Satsang is a power trio creating a unique blend of soul, folk-rock, and hip-hop. Satsang delivers lyrics that come from and are rooted in change, growth, awareness, and imperfection. The live show is everything that the band name suggests: a gathering of people to assimilate and share their truths. The rhythms put forth by the band keep everyone on their feet, and the lyrics leave them craving active and positive change. Satsang has toured all over the country and has shared the stage with the likes of Michael Franti & Spearhead, Steel Pulse, Nahko and Medicine for the People, Trevor Hall, Chris Berry, Mike Love, Jon Wayne and the Pain, Tubby Love, and many more.

Lead singer and songwriter Drew McManus creates music for his soul, fueled by the ever present task of personal growth and the beautiful life that he found in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana. Commenting on his difficult upbringing in Des Moines and residency in Chicago, McManus says, “I grew up in an environment where aggression, violence, abuse, and addiction were always present. It made me a lot of things; angry, sad, and ashamed. I hated my story and I was a slave to addiction. I tried for so long to hide from the reality of my story and the reality of how beautiful life could be.” It wasn’t until an intense spiritual experience lead Drew to break his cycle of addiction. “I had changed my entire outlook on everything” say McManus, “I began to realize that had everything not happened to me exactly like it did, I would not be exactly who/where/what I am right now.” In an effort to share his revelation with others who may be in the same predicament, Drew began to write every day. “I was flooded with the urge to write down the lessons that kept revealing themselves in this surrender. And the connections I began making with other people by making this music vulnerable and open, began to change everything.” These songs are a statement of lessons learned and a further understanding of self. “The whole story is what makes it beautiful, not just the good bits.”

Satsang released their sophomore album Pyramids in March of 2017 and saw it quickly rise to #1 on the Billboard Reggae charts and #2 on the iTunes charts. We also surprise-released a new EP, In Between Another Blink on 12/6 and had it crack the top 20 on the iTunes Singer/ Songwriter chart with no advance promotion. The band spent the majority of the past year touring in support of Michael Franti & Spearhead, Trevor Hall, Wookiefoot, and Nahko & Medicine for the People creating legions of fans from coast to coast.

"For a generation lost in a sea of mindless beats and meaningless words, Satsang is a breath of fresh air. In a time where poetry feeds and stems from rebellion and roots music resurfaces as the anchor for social justice and people powered movements, these kinds of troubadours are imperative for greater change. I am honored to be witnessing these young men hold a torch for positivity and love in the struggle and remind us all that change takes hard work, but together we can preserve a world that we all want to live in.” - Nahko

" I welcome Satsang warmly to my senses. I'm instantly drawn to the familiar style of singing that devours island radio; caught off guard by harmonic elements. I like this!" - HIRIE

"Satsang is a Sanskrit word that translates to mean “being with the truth.” Satsang (the band), is a Montana-based trio, creating some of the most exciting underground and conscious music released today. Their Americana style is at times part folk, part melodic hip hop.” - Rootfire

WES URBANIAK

Urbaniak's experimental expressionism puts fire to the gasoline structure of folk music. As his songwriting began to develop and his content deepen, he began pursuing the absolute dynamics of the solo musician in real time and continually reinvested what was being learned into his artistry. His songwriting can be thought of as a quilting of life lived, lessons learned, humility sought, and understanding earned through the processes of becoming a steady and thoughtful man.

In support of that Mountain Folk music that Urbaniak plays, he has brought on some other stringed-talent to help develop the dynamic and the melodic themes for the stories that he delivers. After facing off with some heavy realities, Urbaniak took up finding and building up fire inside of himself. The message he brings with him is a simple one, but an important one: The change in me is the change in you. This single string of thought winds it's way in and out of his latest sixth/seventh albums, Hippo + Crate / The Adelphos, and is primary to the work he is doing now, called The Long Walk.

Another way Urbaniak is tying knots on the fraying end sits within his approach to the image of self. “The work a person does, the way they live, the ideas they sew, all give way to what the person might look like on the inside as presented to the outside world. This is important; this lining up of what we say and what we do. It gives a truth to our journey....” When Urbaniak began building instruments, a common question arose in conversation – where does the wood come from? While trying to secure some materials, Urbaniak was confronted with a depleting supply of wood and a growing concern for harvest methods. Trees are being wiped out on a mass scale for the purpose of instruments – it is not good. Urbaniak began to experiment with alternatives like pallet wood, plywood scraps, old wood flooring, etcetera; and then something good happened. He was presented with the opportunity to scrap a defunct piano. What a beautiful resource. All those years of music being played on a piano that can now become bracing and occasionally a guitar soundboard, once again for the purpose of music.

Urbaniak's guitars, and all the instruments he records his albums with, and several that his group play with, were built with a large amount of repurposed material by Urbaniak. They also have Urbaniak's voice and are recognized as being as much art as function, each with its own distinct soul and spirit. Often enough, they even look like the person playing them. Out and in.

DJ AJ

DJAJ is Aaron Hjelt. He has been a stalwart of Progressive House music since first taking to the airwaves at Montana State University’s KGLT FM in 2001. Although Aaron is versatile with all sub-genres of House, his specialty is the deep and melodic sophistication that is delivered during extended Progressive sets. Between 2002 to 2007, Aaron’s Progression Session event mixed House music, art, dance, and performance during a single evening, culminating with epic dance floor finales. Since then, Aaron has preferred to bring his mix to secret house parties and intimate venues that bring everyone together for an uplifting crescendo. Some of DJAJ’s mixes can be found at https://www.mixcloud.com/aaronhjelt/.