OUTLAW PARTNERS
This week, Friday Afternoon Club brings you Bozeman’s very own Wind and the Willows, an up-and-coming group with a whole lot of momentum.
Read up:
Rooted in the heart of the mountains of Bozeman, Wind and the Willows is an eclectic, eight-piece folk band whose unique sound has traveled and expanded across the western U.S.
Their original music includes a range of instruments from triple vocal harmonies from Maren Stubenvoll, Ryen Davlit and Berette McNaught, West African percussion from Sarah Budeski, banjo from Tommy Diestel, bass and dobro from Ryan Totman, fiddle from Silas Rae, trumpet and flugelhorn from Nick Popiel, as well as mandolin, acoustic guitar and ukulele. These diverse instruments have been orchestrated into songs that echo their roots of folk, bluegrass, jazz and country music, creating a familiar yet distinctive sound that is Wind and the Willows.
The band released their debut album, “Bloom and Fade” in the Winter of 2019, and is currently working on their second album to be released summer of 2020. The first album is an acoustic love story that follows the ebbing and flowing of relationships through motifs of the natural world that surround song writers Maren Stubenvoll and Ryen Dalvit. The second album will be more experimental in instrumentation, sound texture and narrative structure of the songs. Wind and the Willows has been evolving their sound organically as they have played for the past three years, and the upcoming album will be a testament to their progression as a band.
In addition to their studio album work, Wind and the Willows also thrives in live performance formats throughout Bozeman, surrounding Montana towns, as well as several Colorado cities. Fans that attend these live shows enjoy the excitement and energy the group brings to performing upbeat and dance inspired bluegrass tunes as well as the intensity of the group’s emotional ballads. Wind and the Willows is excited to continue to create and share their innovative spin on folk music.
This free to watch event will be streamed live, June 12, on the Explore Big Sky Facebook page, and is made possible thanks to sponsorship by Outlaw Partners, Arts Council of Big Sky, Blue Buddha Sushi Lounge and Creek To Peak and will be performed, yet again, on the Big Sky Town Center Plaza outside of Blue Buddha!
