George Moncure

Recent Posts

Surprise guests a big hit at Magic City Music Awards

Quartet

In an awards show packed with youthful energy and frenetic performances, the hit of the night at the 17th annual Magic City Music Awards on Sunday might have been Norrine “The Outlaw Queen” Linderman, who’s been performing in the Billings area since the late 1940s. Linderman, winner of last year’s Freeman Lacy Award, created to recognize musicians with a long history of contributing to the Billings music scene, was just well enough to pick up her award last year, but too ill to sing. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Voting already at record level for Magic City Music Awards

Henge

Voting is underway for the 17th annual Magic City Music Awards. It’s not just underway, it’s going gang-busters. Between the opening of voting, which was announced Tuesday morning on the MCMA Facebook page, and Friday morning, more than 1,700 people had already voted. That’s well ahead of the 1,318 votes cast last year, which was itself a record, and this year’s voting doesn’t close until Sept. 25. Continue Reading →

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Vinyl tribute planned for musicians who left us in 2016

Shamrock

Smiling Dog Records owner Mike Ludlam was standing behind the counter of his Minnesota Avenue shop Wednesday afternoon, looking through a collection of records by musicians who died in 2016. He’d already mentioned Prince, David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Sharon Jones, Merle Haggard, Leonard Cohen, Keith Emerson and Vanity, one of Prince’s proteges. (more…) Continue Reading →

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At Yellowstone Valley Brewing, marking 20 years, many firsts

Garage

Ed Kemmick note: George Moncure, whom I have counted as a friend almost from the moment of our first conversation, related below, sent in a press release earlier this week to announce that he was throwing a party to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his business, the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co. The release included a rundown of the brewery’s many firsts, and some of its most memorable events, and I found it so well done that I asked George if we could just run the thing as a guest column. He was willing, and after polishing it a bit sent it back in. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Lively jazz scene thrills musicians, listeners

Jazz walkers

Sitting in the bar at Walkers Grill on a Sunday night, you can tell when the out-of-towners walk in. They generally pause just inside the door and stand there staring at the scene before them. It’s almost always crowded, with a clientele running from teenagers to people in their 70s or 80s. (more…) Continue Reading →

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