FRIDAY

Eduardo Garcia is an American celebrity chef and the co-founder of Montana Mex. He is known as the "bionic chef" because he cooks with a prosthetic left arm, the result of an accident while hunting in 2011. Eduardo has been featured in numerous top-their food media outlets and has appeared as a guest judge on the tv series “Chopped”. Combining a passion for bold, simple, everyday cooking with his Mexican roots, Eduardo aims to serve food that has the shortest journey and strongest connections between source, the chef, and you.

SATURDAY

Tournant is an open fire cooking and events company based in the Pacific Northwest. Tournant’s soulful approach to food reflects a sense of place and ceremony, drawing inspiration from the seasons and local bounty from land, river and sea. Through immersive outdoor dining experiences and a signature farm to fire cooking style, Tournant seeks to create lasting and meaningful moments around the table.

SUNDAY

Denzel Mitchell and Spike Gjerde, two mainstays of the dynamic Baltimore food scene, are loading their coolers with fresh Chesapeake oysters and crab and heading west. Their destination is this year’s Old Salt Festival in Helmville, where they will combine the bay’s bounty with pastured Montana meats to create an epic take on the traditional mid-Atlantic Bull and Oyster Roast.

SUNDAY

It is beyond cliche to say someone has an “old soul,” but Zach Aaron, a Cleveland, Texas-based singer/songwriter, who is just a few years into his thirties, fits that overused description if anyone does. His elegantly tarnished tenor voice, fingerpicked guitar melodies and mix of raw honesty and abstract sentiments in his lyrics make him seem of a different time than many of his contemporaries, yet timeless, all the same. 

SATURDAY

Long- time fans of Arman will recognize the song from her viral performance video, shot by Western AF in a Montana rail link boxcar, where the world was introduced to her distinct, sultry lope. Against the bucolic and industrial backdrop of the video, Arman is clearly in her element, clad with ranch worn clothing. It is obvious she lives a lifestyle many romanticize, but few truly understand. However, Arman is more than just a cowboy, singing her lonely songs. 

SUNDAY

Zia Blue's voice is buttery and soulful and belongs to a melodic storyteller. Resembling Adele's deep, crisp tone, while often replicating the flavorful texture that Yebba has perfected, Zia Blue is a talented vocalist far beyond her years.

SATURDAY

Indigenous singer-songwriter, Christian Wallowing Bull resides in Wyoming, just outside the Wind River Reservation. With familial relations to the Wind River, as an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, his heart as a storyteller is to represent his own indigenous roots, and to bridge perspective and healing to the lives of those indigenous, as well as non-indigenous.

SUNDAY

Summer Dean puts on a hell-of-a show.  Armed with three albums, constant tours, and a hot five-piece band behind her, Summer struts onto every stage with the confidence and vulnerability of a songstress that has cemented her place among the top rank Texas tunesmiths. Her live show takes the concert goer on a ride of original songs blending bravado, vulnerability, and a novelist’s eye for detail. Whether with her full band or all by herself, listeners and watchers are treated to an authentic, funny, and honest storyteller performing her way into legendary status. 

SATURDAY

Steeped in the traditions of roots music, the journey of country songwriter Sterling Drake has taken him from the Big Cypress of south Florida to the mountains of western Montana and everywhere in between. With a penchant for honest storytelling, Sterling weaves his own perspective into the American songbook, often highlighting a strong sense of place through both natural imagery and cultural context.

SATURDAY

Mallory Eagle is one of Oklahoma’s best kept secrets...for now that is. Her voice is strong as a heavy pour of whiskey and smoother than a dancehall. She is a native Oklahoman but spent the last few years based out of Nashville, TN touring and working. 

SUNDAY

Tony is an evocative and soulful singer, a wide-ranging songwriter and a virtuoso multi-instrumental-ist adept on banjo, cello-banjo, slide guitar and baritone ukulele who mixes and matches sounds and styles with the flair of a master chef (he’s also an accomplished sculptor, but that’s another story).

FRIDAY

Brennan Scott Greene is a singer songwriter from Spearman Texas. He grew up farming and ranching with his family there at the top of the panhandle, while learning how to play guitar and several other instruments. Currently Brennan spends his time day working, starting colts, songwriting, and playing shows where he can in the country/western scene.

FRIDAY

From the plains of Colorado, Kade Hoffman brings a new voice to the contemporary Western lifestyle. His songs are rich in both tradition and the youthful adventure that is growing up on the range. A reflection of tremendous heart and energy, he writes with wisdom and wonder, tackling the dark and bright sides of rural life.

SATURDAY

From bittersweet ballad to gritty barn burner, Noeline Hofmann brings the glowing expanse of the Plains to the stage- a voice with the golden charm of a meadowlark and lyricism with the strike of a rattlesnake. As observed by Whiskey Riff, “this girl walks the walk and talks the talk.” 

FRIDAY

The Last Revel is a four-piece folk group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Utilizing their multi-instrumental abilities, members Lee Henke, Ryan Acker, Vincenzio Donatelle and Lauren Anderson (they / them) bring a full spectrum of modern Americana to life with lush arrangements of four-part vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, upright bass, fiddle, and 5-string banjo to consistently support impassioned performances of their honest and heartfelt songwriting. 

FRIDAY

As a top act in the region, Tris Munsick & the Innocents continue to climb, sharing their brand of Western country with audiences near and far.  They have broken the mold with their unique blend of traditional and modern country, and fans resonate deeply with the authenticity ever-present in their music.  

SATURDAY

Emily Nenni has emerged as one of the freshest and most electrifying voices in Nashville, with a sound  rooted in classic honky-tonk and spiked with serious country, soul and rock 'n' roll fire, and   sweet-and-sassy lyrics that chronicle hard living, heartbreak and other universal truths about the human condition.

FRIDAY

Rob Quist, a multifaceted artist and musician, is a notable figure in Montana's cultural landscape. Quist has made significant contributions to the state's music scene over the years. Quist's musical journey gained momentum with the formation of the Mission Mountain Wood Band in the 1970's, a country-rock group that gained national acclaim.

FRIDAY

It’s always illuminating to ask an artist how they understand music, but Eli West’s perspective is nothing short of ground-breaking. A trained designer, he sees music architecturally, visualizing his compositions spatially. 

SUNDAY

Rob Wolf, an emerging Nashville recording artist, hails originally from Livingston, Montana, where the vast landscapes and rugged experiences of the West deeply influence his songwriting. His musical style echoes the golden age of country, characterized by the soulful strains of steel guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, complemented by his captivating high tenor voice.

INDIGENOUS STEWARDSHIP OF THE RANGE - SUNDAY

Dr. Shane Doyle is a Montana-based scholar, teacher, and community advocate whose work focuses on the history and heritage of Native American tribes of the Northern Great Plains. Shane is an enrolled member of the Apsáalooke Nation (also known as the Crow Tribe), and he holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Montana State University. Whether designing educational curriculums, making films, or singing Northern Plains tribal music, Shane is always focused on serving his community.

COOKFIRE READING - SUNDAY

Debra Magpie Earling is the author of the novels Perma Red and The Lost Journals of Sacajewea winner of the 2023 Montana Book Award. She is the recipient of the Montana Governor’s Arts Award, and has received both a Guggenheim and NEA fellowship. The Atlantic Monthly recently listed Perma Red as one of the Great American Novels of the last 100 years. She is Bitterroot Salish.

CONVERSATION W/ ED ROBERSON - SUNDAY

Mike Foote is an endurance athlete, business owner, and conservationist.  He is a long-time North Face athlete who has stood on the podium of some of the world's largest ultrarunning races, competed on the US ski mountaineering national team, and traced his own lines through the mountains over the last 15 years. He's also the owner and race director of one of the largest trail running events in North America, The Rut Mountain Runs. 

MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE PODCAST - FRIDAY

Hal Herring is an award-winning journalist and contributing editor at Field and Stream magazine. He has written for publications that range from the Atlantic Monthly and the Economist to Creative Nonfiction and Orion, and specializes in deeply reported, long-form journalism stories and essays. Hal is the host of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Podcast and Blast, with over 177 episodes published so far. A lifelong outdoorsman, mountaineer, hunter and fisherman, Hal is based in Augusta, Montana.

POETRY READING - SUNDAY

Widely published across genres and forms, Allen Morris Jones is the author of three novels, two children’s books (including the Spur Award-winning Montana for Kids), a highly regarded look at the ethics of hunting, a collection of poetry (recently named a Montana Book Award honor book), and more than 100 published personal essays, profiles, short stories, and other incidental pieces. He has worked as a magazine editor (Big Sky Journal), as an acquisitions editor (Lyons Press / Globe Pequot Press), small press publisher (Bangtail Press), and as a university Communications Director. He lives in Bozeman, Montana, with his wife and son.

MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE PODCAST - SATURDAY

Betsy Gaines Quammen is a historian and writer. She received a PhD from Montana State University where she studied religion, history and the philosophy of science. Her dissertation focused on Mormon history and the roots of armed public land conflicts occurring in the United States. She is fascinated at how religious views shape relationships to landscape. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, New York Daily News, and the History News Network. She is the author of American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God, and Public Lands in the West and True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America. Betsy lives in Montana with her husband, writer David Quammen, three giant dogs, a sturdy cat, and a lanky rescue python. 

MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE PODCAST + MODERATOR

Ed Roberson is a Colorado-based conservationist and the creator of Mountain & Prairie, a top-ranked podcast that has been recognized by the Aspen Institute, MeatEater, Patagonia, Apple Podcasts, The Nature Conservancy, High Country News, Cowboy Artists of America, Maxwell Alexander Gallery, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Montana Governor’s Office, and more. For nearly two decades, Ed’s career has focused on land, water, and conservation in the American West– he worked as Conservation Director at Palmer Land Conservancy, a ranch broker throughout the Intermountain West, and a board member and advisor to numerous Colorado conservation organizations.

CONVERSATION W/ ED ROBERSON - SUNDAY

Missoula County Commissioner Juanita Vero is a fourth-generation partner of the E Bar L Ranch in rural Greenough, one of Montana’s oldest family-owned and operated dude ranches. In addition to running her family business she has served on numerous community conservation-focused boards and committees, including as chair of Montana Conservation Voters, Missoula County Open Lands Committee, Big Blackfoot Chapter Trout Unlimited, Swan Valley Connections and Sunset School Board.

MORNING YOGA - SAT & SUN

Alexis Bonogofsky is a fourth-generation Montanan, community organizer, sheep rancher, and freelance writer and photographer, AND yoga instructor who lives and works along the Yellowstone River near Billings, Montana. In addition, she is the Director of the Sustainable Ranching Initiative for the World Wildlife Fund working with ranchers throughout the Northern Great Plains on the conservation of grasslands. She has been teaching yoga for 12 years and specializes in yoga for farmers and ranchers.

FESTIVAL EMCEE

Bex's eclectic personal and professional journey has taken her from the red carpet to the Rocky Mountains. As Head Story Wrangler at Tumbleweed Queen Creative, Bex shares her storytelling passion by producing stage shows, teaching workshops, coaching individuals, and guiding organizations. She's been exploring the sweet spot of open range and open minds ever since she left Venice Beach for the Chico Basin Ranch - if it weren’t for that transformative first-hand experience on the prairie with conservation, coexistence and cattle moves, she'd probably still be stuck in LA traffic. 

MULE PACKING DEMO - SAT/SUN

Chris is the owner of Eyer Electrical Construction Inc. and is a third generation electrician in Montana. He’s a contract packer running a string of mules through the Bob throughout the summer, and is also owner of Heart W Saddlery making custom mountain saddles and tack. His great grandfather homesteaded on the banks of the Blackfoot River in 1889 near Helmville. Chris lives near that homestead in Ovando at the foot of the Scapegoat Wilderness.