Christian Ackerman, The Mime
2:00 PM to 2:45 PM, MCT Center for the Performing Arts
Christian Ackerman performs the art of pantomime, impersonations, dance, and slapstick comedy synced to swinging music, all in a stage performance. Back again for First Night 2013, “The Mime” is wildly popular for all ages. www.christianackerman.com
Jenn Adams
8:30 PM to 9:15 PM, UC Theatre
A recent graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, Jenn Adams has returned to the Bitterroot Valley. Teaching and performing again in western Montana, she is excited to share new songs, old stories and well earned trials of troubadours’ road. Twisting the corners of folk, blues and jazz into immediately personal songs, she is internationally recognized for her distinctive sound and well-crafted songwriting.
Anyisa
5:00 PM to 5:45 PM, Downtown Dance Collective
Join Aniysa for the sights and sounds of Middle Eastern Dance. Aniysa and her students will demonstrate a variety of styles from Folkloric Cane to an Elegant Veil Dance. Aniysa has studied Middle Eastern Dance since 1977, and has taught dance in Missoula for over 20 years.
Ballet Arts Academy
1:30 PM to 2:15 PM, UM Dennison Theatre
What are you doing New Year’s Eve? Ballet Arts Academy’s Studio Company premieres an eclectic medley of light-hearted contemporary dances. Audiences of all ages will delight in Charleston, Sweet Pea, Come Fly With Me, and more. Some live musical accompaniment is an added treat at this concert.
Bare Bait Dance Co.
3:00 PM to 3:45 PM, Downtown Dance Collective
Bare Bait Dance, created in the fall of 2011, is Missoula’s newest professional dance company in residence at the Downtown Dance Collective. Under the artistic direction of UM adjunct dance professor, Joy French, the company creates original, contemporary modern dance in Montana for Montanans. Blending dance, theatre, and film with original music compositions, Bare Bait Dance aims to surprise, excite, and inspire! For Missoula’s 2013 First Night celebration, BBD will perform excerpts from our two 2012 evening-length dance concerts, “How to Open a Cupboard” and “Views from Grandma’s Porch.” The excerpts, performed by the company of ten professional dancers, are lively and whimsical with a strong mix of dance and theatrical performances. The excerpts all include original musical scoring by local Missoula musicians, John Sporman, Bethany Joyce and Geoff Peppos.
Big Sky Mudflaps
8:00 PM to 8:45 PM, UC Ballroom
The Big Sky Mudflaps are celebrating 37 years of performing together. They have toured nationally, making appearances on both Prairie Home Companion and the NBC Today Show, but their favorite audiences are here in Montana. They have performed for every First Night since its inception, and are still one of the most popular groups of the event.
Blue Moon
7:15 PM to 8:00 PM, Dana Gallery
Blue Moon is a smokey smooth rhythm and blues combo, featuring original tunes from lead singer and bass player Mary Place. Mary is well known in Missoula, having performed for 12 years with The Moonlighters, the house band at the Union Club. Mary is backed by journeymen musicians Mikel Greathouse (guitar), Andrew Huppert (drums), Patrick Montgomery (sax) and Jerry King (harmonica). Blue Moon features a mature, eclectic sound and is quickly becoming known as one of Missoula’s hippest new bands.
Zan Bockes, Poets & Writers Live
2:00 PM to 2:30 PM, Dana Gallery
Zan Bockes is a direct descendant of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. Her fiction, nonfiction and poetry have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, and she is a four-time Pushcart Prize nominee. Her poetry collection, Caught in Passing, is forthcoming from WordTech Communications next April.
Brace Yourself
3:00 PM to 3:45 PM, UC Commons
Brace Yourself is Pete Bensen, Duggan Backhouse-Prentiss, Solomon Nichols and Brock Zimmerman. Individually they are local high school students, but with their powers combined they are a dynamic, chord thrashing, genre-defying, post-punk force to be reckoned with. They will be playing songs off of their self produced album along with a few covers. Brace yourself for their First Night debut.
Celtic Dragon Pipe Band
6:30 PM to 7:15 PM, UM Dennison Theatre
A perennial favorite at every Missoula First Night, the Celtic Dragon Pipe Band plays ensemble music with bagpipes and drums in the Scottish regimental style. Montana’s premier pipe band is pleased to perform throughout the Northwest and in Canada, and especially at home for the holidays.
Citighost
4:15 PM to 5:00 PM, UC Commons
Citighost is a band of multi-talented young musicians residing in Missoula, MT. Comprised of guitarists Noah Garner, Daria Bedo, and Mick Pengilly, bassist Luke Nicholson, and drummer Caleb Tutty, they play a unique blend of hand-written original songs, and refreshing spins on classics.
Maren Christensen
3:30 PM to 4:15 PM, Break Esspresso
Maren Christensen is a Singer/Songwriter who writes about life and all its many splendors and sorrows. She reveals herself in her music in a way that stirs and invites the listener to join her. She is wickedly funny and deadly serious – always an enjoyable performer. She has released three CD’s and is working on a fourth.
Comatose Smile
10:45 PM to 11:30 PM, Wilma Theatre
Comatose Smile is "an energetic rock act that sounds much like its influences, blending anthem-rock choruses with happy-go-lucky thrash and moody interludes” - Joe Nickell, Missoulian. We will be performing tracks off our debut album, classic rock tunes you all know and love as well as improvising groovy jams to make you move your feet.
Mike & Tari Conroy
5:00 PM to 5:45 PM, Break Esspresso
Mike and Tari Conroy from Conner love the old things. They love old cars, old guns, old dogs and naturally they love the old Bluegrass music that comes from the hills and hollers - way back in the mountains. With Tari playing guitar, and Mike playing mandolin and banjo, they will be joined by their neighbor Tim Ezzell who will be playing the stand up bass and singing the low parts. The trio will be pickin and grinnin while playing old songs about love, mountains, family, home, God and tragedy. They will also feature lively instrumentals about groundhogs, chickens, and maybe even an old spinning wheel. COME JOIN IN THE FUN.
Micheal Delaney as Mark Twain
8:15 PM to 9:00 PM, MCT Center for the Performing Arts
Mark Twain once said, "Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place." Mark Twain is still widely thought of as one of America's most clever storytellers, and Michael Delaney's convincing portrayal makes an enriching stop in your First Night adventure. This is a great chance for everyone to unwind after a long day of First Night romping, or a chance to transport yourself to another time before you set off for more fun this New Year's Eve. www.montanatwain.com
Discount Quartet
6:45 PM to 7:30 PM, UC Commons
The Discount Quartet, a dynamic trio currently featuring DR Halsell on guitar, Keaton Wilson on keyboards and Steve Kalling on doublebass, balances classic and modern sounds while exploring the earthy spectrum of electric and acoustic jazz, funk, and improvisational music. We swing hard and always put the ‘B’ in subtle!
Drum Brothers
10:30 PM to Midnight, UC Commons
Drum Brothers present high energy performances that celebrate a diverse mix of world instruments and sounds: West African jembe and dunun drums, Middle Eastern frame drums, Australian didgeridoo, close harmony vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, saxophone, and original arrangements and compositions. Audience participation will be encouraged as Drum Brothers move through the crowd and share simple steps with those interested. The ensemble is comprised of Matthew and Michael Marsolek, Lawrence Duncan, and Colin Ruggiero.
Dan Dubuque
3:30 PM to 4:15 PM, UC Theatre
Dan Dubuque is Missoula's one man soul band. On his Weissenborn lap slide guitar and Dobro, he plays blues, rhythm, and soul.
Ed Norton Big Band
10:30 PM to Midnight, UC Ballroom
The Ed Norton Big Band is Missoula's only professional large swing orchestra, specializing in the classic sounds of the great American swing era. The band is made up of Five saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets, piano, guitar, bass, drums. The band has performed for almost every First Night finale.
Electrickeries
5:00 PM to 5:45 PM, Wilma Theatre
Jazz meets electronica for an improvadelic sojourn through the sonoscape where the acoustic and electronic shape the sky. Keaton Wilson (keyboards), and Steve Kalling (doublebass) both employ sundry devices and gadgets to explore the wild energies of electrified and modified sounds. Using the four polestars of Consonance, Dissonance, the Acoustic, and the Electric to steer by, we navigate a song-cycle of original compositions, moving from nearly pure acoustic beauty to wild electronica swirls, and back, finding peace in electronic sounds, chaos in the acoustic, and all points inbetween in the shifting juxtapositions.
The Frederico Brothers
5:30 PM to 6:15 PM, UC Commons
The Frederico Brothers is an accomplished folk act in which the star of the show is the song. The Frederico Brothers are: Bruce Carlson, vocals and guitar; Phil Hamilton, harmonicas; Paul Kelley, vocals and bass; Roger Moquin, vocals and drums; and Peter Walther, vocals, electric guitar and mandolin. All five live in Missoula, have day jobs and families, and approach music for the creative joy of it. Besides singing songs about trains, death, and love gone wrong, the group focuses on vocal harmonies and great songs (both original and otherwise). The 2003 CD “Rails” was the group’s first collective recording project and is available online at cdbaby.com.
Five Valley Chorus of Sweet Adelines
5:30 PM to 6:15 PM, UM Recital Hall
The Five Valley Chorus of Sweet Adelines and the Rocky Mountainaires are singers who love to entertain and to hear the chords ring. Their style of harmony is an original American art form called barbershop harmony (singing four part chords unaccompanied by instruments). These choruses hope to put a smile on the faces of the First Night audience as they sing individually, and as a double quartet in eight-part harmony!
John Floridis
9:45 PM to 10:30 PM, UC Theatre
With almost two decades of performance history in the state, John Floridis has carved a lasting legacy as one of Montana's most well known and respected musicians. He's released six recordings that mix bluesy, folk-rock vocal tunes with adventurous solo acoustic guitar pieces. John is also the host and producer of Musician's Spotlight for Montana Public Radio. His performances at Missoula First Night have been among the most popular of the festival, combining guitar body percussion and live recording of electro-acoustic sampled sounds and effects to support his own songs and compositions as well as unique arrangements of traditional and contemporary material.
Full Grown Men
9:15 PM to 10:00 PM, UC Commons
Full Grown Men focuses on blues and jazz based dance music, with the emphasis on rhythm, swing, energy and soul. The band was formed among old friends and fellow musicians, based on the idea of playing straight-ahead dance music with lots of fire and fun.
Gaelic Meadowlarks
2:00 PM to 2:45 PM, UC 3rd Floor Lobby
3:00 PM to 3:45 PM, UC 3rd Floor Lobby
Ring in the New Year singing! Gaelic Meadowlarks invites revelers of all ages to join them for this celebration. Gather around the piano on the third floor of the University Center for a sing along. They're compiling a songbook called, "Aires, Carols, Jigs, Marches and Reels". If you like Celtic Music, Welsh Choirs or Robert Burns this is for you!
Gravely Mountain Boys
9:15 PM to 10:00 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 326
Come join the Gravelys for some traditional Virginia style Bluegrass. Led by Dr. Gravely (Virginia native Dick Darne), they sing everything from old style brother duets to hard driving three part harmonies. Usually a five piece group they are joined tonight by Erin Snyder from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Other band members include Richard Darne, Brian Hall, Sampo Hall and Ron Snyder.
Heart 2 Heart
9:30 PM to Midnight, Missoula Senior Center
A popular Dance Duo specializing in ballroom and country dance music, cowboy two step, waltz, swing, polka, latin, light rock, blues and original numbers.
Shelby Humphreys
4:00 PM to 4:45 PM, Downtown Dance Collective
Laugh and learn with Shelby as she shares how life's crazy and critical moments can teach us how to live with abundance and authenticity. Shelby will share three readings, "Buddha, Betchya Can't Top This One," "Plastic Jesus," and "You Can't Get There From Here."
Jazz Graffiti
2:45 PM to 3:30 PM, Dana Gallery
Jazz Graffiti is Missoula's multi-generational jazz ensemble, specializing in high-quality listenable jazz of all styles, from classic swing to bebop to contemporary, including original compositions in these various styles. The group includes both veterans of the Missoula music scene as well as promising young musicians.
Rhanda Johnson & Easy Living
6:45 PM to 7:30 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 326
George Gershwin, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Irving Berlin are some of the jazz song smiths you'll enjoy when you decide it's time you check out Rhanda Johnson and Easy Living. Rhanda's smooth vocals and the bands contemporary stylings on the classics make for an enjoyable and entertaining experience. Bruce Allen on Bass, Josh Farmer on keys, and Roger Moquin on drums make the living and listening easy.
Robert Lee, Poets & Writers Live
3:30 PM to 4:15 PM, Dana Gallery
Robert Lee, (author Guiding Elliott, Lyons Press 1997) has been a Missoula Writing Collaborative poet in residence for twelve years. His residencies include Arlee, Big Sky High School, Hydaburg Alaska, Ovando, Lowell Elementary, and Salmon Idaho. He is a tutor for the Writing Center at the University of Montana. His poems, stories and essays have appeared in“Cold drill,”“Cut-bank,” “Montana Magazine,” “Talking River Review,” and in the anthologies Poems Across the Big Sky, and The New Montana Stories among other publications. He enjoys reading in public and always tries to do his old friend and mentor, the late, great, Ed Lahey, proud.
Malarkey
3:30 PM to 4:15 PM, Wilma Theatre
Though the true definition of malarkey is nonsense, we like to think of ourselves as nonsensical and full of musical fun. We play our own brand of traditional Irish music with an occasional Celtic twist on an American song or two. Toe-tapping jigs and reels played on fiddle, mandolin, penny whistle, bodhran, and guitar will surely have you dancing in your seats or maybe even the aisles. So help ring in the New Year in true Irish fashion, minus the Guinness and Jameson’s, with Malarkey.
Manik Harum
5:15 PM to 6:00 PM, MCT Center for the Performing Arts
Enjoy the exotic sounds of Gamelan Angklung Manik Harum who plays music from the tropical island of Bali, Indonesia on authentic hand-carved instruments. Gamelans are percussion instruments, which will be accompanied by traditional Balinese dance. Cast off the evil spells and welcome the New Year Bali-style!
MCT's Bits & Pieces
3:30 PM to 4:15 PM, MCT Center for the Performing Arts
Bits & Pieces, a cabaret adventure, is made up of hilarious songs, dances and sketches… with a beautiful ballad or two thrown in to keep things interesting. Terri, Amy, Greg, Scott, & Darci (with Linda at the keys) will entertain your every event. One audience member said, “You were funny and engaging and it was nice to be able to relax and actually belly laugh!” and “once again you made our party! You are always professional, hysterical, talented and entertaining!” In short… we’re awesome. Enjoy the show!
Kira Means
6:30 PM to 7:15 PM, Wilma Theatre
This will be Kira’s fourth individual First Night performance and she is excited to be playing the Wilma again this year. Kira will play guitar, piano, and ukulele on a wide variety of music genres, including pop, jazz, folk, and rock. She is working on her second CD and will be playing some great new originals as well as some great covers. As always, this year will be even better than the last. Come be entertained with Kira’s great voice, poetic songwriting, soulful interpretations, and amazing overall musical talent.
Missoula Bella Corda Guitar Quartet
5:45 PM to 6:30 PM, Dana Gallery
The Missoula Bella Corda Guitar Quartet has been playing as a group for 6 years, and has performed in a variety of venues including Montana Public Radio, Out to Lunch, River City Roots Festival, and First Night. Teenage Childbloom Guitar Program students Duggan Backhouse-Prentiss, Arthur Befumo, and Jenna and Jamie Wevers perform complex, nuanced arrangements of world, jazz, and classical pieces, spanning sounds from Bach to Bossa Nova with a sensitivity and expressiveness that is rare in a group of such young musicians.
Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, UC 3rd Floor Foyer
Ring in the New Year with the Butterfly House and our bug ambassadors. Learn about the fascinating world of insects and their relatives through live exhibits. You can meet Max the scorpion, Milton the millepede, Rosie the tarantula and many more. Learn about and become part of our vision for a tropical butterfly house and insect museum in Missoula.
Missoula Coyote Choir
4:00 PM to 4:45 PM, UM Dennison Theatre
The Missoula Coyote Choir is an auditioned group of young singers committed to making beautiful music that inspires people of all ages to get outside and help take care of the Earth. The group rehearses weekly and completes an environmental service project each year. The Coyotes demonstrate that kids' voices matter, and that music is an important part of honoring the natural world. The choir was founded by Amy Martin in 2007, to sing on the album Ask the Planet, which she wrote and co-produced for the Biomimicry Institute. This year, the Coyotes are celebrating their sixth season -- and their sixth First Night performance!
Missoula Fencing Association
2:15 PM to 3:15 PM, Southgate Mall
Come Fence With Us! Are you curious about the sport of fencing? Missoula Fencing Association is a local fencing club that provides instruction for people ages 6 to adult. Come to our First Night event and take a stab at it. Full audience participation. Everyone will get a short lesson in fencing basics and an opportunity to fence with our electric scoring equipment. All safety equipment provided.
Missoula Folklore Society
3:15 PM to 5:00 PM, UC Ballroom
The Missoula Folklore Society will guide all comers through fun, easy-to-learn community folk dances, mainly New England contra (a variation of English country dance) and circle dances. Callers teach each dance and experienced dancers guide the beginners through the dance. No partner or experience needed. The Celtic Knots will accompany the dances with lively Irish folk tunes on fiddle, guitar, penny whistle and drum. Dances work well for dancers aged 8 to 80; younger kids will need an adult guide.
Missoula Taekwondo Center
3:45 PM to 4:45 PM, Southgate Mall
The MTC Demonstration Team, led by Master Steve Rosbarsky, is comprised of martial artists of all ages who practice Taekwondo on a regular basis. The Demonstration will consist of useful self defense, dynamic kicking and Taekwondo based movement and, of course, board and brick breaking.
Montana A Capella Society
7:00 PM to 7:45 PM, UM Recital Hall
The Montana A Capella Society is a tradition at First Night Missoula. They present a wonderful holiday program in replica 1800's costumes. www.montanaacappella.org
Montana Alphorn Trio
4:00 PM to 4:45 PM, UM Recital Hall
Enjoy the unique, haunting harmonies and melodious calls from these natural, over twelve feet long horns. Dressed in traditional Tyrolean outfits, the trio plays music from Switzerland, where the alphorn is the official national instrument.
Montana Clown Works
4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, UC Atrium
Montana Clown Work celebrates 2013 with something old and something new. The old favorites from Curly’s Funtastic Kid Zone will still be on hand with SPIN ART and BUBBLES. The new favorite is the BALOONAPALOOZA. Check it out: YOU GET TO BLOW UP, TIE AND TWIST YOUR OWN BALLOON DOG, BALLOON SWORD AND BALLOON HAT!!! You can keep your balloon creation or add it to the ever growing BALLOON SCULPTURE. This is a sure fire way to keep your new year popping with Montana Clown Work and First Night Missoula.
Montana PBS Kid's Characters
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, UC Atrium
The Friends of MontanaPBS are welcoming a couple of new guests to join in the festivities of First Night Missoula 2013. Children of all ages, come and meet PBS Kids favorites "Sid, the Science Kid" and "Buddy" from The Dinosaur Train. Bring a camera and take a souvenir photo to help remember the occasion.
Montana Super Skippers
2:00 PM to 2:45 PM, UC Ballroom
You Say “Who?” We say the Montana Super Skippers! Come see what fun jump rope can be! Be amazed by our dedicated Tournament Team! Wear your jumping shoes and join us after our performance. For more information visit ww.montanasuperskippers.com
The MSK Project
8:00 PM to 8:45 PM, Break Esspresso
Recreating the music and energy of the old juke joints, roadhouses, and honky tonks across America, the MSK Project has been delivering authentic acoustic rhythm and blues around Montana since 2005. Playing everything from high-energy dance numbers, to sultry blues, to twangy C&W standards, the MSK Project takes you back to those days when two men, a couple of guitars, and a handful of harmonicas, could keep the place rockin’ and the dance floor full till they made ‘em shut it down!
Bill Mize
7:15 PM to 8:00 PM, UC Theatre
Tennessee fingerstyle guitarist and composer Bill Mize appeared with the emerging acoustic guitar movement in the 1980s, and has continued to develop a style and sense of taste that influences many of today's guitarists. Applauded by critics and guitar enthusiasts alike for his composition, tone, emotion and smoothly syncopated counterpoint, Bill has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a Grammy for his work with storyteller David Holt on “Stellaluna.” While drawing inspiration from legends of mountain music, soul, jazz, folk and rock, his original music has been described as varying from delicate Appalachian highland melodies to greasy Memphis grooves, performed in such a smooth yet syncopated fashion, you'd swear there was another guitarist on stage. Rather than only rely on wowing with his impressive "chops", Bill draws an audience in with his composition, emotion and tone.
Kelli Marie Neumayer
6:45 PM to 7:30 PM, MCT Center for the Performing Arts
Award winning belly dancer Kelli Marie is an accomplished performer, instructor and innovator of Middle Eastern dance. Kelli Marie is an adjunct instructor for the University of Montana teaching two styles of belly dance as well as Hawaiian Hula dance and conditioning classes. Kelli is also an aquatic fitness specialist at The Women's Club here in Missoula. Please join Kelli Marie and special guest performers as they present the "Ancient Art" of belly dance, Hawaiian Hula dance and a variety of exciting entertainment!
Sheryl Noethe, Poets & Writers Live
8:00 PM to 8:30 PM, Dana Gallery
Sheryl Noethe has been teaching in Missoula schools for eighteen years, after founding the Missoula Writing Collaborative, which places published writers in classrooms to teach kids to love to write like we writers do. She has won a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Literature, a Montana Arts Council Fellowship, and was recently appointed Poet Laureate for the state of Montana. She has published three collections of poetry and a teaching text, widely used nationally, called Poetry Everywhere. Sheryl has a new book, Grey Dog, Big Sky, coming out this spring about her travels across Montana in a Greyhound bus. She has lived in Missoula since 1987 and has read at First Night for twelve years.
Greg Nowak, The Octopus
6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, UC Atrium
This is your chance to participate in the great mental sport of chess with a chess champion, along with 25 other players. 14-time Chess Champion, (plus three times in Idaho, and once in Wyoming) The Octopus uses 25 chess sets laid out in a rectangle. Players come and go all evening until 11 pm. He makes his moves in 5 to 15 seconds, more often 5, and players must have a move ready to play IMMEDIATELY when he gets to them, then he replies. The Octopus has been a First Night tradition since the beginning, 19 years ago!
Ouzel
2:30 PM to 3:15 PM, UM Recital Hall
Beth Bramhall, Janet Haarvig and Beth Youngblood comprise the core of Ouzel and perform a colorful set of acoustic art music on piano, accordion, cello and violin. Not content to confine themselves to one genre, you may find yourself listening to original compositions & arrangements of Argentinean tangos, Scottish Fiddle tunes, Finnish poly-rhythmic melodies or heavy metal anthems. Additional members join on occasion for extra fun.
Clay Pape
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Dana Gallery
First Night at Dana Gallery will feature a demonstration of non-traditional techniques and materials by guest artist Clay Pape. Clay will show how to paint with cement, wood stain, tar, sand, fire and other materials. He will also have examples of paintings in-progress as well as finished pieces. Born and raised in Montana, Clay is the son of poets Greg Pape and Marnie Prange. His abstract, multi-media landscape paintings are on view at Dana Gallery. Clay lives in Missoula and is currently a BFA candidate at the University of Montana. The painting featured here is one of Clay’s pieces titled, “Adrift in Smoke”.
Pinegrass
9:30 PM to 10:15 PM, Break Esspresso
Pinegrass has been playing weekly since 1988, their overall sound is a result of the individual influences and passions of each player. The common denominator for all Pinegrass members is to play each number with feeling – they strive to play good tunes, the way they’re “supposed” to be played. It is traditional bluegrass played “true” to the original (mostly), and a bit of swing, Dylan and whatever else strikes the fancy of the band mates at the moment. Members are John Joyner, fiddle and vocals; Bill Neaves, guitar and vocals, Chad Fadley, mandolin; Jack Mauer, banjo, dobro and vocals; and Ted Lowe, bass and vocals. Tidbit: “Pingrass” (scientific name: Calamagrostis Rubescens) is a native grass.
Richie Reinholdt & the Acousticals
6:30 PM to 7:15 PM, Break Esspresso
Four of western Montana’s premier bluegrass musicians, playing predominantly original material in the “Acoustic Americana” vein, showcase their fine pickin’ and innovative songwriting.
Rio
4:15 PM to 5:00 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 326
Last year PBS's 11th & Grant series presented Rio, featuring jazz guitarist Tim Drackert and vocalist Julia Yates. From fast-paced Bossa Novas to haunting ballads, Yates's distinctive voice appeals to fans of Astrud Gilberto and Norah Jones, yet demonstrates a dusky expressiveness all her own. Combined with Drackert's lyrical guitar lines and a killer rhythm section (Pete Hand on bass & Dennis Unsworth on drums), Rio has captivated viewers across the state. Hear more at riobossanova.com.
Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre
2:45 PM to 3:30 PM, UM Dennison Theatre
Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre will present our greatest hits from "The Montana Cowboy Christmas" production including seasonal favorites and new premieres for Missoula.
Bill Rossiter
Brother Can You Spare a Dime?
9:00 PM to 9:45 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 332
This Bareknuckle Report features songs from America’s back porches and rural musicians, songs that told the “unauthorized” version of the Dirty Thirties. Instead of Hollywood’s “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries,” the hometown audience heard, “Look here, Hoover, See What you Done/You went off a-fishin’, let the country go to ruin.” Another song scolded the country folks who deserted their farms for factory jobs during the 1920s: “Suits them people and it serves them fine/For thinkin’ that the mill was a darn gold mine.” And when FDR made the scene they rejoiced, “We Got money in our jeans, we can travel with the queen. Since Roosevelt’s been elected moonshine liquor’s been corrected/We got legal wine, whiskey beer and gin!” In “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” Bill Rossiter views the Depression, not through history and literature, but through songs and “illiterature,” accompanying the songs on banjo, guitar, Autoharp and harmonica.
Home, Home on the Ranch
8:00 PM to 8:45 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 332
When they rolled across the prairies heading for their new homesteads, settlers sang about a new land of milk and honey. After a couple of years of hard-scrabble living, they rewrote those songs to feature alkali water, rattlesnakes, drought and busted dreams. Some of the songs are seriously funny: “How happy am I as I crawl into bed, as a rattlesnake rattles a tune at my head, A coy little centipede, void of all fear, crawls over my pillow and into my ear” And some of the songs and stories are just serious: “Montana land, Montana land, as on my dugout roof I stand, I look away across the plains, and wonder why it never rains.” Bill Rossiter brings songs and stories from the homestead, songs that managed to find some humor in this “garden in the grasslands,” whether the singer’s crops were grain or knapweed, cattle or grasshoppers. He accompanies the songs with guitar, banjo, Autoharp and harmonica.
Salsa Loca
9:00 PM to 10:00 PM, UC Ballroom
Salsa Loca is Montana’s hottest latin-jazz ensemble. Made up of some of the area’s finest musicians, Salsa Loca specializes in the irresistible rhythms of Cuba and Latin America – bolero, cha-cha, mambo, samba, and beyond. This is some of the best party and dance music in the world. Featuring the fiery horn combination of Leon Slater on trumpet and saxophonist Chuck Florence, in addition to percussionists Bob Ledbetter on drum set & timbales and Cody Hollow on congas, salsa loca presents an authentic Afro-Cuban sound, with a distinctly Montana flavor. Completing the lineup are Beth Lo on bass and David Horgan on guitar and piano.
Ann Marie Savage, Poets & Writers Live
6:30 PM to 7:00 PM, Dana Gallery
Ann Marie Savage is a native Montanan who was first published at the age of 19 in "The Nation" magazine. Her poetry reflects the influence and tutelage of Charles Bukowski and Richard Hugo, among others; she also takes to heart the words of Edward Abbey--"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul". Ms. Savage's "Neihart" poems in particular blend memory and myth into an imagined landscape suffused with love, loss, and longing.
Sentinel High School Jazz Band
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM, Missoula Senior Center
The Sentinel High School Jazz Band is a big band specializing in the performance of classic, standard tunes from the 40’s for your dancing and listening pleasure. Come and enjoy an afternoon of great tunes played wonderfully by a group of very talented and sharing student musicians. We will all have a great time!
Jack Shifflett, Poets & Writers Live
5:00 PM to 5:30 PM, Dana Gallery
Jack Shifflett is originally from Buffalo NY. He's lived in Missoula since 2003. He writes poetry, prose, and the occasional ransom note. He blogs at www.viewsfromthebigsky.typepad.com
Sidhe
6:00 PM to 6:45 PM, UC Theatre
Voice and guitar duo Michael and Keleren Millham have taken their classical training and applied it to the music that moves them. The resulting sound is an enchanting blend of classical, fingerstyle, folk and world genres. They build upon and blend these traditions in exciting new ways, creating performances that are both energetic and soothing, and always uplifting.
Silk Stocking
6:45 PM to 7:30 PM, UC Ballroom
Silk Stocking has been entertaining audiences in Missoula for over five years, and has been received with (moderate to wild) enthusiasm wherever they go. Vocalists Magda Chaney, Sally Ethridge and Edie Smith will present a widely varied program of listening and dance music from many decades, including their distinctive signature sounds of the 1930s and 1940s, as well as a sampling of some familiar 1960s tunes. Included in their show will be a little dancing, a few costumes, and some snappy patter about the songs that they perform. Backed by Jane Micklus on piano, Pete Hand on bass, and Campbell Youngblood-Peterson on drums, the strong vocal harmonies of Silk Stocking are guaranteed to get your toes tapping and get you out on the dance floor. Whatever your vintage you’re sure to hear some tunes that will keep you humming into 2013!
The Smokin' Jackets
5:30 PM to 6:15 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 326
The Smokin' Jackets are a swinging five piece jazz essemble featuring vocalist Deni Llovet, Bill James on bass, Ed Stalling on drums, Pat Montgomery on saxophone, and Bob Skogley on keyboards. If you like to dance, this one is for you. The Smokin' Jackets play a mixture of old standards with a little blues and contemporary favorites thrown in. They have been playing to enthusiastic crowds in western Montana for over five years and are always a favorite at Jazzoula.
Solo Stars Square Dance Club
5:45 PM to 6:45 PM, Missoula Senior Center
Square dancing is a fast paced, lively type of folk dance. It is a fun form of dance involving social interaction between several dancers. We will be doing demonstration dancing, along with crowd participation. Our goal is to show people how much fun square dancing is and that it is a very economical activity. Square Dancing is Friendship set to Music.
Sonnets on the Sidewalk with Donald Gisselbeck
2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, Higgins Sidewalk in front of the Florence Building
Stop by and read one of Shakespeare’s sonnets aloud to your family, friends and passers-by, or just stop and listen. This is some of the most beautiful love poetry ever written. Over the course of three hours all 154 sonnets will be read.
spectrUM Discovery Area
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, MCT Center for the Performing Arts Lobby
Come get hands on with the University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area with their “Best in Show” exhibition open from 3-6pm in the Children's Theatre lobby. “Best in Show” will feature several of spectrUM's most popular science exhibits such as turntable, radar magnets, soma cubes, gravity well, tippy table, and much more!
Starlighter's Swing Band
8:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Missoula Senior Center
So, ya wanna dance? Swing dancing is at its best with Missoula’s own jazz vocalist Edie Smith and the Starlighter’s Swing Band! From original arrangements of the big band swing era to the contemporary sounds of modern jive, this seven piece combo will have you stompin’ with joy! So, let’s dance!
Hal Stearns' Montana Tales
5:00 PM to 5:45 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 332
Montana has stories galore – cows and cowboys, Indian tribes inhabiting the mountains and plains for centuries, politicos good and bad, writers and poets, railroad builders and mining magnets, individuals famous and infamous- all have contributed to making the “Last Best Place” our special homeland. Hal Stearns, a native of Harlowton with generations of ranchers, homesteaders and newsmen in his family, holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.A. and doctorate from UM. He taught for 34 years in Germany, at Sentinel High School and UM. Honored as Montana's Teacher of the Year and Outstanding U.S. History Teacher, he was the recipient of two "National Endowment for the Humanities" grants and was a Keizai Koho Fellow to Japan. He also served in the Montana Army National Guard for 35 years, attaining the rank of Brigadier General.
Sticks & Tones
2:00 PM to 2:45 PM, UC Atrium
Sticks and Tones is a quintet of traverso afficionados made up of Katherine Skinner, Marie Anne Hasenkrug, Sue Lynn Mayer, Blaise Wrenn and Kim Ashwell. The traverso, or “baroque flute,” was in vogue in the 17th century prior to the invention of the modern silver flute. We play on authentic reproductions that have a greater projection of sound causing music of the 17th and 18th century to be more intimate and come alive. In addition to music of the middle ages, we will be playing favorites of the season as well as a world premiere performance of a work specially commissioned for us.
Tangled Tones
1:15 PM to 2:30 PM, UC Commons
Be prepared for an exciting blend of all that Tangled Tones has to offer. Two programs from the studio will present music for all ages to enjoy. Living Rhythm will perform rhythms from around the world on West African drums and other percussion instruments. Playing With the Band will offer youth bands from the Missoula area that will perform original music in various genres from rock and punk to blues. Don’t miss out on a diverse and cultural event for the whole family! www.tangledtones.com
Tapas World Jazz Ensemble
10:30 PM to 11:15 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 326
Tapas, made up of guitarist/vocalist Nathan Zavalney, cellist Jen Slayden, keyboard/saxophonist Stephane Gariepy, bassist Ryan Davis, percussionist Michael Marsolek, and drummer Campbell Youngblood-Peterson, play a fusion of rhythmic jazz styles from around the world. The group draws from Brazilian Samba and Bossa Nova, Afro-Pop, Latin rhythms, Argentinian Tango , Eastern European Gypsy and Flamenco musical styles to create a musical flow that is full of exciting improvisation, highly danceable, and very engaging.
Janel Traver
4:15 PM to 5:00 PM, UC 3rd Floor Lobby
Janel Traver has been playing the harp since 2005. She plays harp for special events and composes many of her own songs. Janel has produced two CD's of original songs. First Night will include a mesmerizing array of familiar and original songs played on a Concert Grand Pedal Harp.
Trilllium Brass Trio
8:15 PM to 9:00 PM, UM Recital Hall
Trilllium Brass Trio plays music from the Baroque to Classical, to Modern era including many “old favorites” from the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. The trio consists of Elliott B. Oppenheim on trumpet, Mr. Steve Corn on French horn and Mr. Don Gisselbeck on trombone. We are professional musicians. The group is available for all occasions.
Turning the Wheel
5:30 PM to 6:15 PM, UC Ballroom
A Turning the Wheel “ROMP!” is interactive fun for everyone, no matter your age or ability. We will play with movement games that encourage spontaneity and self expression within community. Move, laugh, play, connect.
Intro to African Dance by Unity Dance & Drum
1:45 PM to 2:45 PM, Missoula Senior Center
Learn African Dance with Tarn Ream of Unity Dance and Drum! Tarn will teach an introductory West African dance class for people of all ages, accompanied by live drum music. She will teach moves specific to a traditional celebration dance, and show how the rhythms drive the movement. This is an energetic event, and a fun family activity for First Night celebrators!
Unity Dance & Drum
7:45 PM to 8:30 PM, UM Dennison Theatre
Unity Dance and Drum performs high-energy African music and dance—from the stomping, clapping, and slapping gumboot dances of South Africa to the athletic, drum-driven dances of West Africa—we bring you an exciting cultural experience complete with bright costumes, traditional songs, and tantalizing musical arrangements. Get ready to dance in the New Year!
Whippletree
9:00 PM to 10:00 PM, UM Dennison Theatre
Whippletree is an all-female Missoula power trio who hold their band meetings on a giant beanbag chair. Members Chelle Terwilliger, Caroline Keys and Amy Martin sing harmony, play various stringed instruments, write songs, and tuck kazoos into their brassiers for emergency purposes. While they enjoy playing all original sets to a sit-down audience, they are just as likely to be found on Higgins Ave singing the virtues of a potato or hooting like owls in a raptor rap song. Wikipedia says a whippletree is a "mechanism to distribute force evenly through the linkages" - come give these gals a listen and see if you agree!
The Whizpops!
2:15 PM to 3:00 PM, UC Theatre
The Whizpops! got their start as two elementary teachers who began writing educational songs for kids in their classrooms and playing concerts at local book stores to promote reading. Over the last five years, they have grown to a six-piece band with tons of energy to match their fans! www.thewhizpops.com
Without Annette
8:00 PM to 8:45 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 326
Without Annette is a Folk/Bluegrass foursome featuring Mark Chase on guitar and vocals, Carla Green on the double bass, Annalisa Ingengo on the fiddle and Jeff McLain on banjo and dobro. They play an eclectic mix of covers and original acoustic music with an honest, intense delivery.
Yemanja's Kitchen (Featured Artist)
5:15 PM to 6:00 PM, UM Dennison Theatre
Yemanja’s Kitchen is a Brazilian jazz band composed of Lee Heuermann (vocals, flute, piano), Magda Chaney (vocals), Chuck Florence (clarinet & saxaphone), David horgan & Tommy Pertis (guitars), Beth Lo (bass), and Bob LedBetter & Campbell Youngblood-Peterson (percussion), featuring the music of Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, traditional folk music and original compositions. “Yemanja” is the goddess of the sea, and in Brazilian music “the kitchen” refers to the rhythm section (piano, bass and drums), which is always cookin’.
Zeppo, MT
8:00 PM to 8:45 PM, UC Commons
Zeppo, MT is an eight piece Old School Rockin' Rhythm and Blues band with three horns keyboards, vocals, guitar, bass and drums for weddings, parties and concerts. Timeless music for all ages.
Lee Zimmerman
3:00 PM to 3:45 PM, UC 3rd Floor Room 326
Lee Zimmerman, Montana cellist, singer and songwriter, covers a broad range of music including, but not limited to Rennaisance, jazz, rock, and classical. Zimmerman has been playing First Night for over a decade and he’s not about to stop now. Come experience this eclectic mix of classical technique and free form improv, strung together with his five string and a sense of whimsy.