Since 2002, I’ve been living in and around Missoula. That being said, I haven’t spent as much time as I should when it comes to the local music scene. There are bands that I’ve seen multiple times, but they are fairly few in number. I’ve been remiss when it comes to listening or pursuing local bands. I feel like I’m not alone in this. So, I thought I’d profile 5 local bands, and give people a greater idea of what’s out there. We need to support our local music scene, and we can’t do so without knowing more about it. I’ll try and hit as many genres as possible, but I do have the most experience with the rock and metal scenes, due to the fact that I’ve spent more time listening to those genres. I will also drop Youtube links to their music, so readers can get an idea of what their stuff is like. Just as a disclaimer, most of these bands were found either by googling “Missoula Montana bands” or were bands I already knew of. So, let’s kick it off with a local metal band, Walking Corpse Syndrome.
Walking Corpse Syndrome play what could best be described as death metal, with influences from industrial metal. They’ve been around since 2007, and are unsigned by any record labels to my knowledge, which is surprising, because they’re awesome. They’re one of the few local bands I actively follow. I’ve seen them a couple of times in concert, and they put on one hell of a show. Walking Corpse Syndrome are incredibly intense, and unless you are fairly into metal, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them, at least not for your first experience of the genre. That being said, like all metal shows, the live experience is amazing. Leif Winterrowd has a fantastic presence onstage and musically, they’re excellent, but their intensity might be offputting for someone who isn’t already into this style of music. They have a great fanbase, their shows are awesome, and their recordings are also excellent. I’d personally recommend them.
https://www.facebook.com/walking.corpse.syndrome/?fref=ts
Now, let’s mix it up by moving in a more alt rock/ pop-esque direction to Maiah Wynne. She’s a 19-year-old singer-songwriter currently based in Butte, who has done a variety of covers on YouTube along with some original work and recently won the Top of the Mic contest at the Badlander. She isn’t as well known as Walking Corpse Syndrome, but also appears to have only started recording in the past 2-3 years. She’s got a ways to go in terms of hitting it big on the Missoula scene, if views and likes are anything to go by, but definitely has talent. Her covers have ranged from Radiohead to Macklemore and Awolnation, so she’s got stylistic range, even though her existing original work is very much standard singer-songwriter fare.
https://www.facebook.com/MaiahWynne/?fref=ts
Onward to Kalispell doom/stoner metal outfit Wizzerd. I first heard about them through a friend on Facebook, and although I couldn’t make it to the show that he mentioned, I proceeded to check them out online. They’ve got a Mastodon-meets-Sleep vibe, which I rather enjoy. They’re pretty accessible, and while I don’t know how they are live, if their Doomchild EP (out recently on Bandcamp and definitely worth a listen) is anything to go by, I would definitely recommend checking them out. I, for one, will definitely try to make it to at least one show in the near future (although they seem to be making a habit of scheduling Missoula shows when I’m out of town).
https://www.facebook.com/wizzerddoom/?fref=ts
Another major artist on the Missoula scene is Tom Catmull. I’ve seen him live a couple of times, mostly at the Peace Festival, but haven’t seen him live in a few years. His stuff could best be described as somewhere between Americana and Decemberists-esque indie rock. Catmull has been around the Missoula music scene seemingly forever, or at least as long as I remember, and has won “Best Local Band” in the Independent numerous times since 2007. He’s easily one of the most popular Montana-based musicians. He’s quite good, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to see him, what with his band playing three times in Missoula in the next week, not to mention numerous other dates the rest of the summer. Check him out!
Back to heavier stuff with Universal Choke Sign. They play Pantera and Black Label Society-influenced groove metal, and aren’t lacking in technicality or chops. While I have yet to see them live, they have apparently played numerous sold-out shows, and definitely have energy. Again, I barely know anything about them, but they’re definitely a solid band and I’ll definitely take the first opportunity that appears to see Universal Choke Sign live.
https://www.facebook.com/UniversalChokeSign/?fref=ts
Also, they made a music video with Muppets clips. Check it out.
Shakewell are a fairly successful (as far as local bands go) funk band from Missoula, who took some tracking down online. Apparently, there’s a LA-based rapper with the same name. And some sort of South Asian all-female rock band. Anyway, once I found videos of the Shakewell that I intended (no thanks to Youtube or Soundhound), I found a surprisingly good (given that it’s about as easy to find them online as it was to find Bin Laden in Afghanistan) band, who show influence by Snarky Puppy and similar newish jazz bands, as well as their more straightforward funk influences. They’re a very tight outfit, and I’d recommend listening to them (Spotify via their Facebook page works best, as I learned after half an hour of false starts), and maybe taking in a show at some point. They’re fantastic and I’d highly recommend them.
https://play.spotify.com/user/hdcurtis34/collection/artist/4IcQIRXyyE6Ve9kUA4ZaoQ
https://www.facebook.com/shakewellmusic/
Hopefully, I’ve been able to expose you to some local bands you might be interested in. This might become a regular series at some point. Happy listening!
