Sweet Pea Festival

Joe Sheehan, drummer for Cure for the Common sat down with our Music Chair to give us some insight into this seven member band, performing on Sweet Pea’s Main Stage, Saturday, August 4th at 6:30 p.m. 

Q: Cure for the Common is known for energetic and, as one fan coined, ‘adventurous’ live shows. What makes your sound and performing style unique?



A: We’re fortunate enough to now have seven members from seven different parts of the U.S., all with unique musical experiences and influences.  When we get together and collaborate to write music, those differences manifest themselves in uniquely innovative and engaging music. Everyone in the band has a strong musical personality and sound that they contribute to the betterment of each song we write, and each show we play.

When we perform, we work hard to keep things interesting from night to night. Sometimes we get a little tired of playing a song the exact same way every time, so while not all of us are keen on “jamming” on stage, we write songs with the flexibility to willingly engage in jazz-inspired improvisation and exploration. It keeps us on our toes and involves the audience in a musical experience that won’t be played exactly that way ever again.

Q: You write a majority of your own songs. Describe that process.



A: I believe that our collaborative style of writing, coupled with our wide variety of influences and backgrounds really gives us a unique perspective on music. Between all of us (now seven strong), we have funk, rock, blues, jazz, hip-hop, classical, jam and electronic influences strongly represented. It may not always be the most efficient arrangement for writing music quickly, but when we take the time to write to the strengths of our members, the finished products can really amaze us. That’s definitely the case with a new tune we’re writing now called “Laser Beretta.”

Q: From following your Facebook Fan Page, I’ve learned that you have recently purchased and renovated an old school bus for the band to use for touring. Describe your decision to take that step and how you’ve fixed the bus up for the band.



A: For our first tours to Washington and North Dakota, we shoehorned the five of us into a tiny blue Subaru, hitched a U-Haul trailer to the back, and hit the road for ten to twelve hours at a time. We’d crash on friends’ couches or camp at state parks when we got to our destination. We had a blast and really got to know each other well during those times, but we knew something had to change if we wanted to maintain our sanity and take our business to the next level.

After nearly a year of saving and searching, we finally found “The Funk Bus” at GandL Transit in Helena, MT. A week later, our ‘new’ 66-passenger 1982 GMC school bus was delivered to the band house, where we began our work. We tore out all the seats and the rubber flooring. You wouldn’t believe some of the gems we found hiding in the nooks of a thirty-year-old school bus. From there, we painted the interior, installed wood floors, and built six bunk beds, a rear gear room, a front lounge, a sink, and still managed to wedge a full-size couch in there.

Speaking of collaboration, we all put our backs into making the bus a comfortable home. Our maiden voyage tour around Flathead Lake proved that we had succeeded in that quest. Eight people slept comfortably in the same bed every night. There’s still work to be done to take it to the next level, but it’s been a tremendous blessing to be able to move a seven-piece band and all of our gear in one vehicle… even if it does only get 10mpg average.

Q: You just released your first music video. Give us the ‘Behind the Video’ rundown.

A: Well, it’s actually quite a funny story. So our space tour scheduled to leave for The Moon the previous night was postponed due to high solar wind, so we were stuck on a lay over here in Bozeman. Itching to do something constructive, we hired a film crew and booked a gig at the Zebra for the next night to kill some time.

That night we got a little crazy jamming late night in a friend’s basement and woke up with just enough time to get ourselves ready for the show. It was a pretty hectic day, but our directors Joel Martin and Ben McManus, and our editors, Kirk McLaughlin and Gretta Mosser did a great job of capturing something artistic in all the commotion. The final product can be viewed on our website, Curetheband.com.

Q: What are your future touring and recording plans?

A: Everything we’ve written since the release of our debut album will be on our next record, which we hope to have completed by the time the world ends in December. We’ve been working very closely with Peach Street Studios, where “Let’s Ride” was recorded, and where we plan to finish the remainder of this album. We’ve become quite comfortable with their efficient, professional, and organic approach to music production. They facilitate a relaxed and confident frame of mind and collaborate to create a final product that is that much better than it was when we walked in.

We’re in the process of booking several short tours this summer as we adjust to being graduates in the harsh reality of post-college life. With a new dedicated office, and more time to focus on growing our business, we expect to be touring hard next summer, with our sights ultimately set on touring nationally in the next few years.

Q: What do you look forward to about performing at Sweet Pea?

A: It is a tremendous honor for us to be a part of Sweet Pea, being that this festival is a manifestation of the amazing arts and culture that Bozeman has to offer. We are very excited to be able to showcase how much we’ve grown in four years, and give thanks to the community of people that have provided us this opportunity. The Sweet Pea Festival is a platform from which we can leap to greater heights; continue pushing musical boundaries, and one day represent the vibrancy of this community on a national level.

We cannot wait for Sweet Pea!

 

 

Each year after all the Festival bills are paid the Sweet Pea Board has the pleasure of deciding what to do with any net funds that may have been earned.  Even though Sweet Pea is a non-profit itself, it has a policy of giving all net funds back to other non-profits in our community in the form of grants for art and art education, special projects,  and park improvements.

Earlier this year, the board voted to combine the net funds accrued from prior years and offer $10,000 worth of grant money.  We received many fantastic proposals for projects in our community and are pleased to announce that funding has been awarded to the following organizations:

• Bozeman Sculpture Park
• LaMotte School
• Montana Ballet Company
• The Emerson Center for the Arts
• Bozeman Summit School
• Youth Arts in Action
• Kaleidoscope Youth Theater
• Gallatin Valley Land Trust
• Youth Imperative
• Chief Joseph Middle School

We look forward to seeing the end result of the great projects these groups are working on and are excited to help make them happen!

Recently, our Music Chair had an opportunity to pose some questions to Chris Newbury, drummer for the salsa band, Milonga, Friday’s headliner at this year’s Festival.  Read further to get to know a little about this band and what makes them tick.

1. Tell us about the history of Milonga.  When did the band form?

Milonga was formed by Nic Vigil in August of 2001, after the breakup of a jam band called Mas y Mas. Nic had started playing at open mics at a small club in downtown Spokane and the audience was very receptive to the music, which at the time, was alot of Tex-Mex (corridos, waltz, polka), cumbia, and Chicano Rock in the vibe of groups like Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Santana & Los Lobos. After enough times of getting the bar packed & dancing at an open mic, we began playing regularly and a Latin scene was born in Spokane. More public gigs came, festivals, weddings, etc. and the band has grown ever since. We’ve had players come & go but been blessed enough to keep it rolling over the years. We’ve had this current lineup for about 5 years, with the addition of a couple new faces this year. We have branched out to play regionally, throughout the western states and have made a name for ourselves as the Inland NW’s Premier Latin Band. We have gotten to share the stage with some amazing artists like Los Lobos, Poncho Sanchez, Quetzal, Ozomatli, Agua Dulce, Cuchata, the Iguanas and Alejandro Escovedo

2.  Milonga – the name itself conjures up Latin American tango dance and a good time.  Define what “Milonga” means to your band and your style.

I think for me personally, it’s all about the music and family environment.  We are like a family and when we play that translates.  It’s unique for me because I don’t speak Spanish but I don’t feel like that gets in the way of being able to feel the intent of the music.  The sound and the vibe of the experience are what first drew me to our sound even before I joined the band! As a band we all bring our specific influences to the table and we are all so unique.  We all have interesting musical stories that help define who we are as people and also as musicians.  Here is what Nic Vigil had to say about it…

“The word Milonga means “party & dance”. Though there is a hugely popular style of Tango music which bears this name, the word Milonga doesn’t mean Tango. A milonga is a type of gathering which began in the mid-late 1800’s in more urbanized Latin countries like Argentina, Cuba, & Spain where musicians would gather and play, whether at someone’s home or in the street, and dancers would join in. Though these gatherings were informal, they became a tradition similar to other musical gatherings throughout Latin America, such as the fandango and the guateque. A milonga is the type of party that would go late into the night. It relies heavily on musical improvisation and the participation of dancers. For us, that relationship of music and dancer is what defines Milonga. The music inspires the dance and the dance inspires the music. So both the band Milonga and the style of Tango music draw inspiration from the same origin. Oddly enough, we don’t play Tango music. Our sound is a collage of original tunes inspired by the traditional dance styles of Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and even parts of the U.S. where a heavy Latino population exists. In addition to the staple Latin music like Mexican Ranchera, Jarocho, Puerto Rican Salsa, Cuban Rumba, Colombian Cumbia, we all grew up influenced by American music as well. So it’s not uncommon to hear influences of Jazz, Classic Rock, Pop & Hip Hop in our music. As a result, our sound is slightly edgier than the typical Latin band. The music isn’t so purely traditional that it’s foreign, even to us as its authors. It’s also allowed us to branch out to a wider audience than strictly the Latino community. You can find just about any type of person, old or young, rich or poor, hip or square, light or dark, gay or straight, getting down to the sounds of Milonga. We are supremely happy that it can bring so many individuals together.”

3. Does the band write their own songs?  Describe the songwriting process.

We do write our own songs.  We definitely take pride in the fact that we can produce music that is unique to us.  That’s not to say that you won’t hear us cover Bob Marley or Ozomatli but the bulk of our set is original.  For us the process of writing is always changing.  We’re still trying to figure out the best way!  I’m not sure that there is one frankly, but that’s kind of the fun of it.  Usually what happens is that one of us will have an idea that we record and email to the rest of the band.  Then, we get together and try to work it out.  The horns will write their own part most of the time but sometimes whoever came up with the idea will have a specific part they want.  We’ve all contributed to the creative process and lately we’ve really been enjoying the process.  It’s been a couple of years since we released “The Brown Album” so we’ve been getting antsy to write and play new tunes.

4.  Chris, you grew up in Bozeman and mentioned that performing at Sweet Pea has been a dream of yours.  What makes Sweet Pea special?  What is a favorite Sweet Pea memory?

Yes, I moved to Bozeman when I was 3 and ended up graduating from Bozeman High School.  I absolutely love Bozeman and I think that most of us that grew up here really appreciate it more now than when we were growing up!  Maybe that’s just me?  I can remember going to Sweet Pea throughout my childhood and just enjoying the Arts.  My family is very artistic so my mom would take us to see the vendors and dancers and my dad and I would do the Sweet Pea run.  In High School, it really became the end of the summer hang, where you would see all your friends that you maybe hadn’t seen since school got out.  The social side was always amazing.  I think that Sweet Pea is still that meeting place that a lot of people who have moved away try to get back to Bozeman for.  All the festivities throughout the week are great as well.  I think my favorite Sweet Pea memory was when the band “Liquid Soul” headlined!  I remember just being up by the stage dancing the whole night!  That was fun!  I hope that we as Milonga can provide a similar experience!

5. Describe the live Milonga experience and what festival goers can expect from your show on August 3 at 8:00?

The show will be very high energy.  We try to have a ton of energy on stage and really feed off the energy from the crowd.  The festival goers should expect to dance!  People don’t even have to know the traditional dances to get up and boogie!  One of my favorite things about our show is watching our front man Nic getting down.  He’s a big guy but can dance like no other!  Part of what makes us unique is that there will be so many styles:  salsa, reggaton, cumbia, hip hop, funk, merengue, etc. We also have a special guest sitting in with us on Saxophone, my good friend and Bozeman’s own, Ryan Matzinger.

6. You’ve become the premier salsa band in the Northwest, what’s next for Milonga?  Do you have a new record on the horizon?

What’s next?  We’re just going to keep doing what can to keep playing music.  I’d love to come out to Montana more in the future.  We’ve played a few times but it would be great to expand our fan base in my home state!  I think generally we want to keep growing as musicians and as a band and are open to whatever doors open to us.  It’d be great to continue performing for people that enjoy what we do.  As far as a new record, we’ve begun the writing process for a new album and probably have enough new tunes for a couple albums.  Like I said before, we’ve been eager to write new material and we have a lot of it! We’ve been contacted by some producers that are interested in working with us so hopefully we can release a new album soon!  That is our number one goal.

Join us to party and dance in The Bowl at 8:00 p.m. Friday, August 3^rd!

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Sweet Pea Festival.  The Festival would not be the thriving, much-loved community event it has been for 35 years without the time and dedication given by thousands of you over the years.

It all starts in November of each year with the election (or re-election) of 45 people to our Board of Directors.  This group works tirelessly year round to plan each year’s event.  Throughout the year they ask for help from family and friends to carry out some of their responsibilities, such as designing the Ball poster and servicing Pre-Sale Outlets.  As July approaches, we begin recruiting hundreds more of you to help sell merchandise, deliver posters, work in our children’s activity area, sell admissions at the park gates, and set up and tear down Lindley Park.

This year’s Festival is only one short month away, August 3-5, and we need your help!

If you love the Festival and have volunteered for years, a Board member should be contacting you soon to see if you are able to help again this year.  If you don’t hear from someone in the next 2-3 weeks don’t hesitate to call our office or visit our Volunteer Sign Up page to give us your contact info.

If you love the Festival and have only ever attended as a participant, consider giving 2-3 hours of your time to help make the Festival a success.  Brief descriptions of our varying volunteer positions can be found on our Volunteering page.

And…if you’ve never attended the Festival, we invite you to come experience the magic created in Lindley Park – magic we call Sweet Pea.  We’d also love to have you volunteer!

Thank you to all past, present, and future volunteers!  Sweet Pea is a success because this is YOUR festival.

Amanda Morton is a fourth generation Montanan, born, raised, and currently residing in Dillon with her husband Dennis, an aviation officer for the Forest Service, and their 18 year old daughter, Morgan. Since 2005, she has commuted to Butte to work at Insty Prints where she is a typesetter and graphic designer. Mandy loves everything about working there, from the projects to the people. She says she is blessed to work for great bosses, good friend and fellow artist Rose Sladek and husband Jim. They are like family and she can’t say enough good things about them.

Mandy can’t remember a time she was not drawing or painting something and began telling people she wanted to become an artist back in grade school. She primarily works in pastels but has recently gotten back into acrylics. She also works in colored pencil and graphite. Though she has dabbled in most mediums, she has always preferred the tactile feel of pastels.

When not on an artistic “bender”, Mandy enjoys the usual Montana suspects- camping and the outdoors. She really enjoys photography and tries to have a camera with her at all times- you never know what you’ll see. She loves cooking, especially if it involves big family dinners or coming up with a new recipe with her cooking partner, daughter Morgan. Their most recent experiment was margarita cupcakes! Yum!

Mandy attended the Festival back in the 90’s when she lived in Bozeman. She enjoyed it immensely! This is her fifth entry in the poster contest, having first entered in 1990. In 2011, one of her pieces was selected for the Wyoming Wildlife Conservation Stamp, but she says as thrilled as she was to receive that honor, winning the Sweet Pea contest is a particular personal accomplishment!