By Sheila Chapman
BIG SKY RESORT
BIG SKY – Big Sky Resort gets funky for its annual Labor Day music festival – newly named Big Moon Rising – featuring headliners Dumpstaphunk and The Family Stone.
Presented by Lehrkinds Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the festival kicks off at 6:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, on the main Mountain Village stage with opening act Andrew Gromiller and the Organically Grown with their vocal-powered rhythm and blues mixed into some serious funk and soul.
Dumpstaphunk takes the stage at 8 p.m. for a performance steeped in hard-hitting New Orleans groove. The quintet features Ivan Neville on vocals, the B-3 organ and the Clavinet; Nikki Glaspie on drums and vocals; Ian Neville on guitar; as well as the double bass attack and soulful voices of Tony Hall and Nick Daniels III.
Whiskey Jack’s will host the afterparty Friday night with music by Bozeman-based funk-rock band Cure for the Common.
Shake off the funk on Saturday morning with the Big Moon Rising 5k trail challenge where the fastest male and female win a $50 gift card to Big Sky Resort. Starting at noon, kids take over the plaza enjoying free miniature golf, a bounce house, face painting and a scavenger hunt. All basecamp activities will be in full swing, and live music by Milton Menasco in the main plaza from 3-5:30 p.m. tops off the day.
The Saturday night concert begins at 5:30 p.m. with music by Forrest and Friends, followed by Keller Williams playing with funk band More Than A Little at 6:45 p.m. Williams’ acoustic dance music, also known as “jazzfunkraggaelectronicagrass,” will keep listeners on their feet.
Bringing down the moon is The Family Stone with founding members and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees saxophonist Jerry Martini, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson and drummer Greg Errico. Bringing back the “golden era of psychedelic soul” the lineup includes the additions of bassist Blaise Sison, lead guitarist Nate Wingfield, the strong vocals of Nadia, and keyboardist/vocalist Alex Davis. The fun continues with an after party at Whiskey Jack’s, where Andrew Gromiller and the Organically Grown return to the stage.
Winding down the weekend is a hearty brunch on Sunday, Aug. 31, at the Peaks Terrace.
Visit bigskyresort.com/bigmoonrising for lodging and ticket information, and a full schedule of events.
