Montana Folk Festival announces seven of its performers for July 10-12 concert in Butte

The first seven performers coming to the 2026 Montana Folk Festival were announced on Monday.

The festival, produced by Mainstreet Uptown Butte, is set to be held July 10-12, with more than 20 groups representing a diversity of musical and cultural traditions performing on the festival's six stages in Uptown Butte.

George Everett, festival director, said this will be the 14th year of the Montana Folk Festival in Butte after the first three years were billed as the National Folk Festival in Montana from 2008-2010.

“Everyone planning to attend, no matter how well they know this festival, should come expecting to be amazed,” said Everett. “This first set of performers only represents one-third of those who will be on our six stages.”

The first seven performers are listed below.

—The world-renowned Pine Leaf Boys of Louisiana have built a legacy on a signature brand of music delivered with unmatched youthful exuberance. While they are celebrated as the premier torchbearers of Cajun and zydeco, their sound is a deep-dive into the full spectrum of Louisiana’s musical heritage, blending swamp-pop, soul, and high-octane rock ’n’ roll. Their sets seamlessly pivot from the classic country soul of Hank Williams and George Jones to the wild energy of Jerry Lee Lewis-style rock ’n’ roll. A highlight of their performance occurs when Wilson Savoy moves to the keys. His piano style is a virtuosic collision of influences, a "triple-threat" sound where the soul of Ray Charles meets the fire of Jerry Lee Lewis and the accordion-driven grit of Clifton Chenier.

—Growing up in the Florida Panhandle, Amanda Cook got her early bluegrass education as a spectator, attending festivals with her father, Mike Blanton, a talented banjo player. In 2007, when Amanda was in her mid-20s, her dad asked her to join him in forming a new band, High Cotton. In 2013, Cook decided to pursue her own calling by founding the Amanda Cook Band. The rapid success of her band brought new opportunities, including a multi-album deal with Mountain Fever Records. Recognizing her talent for arranging and producing, Mountain Fever recruited Cook as a recording engineer, and her family relocated to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2019. Now she’s the studio’s chief of operations, and her new home base in Virginia has put her in the heart of bluegrass culture. Steady touring and albums at number one on the Billboard bluegrass charts followed, making the Amanda Cook Band one of the genre’s brightest lights today. Band members include banjo picker Carolyne Van Lierop Boone, Josh Faul, upright bass player, Troy Boone, mandolin, and lead guitarist Justin Alexander.

—Keith Johnson is an accomplished blues guitarist, harmonica player, songwriter and published author. He has amassed a songwriting catalog, with multiple songs released on his debut album, “Come to Mississippi.” The great-nephew of blues icon Muddy Waters, he is also the grandson of the late Texcellar Fields, a gospel singer and radio host. He has toured Europe with the Big Muddy Band and performed original songs for Hulu's “Searching for Soul Food.” He was also featured in a YouTube series presented by Huckberry titled “Ramble On.” Johnson in 2022 published his first book, titled, “Freeman: Opening the Case.”

—Centering its music on what they call Afro Caribbean soul, Afro Dominicano blends traditional folkloric genres from the Dominican Republic, such as perico ripiao, palo, merengue de orquesta, and bachata with reggae, bembe, calypso, samba, funk, rock and other African rhythms. Afro Dominicano calls their style a “sancocho musical,” comparing it to the mix of flavors found in the hearty stew beloved across the Caribbean. They marry the rich base of traditional merengue típico with ingredients from New York City’s soundscape.  Founder Adriano Brito describes their music as a melting pot, with the sound of punk music on your headphones layered with merengue from a nearby bodega.

—Based in Pittsburgh with deeply rooted musical traditions, Tamburaški Sastav Ponoć represents a new generation of brilliant players of tamburitza music, the traditional string band music of the Balkans. Tamburitza music has flourished for over a century in ethnic communities across the industrial Mid-Atlantic and Upper Midwest where Eastern European immigrants flocked to work in the region’s factories and mines. Until recently, it has had limited exposure beyond these communities. But that is changing as this cadre of virtuosic young musicians bring tamburitza out of neighborhood taverns and community halls and onto concert stages across America and the world.

—Six decades of music, 65 years of song, generations tied together through the force of will of a matriarchy of powerful women. This is the story of African American gospel quintet The Legendary Ingramettes, founded by Maggie Ingram (who died in 2015) as a way to keep her family together through hardship, and taken up by her daughter Almeta Ingram-Miller as a way to continue her mother’s legacy. Inspired by the Black gospel male quartets of the 1940s and ’50s, The Legendary Ingramettes bring roof-raising harmonies and explosively powerful vocals, all driven by the voices of women. A live show from The Legendary Ingramettes has been called a house-rocking affair, with audiences literally getting whipped to a gospel fervor.

—Widely recognized as three of Canada's finest musicians, Timi Turmel, Erin Leahy, and Louis Schryer enjoy playing together. While honoring their heritage as Cécilia, their music making has an undeniably fresh and high-spirited sound. They bring the best of many musical worlds together in their explorations of traditional, Celtic and Quebecois music. Every one of their pieces is skillfully arranged and highlighted with influences from contemporary, classical, jazz and swing styles. Each performance by Cécilia is said to be a call to come out and share — not only in the joy of three dedicated musicians making music together but also in creating with the band a unique and memorable musical experience.

Festival admission is free, although organizers urge attendees to contribute $25 per day or $35 per family. Supporters who want to donate now, send contributions to Montana Folk Festival, P.O. Box 696, Butte, MT 59703 or contribute online at paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1876197.

For updates on the Montana Folk Festival, visit www.montanafolkfestival.com or on Facebook at mtfolkfest.