Coty Hogue at Live from the Divide on Friday,  May 6th at 9pm (doors at 8pm)

“Coty Hogue’s got something different in her. Maybe it’s from growing up in a Montana town several orders of magnitude below “small;” maybe it comes from immersing herself in a folk music tradition that extends back for centuries. Whatever it is, you’d be hard-pressed to put your finger on it. But when Coty picks up her banjo and lets her voice out, there it is. You’d think she’s a pretty young gal, but her voice gives her away when she sings those fine old Appalachian songs. That voice, pitched low and steady, keeps raising chills. Then she’ll apologize for playing too many sad songs in a row and launch into a fast-picking barnburner. Frequently accompanied by Aaron Guest (12-string guitar) and Kat Bula (fiddle), Coty’s song selection runs the gamut of American roots music- a little blues, a pinch of swing, a spoonful of classic Opry. Coty grew up with horses and big sky in Philipsburg, Montana- population just over 900. She left in the early half of the decade for an education in Bellingham, Washington. That sweet, subdued little city- long known for its thriving roots music community- became home. Over the next few years, Coty played all over town, traded songs with anyone she could find, and learned how to play any stringed instrument she could get her hands on.”