inhuman drive to improve his ability and discover more of the possibilities that the banjo holds.
