Sunshine has finally hit the Gallatin valley. People are bringing out the shorts and flip-flops and looking for places to ride their bikes and set up their camp chairs. Here are a few upcoming musical options to help you do just that (although you may not be able to bike to all of them).

David Allen Coe at the Emerson
June 21st. Tickets are going fast for this outlaw country music singer and the two local openers — The Tom Cook Band and the Bad Intentions. Tickets are $28 and are available at Cactus Records or online at www.cactusrecords.net/.

James McMurtry at the Emerson June 22nd.
See this Texas rock and country singer the following night for $27. Tickets are also available from Cactus Records.

Big Sky Brewery in MSLA teams up with the Knitting Factory
The Knitting Factory along with Big Sky Brewery in Missoula Montana welcomes to their outdoor ampetheatre The one and only, Primus, on Sunday, June 17. Heavy Metal icons KORN on Wednesday June 27, and the great sounds of Wilco Thursday, June 28. All tickets for shows at the Big Sky Brewery can be purchased by calling (877) 435-9849 or online at TICKETFLY.com – For more information please visit Big Sky Brewery or The Knitting Factory

Headwaters Country Jam at the Bridge in Three Forks
June 28-30. Featuring Joe Nichols, Justin Moore, Aaron Tippin, Kentucky Headhunters, JT Hodges, Joe Diffle and Frankie Ballard, as well as regional bands including 10ft Tall and 80 Proof and the Bad Intentions. Tickets are $120 for all three days, $50 for one day or $260 for the weekend package — two adult tickets and a campsite. You can find tickets at Lucky Lil’s Casino on Main or online at tickets. Headwaters.com

Music on Main in Downtown Bozeman
Thursday evenings from June 28-August 16. Any Bozemanite is familiar with this yearly free event, with its ginormous block party atmosphere and the good music. The Clintons kick off the event on June 28th, followed by the highly energetic Andy Frasco (July 5th), the Yogoman Burning Band (July 12th), local independent funk band Cure for the Common (July 19th), Polecat (July 26th), Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams (August 2nd), Kane’s River (August 9th), and footstompin’ Whitewater Ramble (August 16th).

Music in the Mountains at the Town Center Park in Big Sky
Thursday evenings from July 12-September 6. If Music on Main is trite or too rambunctious for you, try going to Big Sky with your camp chair and enjoy another free event from the Big Sky Arts Council. The bands this year are (in chronological order): The B-Side Players, The Black Lillies, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, the Clumsy Lovers, the Elders, John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Mike Beck and the Bohemian Saints, the Cold Hard Cash Show, and local favorites, Pinky & the Floyd.

8th Annual Targhee Fest in Alta WY
July 13-15. A tasty blend of rock, blues, folk, reggae and Americana in one of the most unique and stunning settings in the Rocky Mountains, Alta WY just four hours from Bozeman, and a beautiful drive. Enjoy the tunes of Toots and the Maytals, Lucinda Williams, Drive by Truckers, Chris Robinson’s Brotherhood, Railroad Earth, Trixie Whitley, The Wood Brothers, Joe Pug, JJ Grey and Mofro, Black Joe Lewis and Honeybears, Trigger Hiffpy featuring Joan Osborne and Jackie Greene, Paul Thorn, Brokedown in Backersfield featuring Tim and Nicki Bluhm, and the Hooligans. With the 13,000 foot Grand Tetons as your backdrop, the Grand Targhee Resort becomes your playground for live music, camping, mountain biking, hiking, chairlift rides, swimming and soaking up the sun. Grand Targhee.com

Farmageddon Records Music Festival in West Yellowstone
July 20-22. Created to “celebrate contemporary American roots music by showcasing the emerging and established artists of Farmageddon Records,” this three-day festival will be held in the foothills surrounding Hebgen Lake. Artists include, among many others, Shooter Jennings, Southern Culture on the Skids, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Eerie Von, and Black Eyed Vermillion. Tickets are $42.50/day if purchased in advance and can be found at Cactus Records or at Farmageddon.

Red Ants Pants in White Sulphur Springs
July 26-29. The successful festival is back again this year with music that’s sure to get you dancing in the cow pasture outside of White Sulphur Springs in which it’s held. The festival will be expanded to include a street dance in downtown WSS with Little Jane and the Pistol Whips on Thursday, July 26th. The rest of the festival will feature performances from Emmylou Harris and the Red Dirt Band, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Justin Townes Earle, Rodney Crowell, Billy Joe Shaver, and the always-entertaining Wylie and the Wild West. Tickets are $115 for the weekend and $45/day if purchased in advance. Find tickets online at Red Ants Pants.

Sweet Pea Festival in Lindley Park
August 3-5. Promoting and cultivating the arts through music this year at Sweet Pea with be Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket, as well as Texan’s Hot Club of Cowtown, and local Bluegrass pickers The Bridger Creek Boys. Get your dancing shoes ready! All music acts at this year’s festival are going to be performing on our Main Stage. More music will be announced as it is confirmed at http://www.sweetpeafestival.org and the Sweet Pea Facebook page.

Rockin’ the Rivers at the Bridge in Three Forks
August 10-12. This year’s lineup is chock-full as always, with acts like the Kenny James Miller Band, Airstream Safari, Rocksugar, Jared Stewart, Blue Jack and Appetite for Deception. Tickets are $55/day and $140 for three days if purchased in advance and can be found at Cactus Records.

Classic Music Festival at the Town Center Park in Big Sky
August 10-12. If Rockin’ the Rivers is a little too dirty or expensive for your tastes, check out the Classic Music Festival that same weekend. This free event is hosted by composer Eric Funk and will feature the Boston Brass (Friday), Enso String Quartet (Saturday), and Imani Winds (Sunday). Music starts at 6 PM on Friday and Saturday and at 3 PM on Sunday.

Magic City Blues Festival in Billings MT
August 9-12. Downtown Billings hosts the 11th annual Magic City Blues Festival this August. Night shows will be on Montana Avenue with day performances in South Park. The unique settings and fabulous lineups along with natural Montana hospitality make for a festival dreams are made of. Tickets available at Magic City Blues

Whether your fix is country, rock, folk or from a band called “So and so and the so and so’s,” there are musical events all summer long to give you enough reasons to invest proper time in developing a lasting butt impression in your bike seat and camp chair while you soak in the sunshine.

Mike Tarrant has entered the real world after graduating in Music Technology and Economics from Montana State University in 2011. He can be reached at mtarrant24@gmail.com