From Glendive to New Orleans: Blues Guitarist John Fohl

   ~By Brian D’Ambrosio

To describe blues guitarist John Fohl as hard at it or in demand are cosmic understatements.

The Glendive native and University of Montana graduate is one of the busiest guitarists in the country. To stay active as a musician is arduous anywhere; but to keep working in the music-rich climate of New Orleans is exceptional.

Despite releasing a pair of solo records, Fohl’s contributions as an acoustic guitarist are what keep him in demand locally and nationally.

From Glendive to New Orleans: “A Sideman’s City”

It is the range of Fohl’s competence and his willingness to steer clear of the spotlight that have allowed him to contribute to the success of many of New Orleans’ top acts.

“I’ve learned a lot about being a sideman, and this (New Orleans) is a sideman’s city,” said John Fohl, who is perhaps most noted for his blues-rock work with (the recently deceased) Dr. John and the Lower 911. “As a sideman, I’m playing gigs on Bourbon Street, or a cigar bar on Mondays, or with Top 40 cover bands, or a country artist. With (Rock n’ roll Hall of Fame inductee and New Orleans legend) Dr. John, I had no rehearsal. It was a four-night run — and that was my audition. I had some music to learn and listened to a couple of shows, and I was told to be ready. It’s about showing up to play every single day.”

Whether with the instrumental funk and groove Joe Krown Organ Combo or backing up blues giants such as Pinetop Perkins, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Bo Diddley, Joe Huston, Charlie Musselwhite, or Shemekia Copeland, Fohl has supported more than 25 records. And Fohl was initially exposed to a number of the musicians he has accompanied in Missoula in the late 1980s, including the Cajun and R&B centrifuge Brown (1924-2005).

“I had the chance to see ‘Gatemouth’ first at the Top Hat as a kid going to college. After I moved to New Orleans, I got to know his keyboard player well. Gate was friendly to me and I was even doing some acoustic tours with him. He was kind of a cranky guy. But when he’d stop being cranky, he would be the sweetest guy if you were willing to help him out.

“I first heard Pinetop Perkins (1913-2011) at the Carousel Bar in Missoula, out by the mall. I played with him a few times. When he was having fun and the band was cooking, it was hard to get him off of the stage. When he was not having fun, one time, while in his late 80s, he played for 10 minutes, and then he said, I’m outta’ here.”

Glendive roots: “Cadillac and a horse trailer as our rig”

Before he was a successful sideman, he was a kid from rural eastern Montana absorbing all that he could about music.

“Erik Ray (from Conrad, Montana) played in Glendive and I got a guitar lesson from him at age 15, and he pointed me toward the music to go look at. Erik taught me that country and other music was cool. We played in Glendive, Sidney, Wibaux and Miles City. I played with a couple of guys who still live in Missoula now. Ron Meissner hired me at 13 to play in his summer band. All of these guys were in their 20 and they took a chance on a little kid. I had to get the okay with mom to play in bars.

“In high school I started my own band, whatever we could learn off the radio, whatever we could get people to listen to. I joined Erik Ray and the Skates, and we did Battle of the Bands at the Carousel Bar. Erik had a '65 Cadillac he got from his grandfather, and a Cadillac and a horse trailer was our rig.”

While attending college at UM, Fohl formed a band called The Skanksters. From talent night at the defunct Luke’s Tavern to a long list of other clubs which no longer exist, including one called Hubcaps, Fohl thoroughly canvassed Missoula’s music scene. Realizing that he had “done what I could there,” he soon departed for Oregon.

Cherry Poppin’ Daddies to Subbing, Support Role

His nine years in Eugene, Oregon, was highlighted by his work with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies; the band’s swing-styled "Zoot Suit Riot" compilation CD sold more than 2 million copies, earning a double platinum mark in 2000.

“It’s funny because we were never really a swing band,” said Fohl. “We were more like a punk-funk band. The record that became double platinum, the majority of songs were culled from swing-style ones off the first three records. I joined the band at the beginning and left before they got really famous.”

Fohl arrived in New Orleans in 1996, and has since nurtured the tasteful style which has made him such a sought-after sideman. Indeed, the typical week finds Fohl playing guitar on another artist’s record; subbing for friends at venues such as B.B. King’s Club; backing up bands at clubs as electric and jazz guitar support; even venturing into the solo realm at local singer-songwriter nights.

“In the average week I could be playing six or seven different guitars on as many different projects, with all kinds of different music. Anybody can call me and I’ll go play with anybody.”

Always prepared to participate, Fohl said that the feedback apparatus of a sideman is uncomplicated.

“I’m subbing for a blues band tomorrow. It’s the first time I’ve ever played with these guys. Immediately after the gig, they will say, 'We will have you again,' or they won’t say anything.”

To keep things in motion is the only thing that Fohl can do.

“Being a sideman allows me to contribute to other people’s music, and that fulfills a big thing in me. But solo is where I get the chance to showcase my songs.”

Big Sky Resort History

   ~Sean Jansen

My keys insert into the ignition and turn to start the engine. The six cylinders of my Subaru slowly crank with the single digit temperatures outside my house in Bozeman. I hadn’t planned on leaving for the mountain for another 15 minutes, but it was necessary to get the car warmed up, windshield defrosted and heater cranked for a marathon day on the mountain. Today wasn’t just any day on the mountain however, today was the fist day of the season and opening weekend of the 2019/2020 season at Big Sky Resort. With a fresh dumping of light and fluffy powder, I wanted to be sure I was there towards the front of that first lift line.

The drive through the canyon was unlike any other day of a commute from Bozeman to Big Sky. The outrageous traffic Highway 191 receives with the added wrinkle of the overnight snow creating a layer of ice over the road, making the drive slower than usual. On the slow and frustrating drive to Big Sky, it dawned on me that I had no knowledge of the history of the mountain as a ski destination, and pondered how I could enjoy the runs without ever knowing how they got here. So after some wonderful powder runs with more snow continuing to dump after the first day of the season, I went home and promised I would at least read up on the mountain. Here is what I found.

The Louisiana Purchase was a landmark day in U.S. History. The purchase acquired much of the land of the central United States from Louisiana north to Montana. Though Montana was purchased in 1803, the land wasn’t homesteaded or began to become ranched until the 1890’s, Big Sky being one of the ranch areas.

For the next 80 years, the Big Sky valley was ranched and homesteaded with people living off the land and enjoying the splendid beauty of the surrounding area and Lone Peak standing in solitude. In December of 1973, NBC Newscaster, Chet Huntley, the same Huntley as the Huntley Lodge at the base of the mountain, purchased and started Big Sky Resort. Though the ski destination and resort were Huntley’s dream, he sadly never saw it to its full potential as he passed a couple years before the resort began to take shape.

In 1976, Boyne USA Resorts acquired the property and spawned Big Sky as we all know it today. 20 years down the road in 1995, the Lone Peak Tram was constructed and still runs and carries skiers and view seekers up to the 11,167 foot Lone Peak summit. Further growing, it made history when Moonlight Basin was opened in 2003, creating acres of more mountain to ski, making it the largest ski area in the country.

Today, the town of Big Sky flirts with an annual population of around 3,000 permanent residents. We all know that Gallatin County is the fastest growing county in the state and easily on the top rankings for the country. So Big Sky’s quiet little homestead history has and still is quickly growing to super stardom with the growth and popularity of Lone Peak and the now numerous new chairlifts and high end homes, accessible to anyone with a wallet and a need for a powder filled vacation.

So we may be seeing growth with the Ikon Pass making things exponentially easier and cheaper for anyone to come on over and ski Big Sky. The traffic on Highway 191 is growing almost daily with accidents on the rise and sightings of wildlife decreasing with every day. And the prices of our local and quiet Big Sky are skyrocketing, making it difficult even for the die-hard ski bum to afford a lift ticket and place to stay. But if we look back at the history of how and where it all began, one mans dream with deep American history made this entire scene possible. Something I knew nothing about for nearly two decades of the Biggest Skiing in America. So the next powder turns you make cruising off whichever of the wonderful chairlifts we have on offer, smile and be stoked that it all came to fruition, and did so in the state of Montana.

Montana Winter Cabineering
   ~Phil Knight

 
Winter can get long in Montana. The slush gets grey and dirty on the streets. Sidewalks hold hidden patches of treacherous ice. Clouds hang low over the valley, and days fly while the nights are long and dark. It’s easy to hibernate, binge on Netflix and eat too many Christmas cookies.

Maybe you need to get away from it all for a couple of nights, get out of town to a wild place with huge vistas, surrounded by snow-draped forests. Do some snowshoeing or skiing. Track a fox, watch ravens playing on the wind. Listen to the silence. I did my share of winter camping, freezing in an inadequate sleeping bag while my boots turned to blocks of ice. I’m over it. Give me a log cabin in the hills, stocked with wood for the stove and ready for an evening of cards and whiskey and offering a bunk to stretch out on. Yes, Virginia, there’s a cabin out there for you too. Thanks to the US Forest Service, you can rent your own hideaway in the hills, and it’s cheaper and quieter than your usual Airbnb.

Scattered across our regional national forests like the Helena, Lewis and Clark and Beaverhead-Deerlodge are a variety of rental cabins, some accessible, some remote, all rustic and cozy. Built mostly in the 20s and 30s, these ranger cabins originally housed local forest rangers and their families. Many of them had outbuildings such as barns plus corrals for horses, which were the main form of transport for the rangers back then.Now the “guard stations” have become popular with folks looking to stay in a remote location withoutthe hassle of tenting or the expense of an RV. Think card games, stew heated on the wood stove, and an adult beverage or two on the table. Outside your window the winter night sky is strewn with the diamond dust of stars. An owl hoots an incessant rhythm from a nearby grove of fir trees. Your dog is curled up by the fire. You stay up late with your friends, then crawl in your bag to dream of the powder skiing to be had in the morning.

The cabins come in a variety of sizes – most are suitable for a party of four, but some, like the Porcupine Cabin in the Crazy Mountains, sleep eight. Access to the cabins usually involves some skiing or snowshoeing in winter, with some like the Garnet Mountain Lookout, located atop a mountain at over 8,000 feet, requiring a serious trek. Others are close to the road, making for a more relaxing getaway. An example is the Window Rock Cabin. Built in 1940, it sits deep in Hyalite Canyon south of Bozeman, and isa favorite of winter visitors enjoying the ice climbing or backcountry skiing available in Hyalite. It’s only acouple hundred yards from the plowed road. There are a variety to choose from - twenty-six cabin just on the Custer-Gallatin National Forest, andtwenty four on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge! These snug little lodges are located all across Montana’snational forests. You can peruse cabins, check availability and make reservations at recreation.gov. The
cabins tend to be listed under “campgrounds.” Reserve early, because the cabins do tend to book up,
especially on weekends.

My wife and I have spent Christmases, New Years’ Eve, and other holidays with friends at thesewonderful shelters. We like to ski in and I will sometimes tow a sled behind me to haul extra boots, beer,a pot of stew and other essentials. The sled does double duty when we find a good snow-covered hill to whoosh down. The ambiance and access offered by Forest Service rental cabins is hard to beat. They’re pretty cheap aswell at $30 to $60 per night, plus a fee for the online reservation (about $9.00). And you get the whole place to yourselves! Some cabins have had all cooking and eating utensils removed due to sanitation concerns, so plan to bring your own cook stove, pots and pans, bowls, plates, mugs and tableware. The Forest Service stocks the cabins with firewood, and most have propane lanterns (bring a propane canister or two). Bring a small solar lantern or two as a backup – I have found the propane lanterns broken before. You’ll usuallyfind a splitting maul and hatchet to prepare firewood. Good protocol requires you to leave the cabin clean and organized, with plenty of split firewood, kindling and fire starter.

You can reserve cabins at recreation.gov. Happy cabineering!
 

Montana's Second Fall

    ~Doug Stevens

When it comes to fall colors, Montana maybe doesn’t have the famous maple forests of New England, but it is blessed with quite a color season of its own.  Because of its mountains, Montana provides different ecosystems at different elevations giving rise to many different species of color-changing plants and trees, rather than just one.  The effect of this is to spread the season of color out over many weeks.  Starting up high in mid-September with the huckleberries and mountain ash, then the aspens and, finally by the end of October, the west slope larch, with some tamaracks hanging on to their color into early November.  Although this year (2019) was quite different than the “norm”, the early fall weather is usually characterized by clear warm days and cool nights and mornings.  There can certainly be a lot of outdoor activities that can be pursued amidst all that color, such as, hiking/camping, bow-hunting, golf, biking, etc.  This is the time of year that makes it easy to feel blessed to live in Montana.

So that’s the first half of fall.  What about the second half – November through the winter solstice?  Now the weather isn’t as cheery and uplifting, clear blue skies give way to clouds and rain, at least on the west side of the state where I live.  Days become shorter and darker.  The once brilliant colored trees are now bare and the leaves lie brown and rotting on the ground.  This may be nature’s way of recycling nutrients back into the environment to give us Spring and Summer again, but for some of us, it is a little harder to have “fun” at this time of year.

Many Montanans do look forward to this time of year, of course, for its rifle hunting opportunities as Montana has a proud tradition of hunting.  However, even though we are probably a minority in our state, not all of us are hunters.  (I used to be, but haven’t hunted in years).  What is there to do until the snow comes and makes things bright again and opens up other recreational possibilities?

Since I have usually spent the earlier fall getting out hiking and photographing, this is the time I get out and get my firewood.  I know it doesn’t really make economical sense.  By the time one adds in time, fuel, wear and tear on one’s truck, it is probably cheaper per cord to just buy firewood from a woodcutter.  However, it is another activity to get outside into the woods as it improves mental and physical health.  Since it is rifle season, I do dress myself and my dog in orange – I don’t want my big brown lab being mistaken for a bear!  I also live close enough to Glacier National Park that, if a nice, sunny day does roll around, I can pop up there for the day.  Being a park, there is no hunting, so its nice not to have to wear orange, but as my dog is not allowed in the Park, she unfortunately has to stay at home.

This is also the time of year when gardeners harvest their last crops and prepare their gardens for winter, tilling under all the left over vegetation. Again, letting nature take its course in decomposing and processing these potential nutrients to allow life to burst forth again come spring.  Spring bulbs are planted and mulch is placed around more sensitive plants to protect them for the cold of winter.

In effect, this time of year is a season between seasons.  It is a time to tie up the loose ends from summer and early fall and get ready for winter.  It is a time of work and preparation and provides for an orderly transition to winter and all that entails.  That means both being prepared for the inevitable winter storms that will come (i.e., firewood, tuned up snowblower, etc.), but also prepared for the fun that a Montana winter can offer, such as skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, sledding, snowball fights, and generally getting out to frolic in the snow!  Let us never forget the fun and positives that each season can offer.

Winter: Montana’s Secret Season

   ~Sean Jansen

Tourists, visiting family members, conference travelers and Montanan’s alike flock to our state and frolic in the splendors and joys of summer. Camping, fishing, paddling, and hiking their way to help our economy. Embedding wilderness memories for their scrapbooks and Instagram, bragging to their friends about where they went.

In winter, the same process seems to work. However the actions are solely based off the joys from snow that blankets our ski resorts and mountains around the state. A similar number of tourists, visiting family members, and Montanans contribute to that economy. Only to the ski shops, resort, resort hotels, and coffee shops. But who ever said you couldn’t still hike? Couldn’t fish? Trail run, backpack; hell, go camping? I’ll be honest, there is nothing quite like a Montana summer with wildflowers blanketing the landscape and the warm air inviting you in to play. On the contrary, winter is certainly my second favorite.

Old man winter gets a bad rap. Yes, he is grumpy and cold and a vast majority of us love that for we get to wax up our skis and snowboards and slide down his angry bitter attitude. But he does have a soft side. One that does give soft powder, but also days on end where he isn’t in the mood to dump couple inches of snow and throw us in the ice box for a few days.

Fishing in Montana is a year round venture. Sure there are some days where you don’t want to put on those extra base layers. Don’t want to stand in the freezing river with steam rising from the cold water, or don’t feel like dragging that ice shelter over the frozen lake and start drilling. But there are days when the ground has thawed and midges dance on the surface of a near 50-degree day waiting to be sipped by that large brown trout.

Yellowstone’s visitation is out of control for most of the summer season, but what about winter? Check out the snowmobile and snow cat trips or slap on those cross country skis and cruise the Madison watching the swans and other creatures continue stirring like they always do. From Gardiner to Cooke City must be my favorite section of the park. With the wide Lamar valley and hundreds of bison roaming around unmolested by whatever the temperature seems to be. Open year round.

Hiking and running? Why not? Some days when the snow is thick and just recently dumped a few inches, you may need to bust our those snow shoes or cross country skis. But when the sun comes out and temperatures hover around freezing, the snow compacts and can easily be ran or hiked on. Some of the most popular hikes are the most splendid in winter.

The tranquility, peacefulness, and solitude are lost to those that think winter is a mountain resort only kind of attitude. Those that hunker down indoors watching television and over drinking coffee. Winter is the ultimate playground for any outdoor enthusiast and I beg any to get out and see for yourself. Some days I am a bit lonely watching those swans in the park, admiring the white-tailed deer and turkey along my favorite run, the sound of the river wrapping around my leg in complete solitude, or the quiet drive to a peaceful winter wonderland. You don’t have to take my word for it, but Montana’s secret weapon of a season is certainly winter.