“I’m just going to have a couple white claws and stay for sound check, I’ve got to work in the morning” Vince said when I walked into the bar. He had done sound for the Whags the day before at the Hot Springs and had Monday off so he thought he’d give them another listen. The members of Mountain Standard Time weren’t so fortunate. “I’ve gotta be back at the hospital at 5:30am, I got called in” Gabby said as she wired up her pedalboard. 

We got the Whags and Mountain Standard Time plugged in and sounding good. We were a little behind schedule – finishing MST’s check 20 minutes into doors. Not too bad. I slapped one of The Whags’ stickers on one of the stage monitors and threw a pot pie in the microwave in the kitchen. Dinner break. 

I come back out. “Hey, I’m doing lights for The Whags” Vince says, slapping down two black cherry whiteclaws down in front of the lighting console to claim his spot.  I was ok with this development, because it made my night easier and I get to push Vince’s buttons instead of the ones on the lighting console.  “Hey, fire up the hazer, MST’s getting on the stage!” I said, nervously glancing around the empty room.  A quick glance at the dashboard for my credit card  reader confirmed my suspicions and my mood sank as I realized we were doing this show purely for the Love of Music. 

With the Whags hunkered down in a booth and our six ticket holders settled in, MST took the stage. “They’re sounding really good tonight”, Vince said, throwing a rainbow chase across the upstage lights. Rocking through their set, Phil the bartender stood and watched between slinging PBR’s. 

They finished up their set and the Whags took the stage. Playing mostly unreleased material, they jammed for about an hour and a half , ripping through “Jones Wood”, “How We Hear” , and “Copacetic”, they played tunes off both of their releases – Routine for Now and Smile Maker.  There was plenty of room for dancing, and dance the people did. “Yesterday was a little demoralizing for us, thanks for clapping” they remarked, referring to their show the day before at the Hot Springs. It’s a more chill vibe over there – people sit in the pool and talk, and the music is more part of the background.  “This is a cool place, we’ll be back on a Saturday next time!” they said after the show, packing up their van with gear. With a new T-shirt in his hands, Vince paid his tab and started asking the band when they were coming back to town. We need to get them on the Gallatin Underground, after all. 

Patrick Lokken
10/10/2023