We are getting a steel pan band at Longstaff House. They will be in town for a concert at UM and do a house show here. Read the bio and listen to the Tiny Desk show with Bela Fleck )sorry, not coming with).
JONATHAN SCALES FOURCHESTRA – BIOYou’ve heard this before, but the whimsically named Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is really tough to describe. Veering from in-your-face, jaw dropping chops and passion, to those quiet moments when the background noise disappears and you hold your breath to take in a soundscape of solitude, the power trio of electric bass (E’Lon JD), drums (Maison Guidry), and steel pans (Jonathan Scales) combines elements of jazz, classical, and progressive rock, peppered with Latin rhythms and soulful outbursts of funk. From club and festival stages across North America and Europe, and tours of Africa, Southeast and Central Asia as a Cultural Ambassador for the US Department of State, to their NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring Béla Fleck, the Fourchestra’s live shows make even the most jaded listeners forget where they are… even if just for a precious moment.
This may seem an odd thing to say, but on the verge of releasing their eighth studio recording, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is only now truly embracing their identity as a group. For many years, Jonathan’s live band was a fluid lineup of top-notch musicians, and even included an “all-star” version with bassist MonoNeon (Prince, Nas), drummer Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Snoop Dogg) and percussionist Weedie Braimah (Trombone Shorty, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), as well as a number of other marquee players. Now, however, the Fourchestra is a decidedly indivisible band, and Jonathan is writing for the trio, not just the pans.
Joy has been here with Darol Anger, Half Pelican, and Big Richard, and now has a new recording with Gus Tritsch. Everything she touches is golden, don’t miss this.
Peddling their new duo album, Anything Lovely, here come Joy Adams and Gus Tritsch from Colorado. Joy, also a member of Big Richard, has appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, NPR’s Tiny Desk, Red Rocks, and the Grammy and Emmy award winning film scores to The Queen’s Gambit and Godless on Netflix. Gus has toured internationally with Jake Blount, played at the Kennedy Center and NPR’s Tiny Desk, and tours with his band The Wild Shoats.
Both make music that is introspective and raw in its search for connection, found through songs and gritty fiddle tunes that are both old and new and maybe neither. Together, the two blend their voices and varied influences in a diverse collection of original songs and oldtime music.
This is a new group to Longstaff House, but I think you will like them. They will rock the place a bit. Have a listen: https://www.johnhewittmusic.com/
John Hewitt is one of Western Canada’s most prolific artists. Celebrating the release of his 10th album with his backing band the New Americans on a 60 date fall tour spanning four provinces and 6 states. A child of the sounds of the 60’s and 70’s this group brings a quality in performance not seen since the 1970’s with three part harmony, melodic hooks, poetic lyrics and the best of Americana amalgamated into one powerhouse trio. Join John Hewitt, Benjamin Williams and Connor Miskiman on their Far-West Tour 2026.
A lovely night of exceptional songwriters and performers
Devin Champlin is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, luthier and artist from Northwestern Washington. As the frontman/songwriter for Sons Of Rainier (along with bandmates Dean Johnson, Sam Gelband, and Charlie Meyer) he has carved out a unique voice in the contemporary indy-folk americana world. Intimate lyrics filled with optimistic existentialism are unhurriedly sung with a woodgrain baritone over fingerpicked guitar, the occasional elbow fiddle or keyboard. He prefers not to lean too hard into any specific genre, although he’s satisfied with the umbrella term “folk” as the idea of non-commercial music made by people for the people. He’s spent the better part of two decades studying traditional American musical styles, specifically country blues guitar and old time fiddle tunes, learning from old source recordings, elders in the scene, and the festival/camp community. Along with that cultural musical nerdery he has a prolific output of original music. As an artist with a DIY aesthetic, he uses songcraft as a medium to create imagery- along those lines he also produces animations, videos, paintings, drawings, and prints in tandem with his musical output. Keeping the audience (and himself) on their toes, he rarely plays the same thing twice- sometimes it may seem as if the wheels are about to fall off, but the tra
Izaak Opatz’s music has always been about longing, run through with nostalgia for the passed-by and out-of-reach. His first two albums, Mariachi Static and Extra Medium, were propelled by a longing for specific people and places, made relatable by wry humor, thoughtful simile and close observation. More recently, he’s been writing songs thatlong for an alternative reality, for differentpossibilities than the short, doomed menu offeredby tech lords and the kakistocracy failing to regulate them.Songs that push back against the coercive pressure to indulge in small conveniences at the expense of personal privacy, a 20th-century attention span and the steady drip of a monthly subscription. in stays on the tracks and it’s a satisfying roll. His recordings, solo and with Sons Of Rainier have found their way into the permanent library of hobos, widows, fry cooks, and fancy pants alike. In addition to his 2 releases with Sons Of Rainier he has a handful of self-released full length solo albums out, including one all instrumental album recorded on an Amtrak train, and the most recently released Lonesome Splendor In The Circus Tent (2024)
Jack Barksdale is a Folk/Americana singer/songwriter from Texas. Inspired by folk, rock, and blues legends, Jack started performing original music at the age of nine and has already shared the stage with Wynonna Judd, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Junior Brown, John Fullbright, and Hayes Carll.
Recently Jack signed a record deal with Truly Handmade Records, formed by the estate of Guy Clark. Jack released a full length album under the Truly Handmade label in June of 2025 featuring many notable guest artists.
To date Jack’s music has garnered well over 5 million streams on Spotify.
Jack tours nationally (most recently at SXSW and Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion) and wows audiences with lyrics wise beyond his years. Jack plays guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, mandolin, piano, and ukulele, but identifies first and foremost as a songwriter. American Songwriter wrote “Jack Barksdale has insights and awareness far beyond people twice his age, and he’s able to put them into songs that touch listeners.”
Caroline Davis is a Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer, and activist, whose work is driven by a desire for connection and a belief in music’s capacity to expand listeners’ ears, minds, and hearts. A 2025 Guggenheim Fellow in Composition, she is the recipient of the DownBeat Critics Poll Alto Saxophone Rising Star Award, as well as fellowships from NYFA, the Jerome Foundation, Chamber Music America, and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Her residencies include MacDowell, The Jazz Gallery, Civitella, and the Rockefeller Estate, and she has served as a mentor for New Music USA’s Next Jazz Legacy program.
Trombonist, improviser, composer, and educator Naomi Moon Siegel is committed to creating a positive, transformative music culture beyond conventional genre norms. Her musical vocabulary draws on the richness of a variety of global musical traditions including Black American Music and the sonorities of the natural world. Siegel explores the trombone as a vehicle for sonic expression colored by breath, spit, space, and physicality. Now based in Seattle, Naomi returns to Missoula for this intimate solo appearance in support of Caroline Davis.
We are pleased to announce a new group to the Longstaff House.
While they truly enjoy all of those genre descriptors, the band self identifies as “Living Room Folk.” Their superpower is the energy and joy each band mate pulls from playing music together, and those feelings are often transferred to sweet listeners–making them feel cozy, as if they were receiving a concert in their living room. The band is currently in the studio for their sophomore album, Dead Little Thing, that highlights the struggles of 2023 – 2024, which will release in the fall of 2026. The group is based in Redd’s hometown of Knoxville, TN.
These two singer/songwriters did a fabulous show a couple years back and they are coming to Longstaff House again. Local guy, Izak, is always a good show , and his buddy is great on fingerstyle guitar, fiddle, and even piano. It’s the perfect pair for our intimate venue.
Stillhouse Junkies is an American roots, bluegrass, and Americana trio formed in 2017 and based in Durango, Colorado. Known for high-energy improvisation and genre-blending original music, the group won the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Momentum Band of the Year award in 2021
I have already gotten numerous calls even before I listed this show on my site. Should be a good one.
MONTANA — Cult-favourite Texas songsmith Willis Alan Ramsey and acclaimed Cajun-born troubadour Drew Landry have announced a joint acoustic run across the Northern Rockies this August. The “Yellowstone to Glacier Tour” will bring intimate, story-driven songwriter showcases to select venues throughout Wyoming and Montana.
Ramsey’s legendary 1972 self-titled debut on Leon Russell’s Shelter Records—often affectionately called “The Green Record”—predated the Cosmic Cowboy movement and altered the landscape of Americana songwriting. Hailed by Texas Monthlyas “one of the best singer-songwriter albums ever made,” the hallmark release earned praise from contemporaries like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and J.J. Cale. Over the decades, Ramsey’s songs have been recorded by a wide range of iconic artists, including Waylon Jennings, Lyle Lovett, Jimmy Buffett, Jerry Jeff Walker, America, and Widespread Panic. Despite stepping away from releasing music shortly after his landmark debut, Ramsey remains a towering figure in Texas music history—and is currently preparing a long-awaited follow-up album.
Joining Ramsey is former Warner Nashville artist Drew Landry, whose deep-rooted storytelling earned praise from Kris Kristofferson, who called Landry’s track “Last Man Standing” the best song he had heard in 30 years. Now based in Montana, Landry regularly performs at the Glacier Park Lodge with his band, The North Country Ramblers, and is set to release a new album this fall.
