Beer, Babes and Barbecue

"Beer, Babes and Barbecue.  Best diet ever."

---Igor Yuzov

Taking great song titles, developing them into offbeat lyrics with catchy tunes, and then delivering them humorously on stage with thick Russian accents, Igor and the Red Elvises have made many fans believe leader Igor Yuzov's oft-repeated boast of being "your favorite band." 

Imagine an amalgamation of Sha Na Na, Borat, the Ventures, Two Wild and Crazy Guys, Stray Cats and Yakov Smirnoff that somehow rises above simple kitsch to an authentic, thoroughly fun experience.  Now put that act in an outdoor venue in the mountains of Montana.  By the end of the show, half of the crowd was dancing by the stage.  I got onto the grass dance floor the first time when they played "Sad Cowboy Song," as Igor encouraged the crowd to form a conga line, "like all cowboys do when they're sad."  Improbably, Igor and the Red Elvises captured that "fun, fun, fun" spirit the Beach Boys brought to Big Sky last summer, somehow making songs I'd never heard feel like all-time favorites.

Rather than delivering predicable country and western acts that would seem more representative of cowboy country, Big Sky Town Center continues to bring unique entertainment to its summertime Music in the Mountains program, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.  When my sister Darlene invited us to see the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1991, she said it seemed like something my family would love.  She was right.  In fact, I happened to own their "Alive!" album in the early 1970s and loved their good-natured use of humor.  I'd never seen them perform previously, and it turned out to be a great show, though it almost turned out to be a calamity.

The concert venue the first few years was not in the center of town but still in the meadow.  There were bales of hay for seating, and cowboys rode into town to watch the show from horseback.  Then as now, the outdoor setting allowed people to enjoy the show without actually being within the official perimeters of the event, although most shows are now free (the Beach Boys concert last year was an exception, but all of the proceeds went to charity).  Lots of folks brought their dogs along.  As Darlene would say, that's just Montana people and their connection with their animals and nature.

Montana people all seem to be grounded, decent people.  Big Sky is a throwback to Westminster in the era we grew up there and always felt safe walking to school or playing in the neighborhood. 

After that NGDB concert back to 1991, when Darlene started getting ready for bed, she realized her diamond tennis bracelet latch must have unhooked at the concert.  Early the next morning, we headed back to find what was the equivalent of a needle in a hay stack.  Setting up hay bails combined with concert goers sitting or leaning back on them at the show resulted in a lot of hay shedding, making the venue into a gigantic field of loose hay.

Darlene had been up and around, mingling with different people she knew, so it could have been almost anywhere.

If it could be seen, obviously someone would have picked it up on their way out of the concert and kept it, we surmised, but we headed over early the  next morning to search.  We spread out, and the longer we looked, the more hopeless it seemed, but eventually, our sweet mother, who had the worst vision among us, suddenly proclaimed she had found it.  Mom said she couldn't believe that it was sitting plainly in sight, though not in a place any of us expected it to be.  She said it looked like someone had picked it up and laid it out to be easily seen.  As often happens, what initially seemed like a crisis turned out to be a reason for celebration.

However, you don't need a crisis to celebrate. Big Sky residents and visitors have an excuse to celebrate live entertainment at least once a week all summer long. 

July kicked off with a free performance of "As You Like It" with Montana Shakespeare in the Park.  I had never seen a play by the Bard performed live other than the awkward reading of "Romeo and Juliet" by my high school English class where archaic English expressions lost a lot in translation. 

This young, attractive cast brought the comedy to life, overcoming any language barriers with enthusiastic interpretations of the emotions intended by the playwright.

The pace never slowed over the two hour production that incorporated costumes reminiscent of the early 1900s rather than those more authentic to Shakespeare's era, which probably would not have differentiated the character classes so important for comedic elements as clearly to a 21st century audience. 

Despite being in Big Sky until the day of the performance, my brother-in-law Brooks, who was probably dragged as a boy to many of Shakespeare's plays by his highly cultured parents, had no interest in seeing what he believed would be a three hour production.  I'd guess that indicates not all Shakespeare companies maintain that pace and energy that kept us thoroughly entertained.

Three days later, we walked to the same park for Fourth of July fireworks and a concert by Freddy Pink, in a return performance by popular demand.  Once again, the classic rock and soul of this band from Seattle and the fireworks combined for an amazing evening's entertainment.

A week later, The Main Squeeze put on a solid funk show that evolved into a rock event by the finish.  It's always surprising to me how what starts as a laid back park crowd so often finishes with enthusiastic dancers crowding the stage in Big Sky.

Just two days later, it was time for a triple musical billing up on the mountain at Big Sky Brewfest, with a diverse musical lineup, all of whom played primarily original music.  Tom Petty-inspired Roadkill Ghost Choir headlined the show.



 Second-billed Hollow Wood played a more contemporary folk rock in the vein of Mumford and Sons.  Both performed well, but at the risk of being more conformist to the cowboy that I've been deep inside since watching "The Lone Ranger," "Roy Rogers" and "Bonanza" as a boy, I liked the opening act, Bottom of the Barrel, most, if only because the lead guitarist knew how to sip a beer while simultaneously holding the right notes to complement the lovely lead singer, which seems appropriate for a Brewfest.  Their honky-tonk country just seemed right on this particular day.

The true star of the Brewfest, of course, are the micro-brews on display.  I don't blame Julie or anyone else for not liking beer, but it would be nice to be able to share opinions about different brews, so I was happy that this year Julie's best friend from childhood, Christy, would be coming along with us.  Beer is one of Christy's primary passions.  She often speaks of microbreweries she visits with her son, Jesse, and at one time she kept a keg of beer on tap in her garage, so I looked forward to sharing the tasting experience with an expert.  I was somewhat shocked when she said she would just have a pint of Cold Smoke rather than buy a ticket for ten samples.

Moonlight Basin patio view

Not that Cold Smoke is a bad choice.  A waitress at Big Sky's burger joint Choppers introduced me to Cold Smoke a few years back, and this richly flavored Montana classic Scotch ale definitely deserves praise.  I've sipped it at Moonridge Basin's scenic bar, where Christy managed to finagle a generous free sample of Cold Smoke from the amiable bartender without buying anything, which led to her choosing a pint of that fine beer from the sandwich hut near the festival grounds (if you can call a couple of tents filled with tables for serving beer and a stage in front of a small grass field "festival grounds") at the Brewfest the next day.

In her defense, Christy said the attending breweries didn't have any of the beers she liked, which should seem somewhat obvious for someone who mostly drinks beer from San Diego or Oregon when in Montana.  She specified that there were too many IPAs, which she said she never drinks, although I sampled a couple of those at the Brewfest that didn't taste anything like IPAs I've had in the past.  Christy told me that IPAs originally were brewed extra hoppy to survive the long trip to India from England, but I couldn't quite make the connection between that disliking all IPAs.  However, she clarified that she doesn't like hoppy beer, but in any case it seemed to me that there were dozens of other beers that were there for the sampling. 

I started with Brewfest's primary music sponsor (or at least its name was prominently featured on the bandstand) Ninkasi's Dawn of the Red, a delicious tropical flavored beer.  That it turned out to be an IPA when I looked it up just now came as a surprise to me.

I tried some kind of bitter beer next, and though the name of the brewery escapes me, it was quite good in its own way.  I've never had anything quite like it before.

On my way out of the pavilion tent to join Julie watching the first band, I decided to go with the Cherry Chocolate Bock by Samuel Adams.  Yes, I know Sam Adams is a major national brand now, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to make excellent specialty beers, and this one was delicious.

Brewfest festival grounds

Around this point, Christy returned from her search for the perfect pint of Cold Smoke (actually, probably a trolling mission to see if there were any eligible bachelors in the right age bracket) with one from the first place she visited. She looked at me and said, "There's the beer smile," which I guess indicated that my annoyance with her not buying a beer tasting ticket must have showed on my face previously.  In fairness to Christy, she did offer to buy one tasting and split it with me, but I actually wanted to have all the tastings, in addition to it not being allowed by the organizers.  $25 for admission to a concert and essentially all the beer you can drink (additional tastings were $1 after the original ten tokens were gone) already seemed like a great deal to me. In the final analysis,  I should have simply bought admission for her, or at least told her to buy one and then bought my own after she had committed, but I guess like many others I am guilty of occasionally allowing unnecessary drama to unfold rather than simply solving the perceived discordance with a more harmonious reality at the outset.  In any case, three samples in and I was good with it all.

To me, the very best beer at Brewfest was Big Sky Brewing's All Souls Ale, the kind of beer I imagine would be created in a monastery by a monk who considered it his sacred duty to brew the finest imperial ale imaginable. It's actually brewed in Missoula, Montana. The first time I encountered that brewery's name, my disappointment of it not being from my Big Sky but rather just a reference to the more generic Big Sky State logo of Montana overwhelmed my senses, although the Trout Slayer Wheat Ale wasn't bad. I almost didn't try Big Sky's All Souls Ale for that same reason, but something about the poster laying on the table intrigued me. How fortunate I was to try this heavenly brew. 

I must confess that I didn't drink exclusively American beers. I really enjoyed Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout, which was quite similar to drinking my favorite drink from childhood, chocolate milk. 

I also tried three different fruit varieties that were all tasty in their own ways.

Hustle and bustle at Brewfest

The name Passive Aggressive Pale Ale could not be resisted.  This American Pale Ale was good enough for me to try their Lampwick Irish Cream Ale, which I expected to be similar to Guinness but turned out to be a crisp light lager.  Only later did I realize Outlaw Brewing of Belgrade, Montana, produced it.  That happens to be the microbrewery at our favorite restaurant near the Bozeman Airport, Bar 3 Bar-B-Q. 

Speaking of Bar-B-Q, Big Sky Resort had some outstanding food perfect for accompanying beer available at reasonable pricing.  I went with the Bison Brat, and with sauerkraut, mustard and relish, it hit the spot.  Julie raved about her barbecued tri-tip sandwich, but when Christy went to get her own, the shack had sold out, so she went with some delicious tacos instead.  I have noticed that food served in mountain resorts tends to be consistently outstanding, probably because such a beautiful place to live and work attracts great chefs.

To some extent I question why I'm writing such a long article about a place I've written about previously, especially when the same lineup of entertainment (with the exception of the Fourth of July show) will not be repeated, but I want you to know the kind of wonderful events waiting for you if you accept my  invitation to take a vacation, whether at a resort like Big Sky or any of the great cruises available.  And if one of these great bands happens to be appearing at a venue near you, go for it!