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Special Guests Saturday, September 30, 2006 Stephanie Davis In a circa 1900 one-room homestead cabin—a building on her ranch in south-central Montana—Stephanie Davis composes and records songs that reflect her life in Big Sky country. Back when, she spent a couple of years in Nashville, writing songs for the likes of Garth Brooks, Roger Whittaker, Martina McBride and Shelby Lynne. But there's no place like her home state of Montana—where her family has lived for four generations—and Stephanie is the first to tell you, daily ranch life provides constant inspiration. Her albums include I'm Pulling Through, River of No Return, Crocus in the Snow and her brand-new CD, Home for the Holidays (Recluse Records), a collection of holiday favorites, old and new.Growling Old Men John Lowell (guitar) and Ben Winship (mandolin), with Dave Thompson (bass), call themselves Growling Old Men—taking their name from the old-time fiddle tune "Growling Old Man, Grumbling Old Woman." They've been key players in the Montana/Idaho music scene for a couple of decades. Winship, who took second place in the 1989 National Mandolin Championships, was a founding member of the bluegrass band Loose Ties. Lowell is a veteran of some of the region's best bluegrass groups, including Wheel Hoss and Deep River. The three currently work together in Kane's River, listed "among the brightest of a new generation of bluegrass bands" by Vintage Guitar Magazine. Growling Old Men's latest CD is called Occupational Hazards (Snake River Records).Prudence Johnson That silky alto and striking style—you'd expect to find Prudence Johnson singing at a high-tone nightspot. And you might. But be it a concert hall, the silver screen, a little jazz club or A Prairie Home Companion, Pru is the perfect complement. Her recent CDs include 'S Gershwin and Moon Country, a collection of songs by Hoagy Carmichael.Peter Ostroushko Peter Ostroushko's first recording session was an uncredited mandolin set on Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. His compositions have been performed by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Sinfonia, the Rochester (Minnesota) Symphony Orchestra, the Des Moines Symphony and the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra. Ken Burns used music from Peter's recording Heart of the Heartland for his PBS documentary Lewis & Clark, and Twin Cities Public Television commissioned Peter to provide music for their nationally distributed programs The Dakota Conflict and Grant Wood's America. Among Peter's recent CDs is Postcards: Travels with a Great American Radio Show (Red House Records), songs he composed while traveling with A Prairie Home Companion.Andy Stein Andy Stein (violin, saxophone) collaborated with Garrison Keillor to create the opera Mr. and Mrs. Olson. He has appeared on Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman, and has performed with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Eric Clapton, Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan. |
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