By Bella Butler MANAGING EDITOR
BOZEMAN – Bozeman-based event producer Tom Garnsey has always said he’s not in the music business, he’s in the mental health business. In his time producing some of the region’s best-known shows since the ‘90s, he’s watched hundreds of people exit southwest Montana’s top venues, their faces changed. It’s an experience he hopes the upcoming Tedeschi Trucks Band show on Aug. 2 will emulate: one of connection to music, to community and to a critical cause.
The Grammy Award-winning group will take the stage at the Armory Music Hall as part of their intimate Fireside Live tour. The concert will benefit Bozeman-based nonprofit Haven, an organization offering support, legal services, counseling and shelter for those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking and stalking.
Tedeschi Trucks Band is a blues and rock group fronted by husband-and-wife duo Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Garnsey, co-founder of Vooti Productions, said the band has “musically floored” him every time he’s seen them play.
“Derek and Susan are both powerhouses,” he said. “I mean, he’s the embodiment of slide guitar and she’s a force of nature, both on guitar and vocals.” As part of their Fireside Live format, the 12-member band will play each show on the tour with only four to eight band members in front of limited-capacity crowds.
Next to the performers themselves, venues play key roles in the live music experience, and Garnsey believes the Armory Music Hall will punctuate the evening. The Armory building was designed by famous Bozeman architect Fred Willson and built in 1941 to house Bozeman National Guard units of Montana’s 163rd infantry. Since the building was remodeled in 2019, the music hall is now an elegant ballroom with hints of history.
“It’s a great spot just to go to a community show,” Garnsey said.
Community is a big part of this particular stop on the band’s tour. According to Haven Executive Director Erica Coyle, the Aug. 2 event is the product of local partners coming together to make a high-profile benefit show happen, from the location to the production and everything in between.
It’s also an opportunity for the community to engage with the nonprofit, Coyle said, and participate in ending stigma around domestic violence in Gallatin County and surrounding areas, where Haven serves.
“Having a band at the level of Tedeschi Trucks is pretty amazing for any organization,” Coyle said. “I know at Haven we feel it’s just showing survivors that there are some really amazing people who are very well-known, very talented, and they also stand with survivors.”
Proceeds from the show will benefit Haven services, Coyle said, including survivor advocacy, a 24/7 hotline and counseling, among other support. She added that another way this show will benefit Haven, both through funds and attention, is by community education and awareness.
“We know that domestic violence thrives on silence, and by calling attention to this issue our hope is that we can start some big community conversations around it,” she said.
The focus of this event, from Coyle’s perspective, is bringing the community together.
“Sometimes it can be hard for folks to engage with Haven because it seems like a really scary issue,” she said. “So this is a great entry point for people so that they can see that while yes, domestic violence is incredibly serious, as an organization really we work to engage our community ending the problem so that violence is not perpetuated.”
Visit https://www.armorymusichall.com/events/tedeschi-trucks-fireside to learn more about the benefit show.
To reach Haven’s 24/7 support line, call (406)-586-4111.
