'Outlaw country' rocker to play local shows

Country rock musician Tim Montana will play two shows in the Flathead Valley this week.

He will play at 10 p.m. Wednesday at the Great Northern Bar and Grill in Whitefish and at 10 p.m. Thursday at the Blue Moon Nite Club at the corner of U.S. 2 and Montana 40 outside Columbia Falls.

Montana — whose real name is Tim Pasquino — is a Flathead Valley native who attended school at St. Matthew’s Parish School and in Kila before moving to Elk Park, 16 miles north of Butte.

After graduating from Butte High School, Montana left the state for Hollywood, Calif., to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician.

He later moved to the country music capital of the world, Nashville, Tenn., to play his own brand of “outlaw country rock.”

Montana’s song “Butte America,” which celebrates generations of hard-working miners and blue-collar workers in Butte, generated thousands of fans in Montana. Montana and his band have played at the city’s Evel Knievel Days celebration for the last three years and have drawn crowds 20,000 strong.

Montana teamed up with guitar virtuoso Johnny Hiland to produce his debut album, “Iron Horse,” which was mixed by Grammy-nominated engineer Jim Lightman and produced by Hiland.

His song “Country Life” was used by ESPN as the musical background to a video highlighting Evel Knivel Days 2008, and his song “Carhartt Cowboy” earned him an endorsement deal with Carhartt.

David Letterman invited Montana to play on his show after seeing a live concert. On the show, Montana met Paul Shaffer, who played on his latest album, “A Different Kind of Country.”

Montana will bring his full band with him this week.

The O’Connell Band will open for both shows.

The cover charge for both shows is $3 at the door. The concerts are hosted by 106.3 FM, “The Bear.”

For more information, visit timmontana.com.