BIG SKY RESORT
Find out why music sounds better in the mountains at the 11th annual Big Sky Big Grass festival Feb. 9-12 at Big Sky Resort. The 2017 music lineup includes headline acts such as Grammy Award winner Sam Bush, the Travelin’ McCourys, Billy Strings, the Drew Emmitt Band, and many more.
The four-day festival will include a mix of small-stage and large-venue shows at the Montana Jack, Chet’s Lounge, the Carabiner and the Missouri Ballroom, with the majority of shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Mandolin-extraordinaire Bush is often credited as the father of “newgrass,” a bluegrass style that uses electronic versions of common bluegrass instruments. In June of this year, Bush released his most recent album, “Storyman,” his first solo studio project since 2009. Liveforlivemusic.com says Bush’s new album “gives fans a reason to get excited.”
Billy Strings brings two genres together often thought impossible: punk and bluegrass. Take his popular song, “Dust in a Baggie,” a cleverly written mountain song about a destructive substance that he translates into bluegrass vernacular.
Revered as one of the most energetic and innovative mandolin players on the jam band/newgrass scene today, Drew Emmitt’s talents don’t end with the instruments that he picks. His storytelling and versatile vocal abilities are incomparable.
Sierra Hull has been recognized as a virtuoso mandolin player from age 11, astonishing audiences and fellow musicians alike. Now a seasoned touring musician nearing her mid-20s, Hull has delivered her most inspired, accomplished and mature record of work to date.
The Travelin’ McCourys can’t stand still. They are on the road entertaining audiences with live shows that include some of the best musicians and singers from all genres.
The Colorado-based Jeff Austin Band has played the stages of the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco and Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. But with the launch of his solo career in 2014, Austin is now building on the foundation of previous ventures while honing his own sound.
If banjo toe-tapping and swing dancing is your idea of a good time, then kick up your heels at Big Sky Big Grass.
Tickets are on sale at bigskyresort.com/biggrass.
