Arts Council director reflects on Music in the Mountains

By Mario Carr EBS CONTRIBUTOR

It ended with metal. 

“We always say we do all kinds of music,” said Brian Hurlbut, executive director of the Arts Council of Big Sky. “So why don’t we live up to our word and do some heavy metal and see what happens?”

Music in the Mountains wrapped up its summer season on Thursday, Sept. 15 with a bonus “Metal in the Mountains” concert featuring headline act by Big Sky’s Scavenger, and another local band, Stoneman’s Way. This was the last of 14 free concerts over a 12-week period. Hurlbut was very pleased with the community response to the first-ever Metal in the Mountains concert, and the other 13 shows. The Arts Council is excited to keep the tradition going as next year will be the 15th anniversary of Music in the Mountains at Len Hill Park.

“I was really happy with all the bands this summer. I thought it was just a great summer for music in general,” Hurlbut told EBS.

Some of the most noteworthy performances this year included Matt Nathanson and the Freddy Jones Band on Aug. 10, and the Futurebirds on Aug. 24. Hurlbut said it was a lot of fun to bring in a well known artist like Nathanson and was also happy to bring the Futurebirds back for their second time at Music in the Mountains—the Georgia group has gained notoriety since playing in a snowstorm in June of 2019. Hurlbut was also excited about the community response to Paco Versailles on July 6, which consisted of flamenco guitar rhythms and disco-leaning electronic production. 

“And then of course, Pinky and the Floyd on September 7 was really one of the biggest shows we’ve ever seen in the park,” Hurlbut said. 

Hurlbut also mentioned great attendance throughout the entire summer, and noted that the last couple of shows are always the biggest due to the influx of college students coming from Bozeman.

With a geofence from the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce, the Arts Council can track cell phone usage for a rough head count at the concerts. 

“We started off with that first show on June 22—there were over 3,000 people there and that’s kind of like the benchmark right now and we hit that on several shows… We’ve definitely seen it grow year to year,” Hurlbut told EBS.

Through a variety of musical genres and including opening bands from Montana for all 14 concerts this year, Hurlbut and the Arts Council hope to show the community just how much great music can be found in our state. 

While the Arts Council doesn’t track economic data for visiting vendors and local businesses in the area, Hurlbut said they generally get really positive feedback about the concerts and the business they bring to the town. The only negative feedback Hurlbut could recall was a singular noise complaint this summer. 

“Our goal is to bring everybody together through Music in the Mountains and bring music to our community. It is one of the few events where there’s no barrier for entry. Anybody can come, it’s free, it’s open to all ages, family-friendly. So we really do want everybody to experience it,” Hurlbut emphasized. 

He explained that it’s a lot of work to organize these free concerts—and it’s not free. 

“So I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the people that funded us, like the Resort Tax [board] and all the sponsors that contribute to bring this to the community because it does get more and more expensive every year and it’s not an easy event to put on,” Hurlbut explained.

It’s a long summer for the Arts Council staff, but it’s one of their favorite projects. Hurlbut and his team are grateful for the entire community of businesses that support Music in the Mountains, and of course, all those that attend.