Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • W I N T E R 2 0 1 9 52 A SK YOURSELF: WHAT DOES MONTANA SOUND LIKE? e bugle of an elk, or the burble of a stream over rocks? Maybe it's the hiss of tires on a wet road at night, the lonely cry of a freight train at night, or the silence after a snow. MILTON MENASCO AND THE BIG FIASCO, BOZEMAN MILTON MENASCO – VOCALS, GUITAR • DANIEL BOTELER – BASS GUITAR • DUSTIN VAN RY – DRUMSEN www.miltonmenasco.com Milton Menasco and the Big Fiasco are a rollicking, boot-stomping reggae/country/rock act from Gallatin County, which has toured the nation but always loves coming back to play for home crowds. ey're adept to mixing influences in their signature way, like in the reggae-flavored cover of Johnny Cash's "Burning Ring of Fire". When Menasco moved to Montana 20 years ago, he says he was surprised at the range of acts that traveled through the state, including international acts working in genres that aren't traditionally associated with Montana: "One of the things that really made an impression on me were the great reggae acts like e Wailers, Steel Pulse and Black Urhu that would play here. Whenever I play Bob Marley's "Roots Rock Reggae" live, I always feel that Montana vibe." And playing reggae, or reggae/country/rock, is a Montana tradition that Milton Menasco and the Big Fiasco continue to this day, entertaining large crowds with stomping music. And not just covers, either. Many of his own songs are inspired by Montana, which he says "has a profound effect on my song writing and songs." Most particularly, he says, "'Living the Dream' is about getting away from the city and finding your passion in the wild", and his song "In the Belly", which he describes as "about how through the mountains, skiing, etc, we get depth of soul." In fact, he says, many of his songs are "directly about my expe- riences and love for this incredible place." Listen to a song by Britt Arnesen www.distinctlymontana.com/britt191 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL Or could it be that the Montana sound is something a little more rhythmic, something you could tap your foot to? If so, it's a sound you can hear most weekends and a lot of week- nights too, at bars and concert venues all over Montana, because among the Treasure state's treasures are some of its remarkably talented and dedicated bands. And you know they're dedicated? Because you'd have to be to brave a Montana winter to play a gig. We asked some of Montana's working bands, from a variety of genres, what they think is the Montana sound that exemplifies the state, whether a song about Montana, written by Montanans, or that just reminds you of Montana. by JOSEPH SHELTON W HA T IS T H E O F M ON T ANA ? SOUND

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