Please join the Arts Council for the 2023 Music in the Mountains free summer concert season!  The shows take place in Len Hill Park in the Big Sky Town Center and are all family friendly and free! Food and beverage vendors will be available, and please remember that NO DOGS are allowed into the park during the concerts. Park opens at 6pm for the shows.


AUGUST 10 - California-based singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson is best known for his earnest, introspective adult alternative songs, but he’s also known to fans for live stage banter that borders on standup comedy. That wit is also evident in his lyrics, be they self-conscious, longing, or playful. He released a series of independent albums beginning with 1993’s Please before making his major-label debut in 2003 with his fifth LP, Beneath These Fireworks. Though he quickly returned to independent status, the Hot 100 singles “Come on Get Higher” (2007), “Faster” (2011), and “Run” featuring Sugarland (2011) followed later, as he became a regular on the Billboard 200. After edging his acoustic-minded singer/songwriter pop toward glossier production with 2011’s Modern Love, he reached a career-high number 16 in the U.S. with his eighth studio album, 2013’s Last of the Great Pretenders. He continued to chart with his albums throughout the rest of the decade and had an adult contemporary hit with the song “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” in 2019. Nathanson’s 2020s output included the personal Boston Accent (2022), his 13th studio album.

Freddy Jones Band has stood out as one of America’s most noteworthy and revered alternative rock acts for over three decades. In 2023, the band will mark the 30th Anniversary of their biggest hit, “In a Daydream,” which topped the Mainstream Rock Charts in the mid-90’s. To commemorate the milestone, Freddy Jones Band released a brand new version of “In a Daydream” in 2022, as well as their newest singles, “Connected” and “Mirror Ball.” Despite the band’s name, none of the members are named Freddy Jones. Freddy Jones Band is fronted by founding member, Marty Lloyd, who is joined by an all-star lineup that includes longtime band member and noted bassist, Rich Ross, who has also spent many years touring with The Samples. In addition to “In a Daydream,” Freddy Jones Band is known for other popular singles including “Take the Time,” “One World,” and many others. The band’s 2015 studio album, “Never Change,” was produced by three-time Grammy-winning producer and engineer Justin Niebank (Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley).

Opening the show at 6 p.m. will be local folk duo Benn and Abel.

AUGUST 17 - AJ Lee and Blue Summit made their first appearance in Santa Cruz in 2015. Led by singer, songwriter, and mandolinist, AJ Lee, the bluegrass band has performed all over the world, but finds home in California’s Bay Area. In 2019, they released their debut album, Like I Used To. Their second full length project, I’ll Come Back, came out August 2021 - with national touring in support of the record ongoing. Although falling loosely under the bluegrass label, AJLBS generally plays sans banjo, with Sullivan Tuttle and Scott Gates on steel stringed acoustic guitars, AJ on mandolin, Jan Purat on fiddle, and Chad Bowen on upright bass - a configuration effectively used to create unique space and texture in the arrangements not as commonly found in the music of their peers. Drawing from influences such as country, soul, swing, rock, and jam music, the band uses the lens of bluegrass as a vessel through which to express and explore the thread that binds and unifies all great music.

The Timber Rattlers are an energetic bluegrass band from Missoula, Montana. They pull inspiration from their traditional roots, but continue to push their boundaries in the realm of acoustic music.

AUGUST 24 - Early in their existence, Futurebirds’ balance of homespun roots and forward-thinking exploration made the band a favorite in and around their bohemian hometown. The 2009 release of their self-titled debut EP was followed the next year by their first full-length debut album, Hampton’s Lullaby. It was followed by the self-released EP Via Flamina, and the limited-edition 2011 Record Store Day release Live at Seney-Stovall Chapel, which sold out on the day of its release. Futurebirds continued to build its fan base by touring relentlessly, sharing bills with the likes of Drive-By Truckers, Widespread Panic, Heartless Bastards and Alabama Shakes and performing at such prestigious festivals as Austin City Limits, Outside Lands, Hangout, Wakarusa, Forecastle and Bonnaroo. Futurebirds was also featured on 2011’s Bonnaroo Buzz tour, playing between Gary Clark Jr. and headliner Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. The band’s newest EP, Bloomin’ Too, is a benchmark that not only celebrates 13 years together, it’s also a testament to the sheer iron will of a group of musicians hungry for the fruits of its labor.

Bozeman’s The Dead and Down was started as a duo project between songwriter Taylor Burlage and guitarist James Burne. After a year of gigging they amassed a solid local following in their hometown of Bozeman, Montana. Through a series of chance mishaps and lucky breaks they added Josh Higginbottom on drums, Matt Angelo on keys, and Dave Efries on bass to create a truly Montanan sound that reflects their eclectic backgrounds.

AUGUST 31 - Jesse Daniel with emerging artist Marcedes Carroll based out of Belgrade

SEPTEMBER 7 -  - Pinky and the Floyd, Bozeman's Own!