Uncategorized
ACBS grows Big Sky music scene
Published
5 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Bella Butler EBS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
BIG SKY – Just over two years ago, a law school drop-out and an attorney set aside their pragmatic career paths in the pursuit of music and self-expression. In 2018, their dreams were validated as their band Mt. Joy’s song “Silver Lining” ended the year ranked at No. 13 on Billboard’s Top Adult Alternative Songs.
One thousand miles away from the five-piece band’s home in Los Angeles, California, Brian Hurlbut, executive director for the Arts Council of Big Sky, took a liking to the band’s hit track from their self-titled album, which was written by lead singer Matt Quinn as a reaction to witnessing his college peers dying young due to drugs.
On a business trip to St. Louis in December 2018, Hurlbut saw Mt. Joy play and was stunned by their live show. He immediately pegged them as a potential performance for the Music in the Mountains summer series.
Although booking Mt. Joy, who has recently picked up a steady national momentum, was a lofty goal for ACBS, Hurlbut foresaw the effect of the up-and-coming band’s appearance in Big Sky to complement his mission of curating a great lineup for the free summer music series.
“My goal for the free series is not to have the biggest names come here that everyone will recognize, but to have high quality artists performing that tour nationally, but maybe are under the radar in some capacity or are not yet a household name,” he said.
Hurlbut has been charged with booking groups since 2003, and he has watched as the local music scene has grown with the community. He sees part of his job as ensuring that this growth is organic and knows that a part of this is crafting a music lineup that not only appeals to him but primarily to general audiences in Big Sky. It’s a fine balance, Hurlbut noted, to push boundaries and diversify lineups while also serving up crowd pleasers.
In addition to finding music that satiates the Big Sky community’s variety of tastes, all while introducing people to new groups and sounds, Hurlbut believes the series offers something to the artists, as well.
“The Music in the Mountains series has a great reputation for bands,” Hurlbut said. “It pays well, has a large, attentive audience and is absolutely one of the best outdoor stages in Montana and even the Greater Yellowstone region.”
He added that many bands that have played Thursday night summer shows in Big Sky have gone on to see immense success in larger artistic arenas.
Hurlbut gets approached frequently by artists hoping to play amidst the famous Big Sky skylines, and with only 12 headlining slots a summer, it can become competitive.
Mt. Joy, intrigued by the scenic outdoor venue and unique, slow-paced community of Big Sky, obliged the offer to play Music in the Mountains on Aug. 15. The show, in part sponsored by Moonlight MusicFest, kickstarted the festival with a packed show featuring an audience of Big Sky residents, visitors and Mt. Joy fans from the surrounding region. In between introducing fresh material from their new in-progress album, the band delighted the crowd with a selection of their most popular songs mixed in with covers of the Flaming Lips, Bill Withers and Buffalo Springfield. The entire set had the swelling crowd on their feet, singing along well after the sun set behind the Spanish Peaks.
Hurlbut, while counting nights like that as successful, said shows like Mt. Joy’s inspire the question “How big can this get?” When Thursday night performances draw crowds of 5,000 to 6,000, the venue is at capacity, and as Big Sky and Gallatin Valley grow, it’s a sound prediction that the popularizing Music in the Mountains will only attract more people. At some point, however, the influx of music fans will need to be limited, with infrastructure only supporting what it was designed to.
Hurlbut also hopes to maintain the hard-earned atmosphere and fears particularly large crowds may interrupt the intimate nature of it, but for now, Hurlbut will continue his 50-60 hours a week listening to music and researching groups that will continue to build the flourishing music environment in the Big Sky community.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour of the studio, meet our instructors, and meet other artists of all levels in our community. We’ll be getting creative and you’ll have the chance to make your very own artful button pin.
Stick around for our Volunteer Appreciation and Social beginning at 6:30 p.m.!
Time
(Thursday) 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location
BASE
285 Simkins Dr