Bring out the baskets
Kalispell outdoor concert series begins this week
The popular Depot Park summer concert series, sponsored by Kalispell Parks and Recreation, kicks off for another season on Tuesday with Jack Gladstone, followed by Frank O'Brien Jr. on Wednesday.
Tuesday concerts are from 7 to 9 p.m.; Wednesday lunchtime concerts run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Concerts are free; food and beverages are available for purchase.
For more information, call 758-7718.
Gladstone, a Blackfeet Indian, tells traditional stories and sings original songs to convey the history, mythology and culture of the American Indians through his show, "Native Reflections."
"I love audiences between 6 and 96, people who desire to take a journey in time and depart from their own perspectives," Gladstone says.
Gladstone's sense of humor shines through his stories and songs, such as in "Hudson's Bay Blues," his tongue-in-cheek look at the fur trade and the contemporary "shopping culture".
Many of Gladstone's songs focus on people, even members of his family. "Speak to Me, Grandma" is a touching eulogy to his late grandmother, the source of Gladstone's Blackfeet oral tradition. "With the flash of a smile and the drop of a tear, she could portray those stories," he recalls. When his grandmother passed away in 1980, Gladstone realized "all that wasn't remembered by her children and grandchildren was gone forever."
Through his songs and music, Gladstone inspires his audience to take new perspectives and empathize with people from past eras and forgotten cultures.
In the past 20 years, Gladstone has released 13 critically acclaimed, independently produced CDs. His 1997 release, "Buffalo Caf/," was featured listening aboard the May 2000 flight of the space shuttle Atlantis as well as returning to space with Astronaut John B. Herrington on the 2002 flight of the United States Space Shuttle, Endeavour.
Most recently, "Tappin' the Earth's Backbone" was placed on the entry list for the 2004 Grammy awards.
O'Brien, a singer/songwriter and teacher from Whitefish, will be playing children's music in a spontaneous, fun show.
Influenced by traditional folk and bluegrass music, as well as contemporary acoustic artists such as Townes Van Zandt and Jim Croce, O'Brien's style imparts a youthful originality while retaining an old-time feel.
O'Brien started his musical career in the open-microphone scene in upstate New York and Long Island, playing in local coffee shops and pubs, a kinship with other local musicians sparked the formation of his progressive rock group, Shankis. For nearly 10 years Frank and his band played the bar and theatre circuits from New York to Colorado with his progressive roc group, Shankis.
While O'Brien was writing and playing progressive rock songs for the group, he was also composing very traditionally styled folk/bluegrass songs.
During a hiatus from the band, O'Brien gave right-of-way to his deep passion for the traditions of American roots music. This journey led him into the studio to record his debut solo album "Found" on Haystack Records.
With a talented backing band or solo, O'Brien has shared the stage with such acoustic contemporaries as Tony Furtado, Judith Edelman, The Larry Keel Experience, Chris Proctor, Steve Young, Vance Gilbert and Eliza Gilkyson. He was recognized as a semifinalist in the Great American Songwriting contest in 2000, finalist at the Telluride Troubadour Contest 2001. He was also included on the Oasis Acoustic compilation alongside other contemporary folk artists such as Greg Brown and The Indigo Girls.
The rest of the schedule follows:
June 27: Montana Bear Grass, bluegrass
June 28: Loose Project Band, bluegrass/acoustic rock
July 4: Jack Waller and Quintet, modern jazz '
July 5: David Boone, folk, pop and rock
July 11: Deja Vu, retro rock
July 12: Chip Jasmin, storyteller, children's show
July 18: Tropical Montana Marimba Ensemble, island rhythms
July 19: La Nota, classic jazz, blues, pop
July 25: Erik "Fingers" Ray, country, rock played by one-man band
July 26: String Crossings, classical masterpieces to popular love songs
Aug. 1: Andre Floyd and Mood Iguana, storytelling and blues
Aug. 2: Willson and McKee, Celtic music
Aug. 8: Trish, Hans and Phil, jazz
Aug. 9: Larry Myer, acoustic folk and rock
Aug. 15: It's A Whale, jazz, rock, pop
Aug. 16: Tra le Gael, Celtic
Aug. 22: Cocinando, Afro-Cuban dance band
Aug. 23: Landslide, classic rock
Aug. 29: Big Daddy and the Blue Notes, danceable blues