601 Longstaff Street
Missoula, MT
USA
Please come and see Old Man Ben (who doesn’t look so old to me) for songs, stories, and almost-cowboy-poetry on October 17th.
Ben Larson is a working musician, poet, historian and carpenter from Philipsburg, Montana. He developed his storyteller ways over years of hitchhiking and wandering with his guitar and tape measure from Australia to Newfoundland and a thousand places in between. He lives in a handbuilt homestead with his public school teacher wife and two cowdogs, where he alternates his days between carpentry and weaving his observations into gruff newspaper columns and eclectic, yet deeply poetic songs.
Ben is a student of Montana history. His performances are filled with tales of real life in rural Montana, ghosts of the past and wry words of wisdom compiled over years of living outside and working with his hands. From renovating an old saloon in the ghost town of Hasmark to revitalizing old Mining Songs with the Clark Chateau non-profit in Butte, to seeking out the lost homesteads of his wife’s pioneer parents on the east side of the state, Ben’s storytelling mediums span all geographic areas and aspects of Montana living. Out of those experiences, Ben crafted a ninety minute compilation of original songs and poems, historic anecdotes and stories.
From Hobson to Scobey, Wibaux to Darby, Ben has performed in over 100 Montana towns and cities. Several albums of his music can be found on all streaming services, including his most recent release “New Tales From Old Montana.” In support of his Montana Living History show, Ben’s on a musical mission to bring his stories to all 56 counties of Montana; 41 down, 15 to go!
