By Taylor Owens CONTENT MARKETING LEAD
Live From the Divide is a cornerstone of Bozeman’s vibrant music scene. Located in the Northeast Neighborhood in a century-old brick-and-wood building near the old rail yard, this historic venue sets the stage for a unique musical experience. With a limited capacity of just 50 enthusiastic audience members, the intimate space offers a unique opportunity to experience up-and-coming singer-songwriters in a location that breaks away from the norm for concerts these days.
Every month, talented artists—from national headliners, to regional gems, and local favorites—grace the small stage, creating up-close-and-personal encounters with raw acoustics and emotional resonance. At Live From the Divide, the atmosphere transcends the conventional concert experience, bridging the gap between artists and a discerning audience.
On July 25, Early James, an Alabama singer-songwriter took the Live From the Divide stage in front of a rapt audience. His music transcended the easy-to-categorize, becoming more of an amalgamation of delta, country and blues, leaving the audience stomping their feet in the rows of seating and hooting and hollering along with him.
James belted out lyrics that held humor and wit, as well as themes of darkness and strangeness. James has been known to say that even he doesn’t always know what his lyrics mean, filling his songs with interesting turns of phrase.
Live From the Divide’s small venue allowed for an up-close and personal show with James. Throughout the 80-minute performance, James frequently interacted with the crowd, asking questions and laughing with guests.
“Where do you think we go when we die,” James asked the crowd, teeing up his next song.
“We die,” and “reincarnation,” were the crowd’s consensuses.
“If we do come back, what would you want to be?” James asked.
“A bald eagle,” one crowd member said.
James then closed his eyes and started into his next song “If Heaven is a Hotel.”
“The fact that it’s a place to actually sit down and listen to what people are saying,” Dane Andrew Thomsen, venue manager at Live From the Divide, said. “It’s a party, but it’s a very subtle party. These small 50-seat listening rooms don’t really exist in a lot of places so it’s a niche venue in a lot of ways and there’s just not a lot of chances for these artists to come into a room like this that’s not a bar or a club and have people sit and fully give their attention for more than an hour.”
Artists such as Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Colter Wall and Charley Crockett have graced the Live From the Divide stage in years past. The opportunity to see such big names in music in such a small setting is rare if not almost impossible with the prevalence of larger concert venues.
“I’ve been here for 15 years and officially in 2012, I started to do ticketed shows,” Jason Wickens, owner of Live From the Divide, said. “The inspiration was just being a songwriter myself and just a fan of songwriters. So I just started asking my favorite songwriters to play and to my surprise, a few of them said yes. And then, more said yes.”
From its spot in the Northeast Neighborhood, Live From the Divide has firmly found its place in the creative and artistic cultural fabric of Bozeman’s north side.
“The second I walked in [the building], I was obsessed with the history and the whole vibe of this place,” Wickens said. “I started with a commercial recording studio and then I just started booking artists to play in the front room. There was nothing in there. We would put them on the floor, set up a few speakers. This literally is grassroots, like as much as you possibly can imagine. But what’s really incredible is that the community early on took to it.”
Live From the Divide has impacted the Bozeman music scene by providing a dedicated space for American Roots music and fostering a community of passionate artists and fans.
“I actually interned here 12 years ago,” Thomsen said. “That was my first job in music, and this area was the closest thing you could get to the wrong side of the tracks in Bozeman. Watching the neighborhood grow and make space for us here has been truly special.”
In the years since Thomsen’s internship, the Northeast Neighborhood has undergone significant transformation. Once considered a less desirable part of town near the railroad tracks, it has since blossomed into a dynamic area where businesses like Wild Crumb, Biome Slowcraft, Alter Cycles, Gangbusters Pottery and Beringia, have taken up residence.
“Live From the Divide has been considered a hidden gem of Bozeman for so long but now the word is out,” Thomsen said. “People are coming. We get a bunch of first-timers every single show, and it’s just a joy watching the community be here with us and watching it grow with us. It’s a fantastic feeling that we’re still here, and we’re still rocking out and having a good time.”
Learn more about Live from the Divide’s upcoming shows.
