DEADWOOD, SD. (10/18/21) – The Deadwood Red Dirt Music Festival has become one of the biggest music festivals in the upper mid-west and event organizers are eager to bring back two incredible days of music on the Deadwood Mountain Grand stage. This year’s event, scheduled for January 14 and 15 will feature Pecos & the Rooftops, Wade Bowen and Stoney Larue on Friday night and Tyler Halverson, the Scooter Brown Band and Ian Munsick on Saturday.
The event debuted in 2015 with nearly 5,000 fans attending two days of the best in music from the Red Dirt genre. Red Dirt is the color of soil found in Oklahoma and Texas and are the homes of a music genre that spawned Outlaw Country legends like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson and created a home-grown movement of Americana, folk and alt-country sounds. Some define Red Dirt music as “country music with attitude”. Others say it’s a state of mind as much as it is a sound – a sound that successfully closes the gap between rock and country.
Regardless of definition, Red Dirt fans are loyal and came in droves in previous years to shows at Deadwood Mountain Grand. “We absolutely love this event,” said Susan Kightlinger, General Manager of the resort. “The music is incredible, the fans come to party and the atmosphere is electric. It really is one of my favorite events of the year.”
Headlining the Friday night performances will be Stoney Larue. Throw away any preconceived notions you might have about country singers — especially ones from Texas — because Stoney LaRue smashes them all. Over a nearly 20-year career, the Lone Star-born and Oklahoma-raised LaRue has transformed himself into an unlikely Renaissance man. He is a deft songwriter, informed traveler and self-aware philosopher, a troubadour who converses just as easily about Indian yogis and gurus as he does about Texas barbecue and dance halls.
Forging connections with his fans is paramount for LaRue, who plays more than 200 live shows a year. His base is a fiercely loyal one, and not just within the Red Dirt region. He regularly tours throughout the entire country and has fans in some unexpected places. Chalk up his mass appeal to the way he sells his songs both onstage and on record — to listen to LaRue sing the nostalgic, Bob Seger-esque “Drowning in Moonlight” on his new album “Onward” is to hear someone with whom you share an experience.
“I thought that song would be something that’s very relatable. You want to think about your first kiss overlooking the city with the top down,” he says. “There’s something so sexy and romantic about that song. It’s dark, but it’s light at the same time.”
For LaRue, who has sold more than one million albums and singles in his career, fun means being on the road and playing live, tapping into a vast catalogue that includes influential LPs like 2005’s The Red Dirt Album and his exhilarating 2007 live document “Live at Billy Bob’s Texas”. Now, he’s excited about taking Onward to fans around the country and reminding them that not only is he still here, he isn’t going anywhere.
“You have to be willing to live it. That’s the only way to make it, and the way that I’ve made it,” says LaRue of his remarkable longevity. “But I’m not haphazard in what I’m writing or singing anymore. I’m more focused and looking ahead to what I want to achieve.”
In other words, Stoney LaRue is looking Onward.
Headlining the Saturday night performances is Ian Munsick. Breathing fresh Rocky Mountain air into the Nashville music scene, Munsick is pioneering a new brand of country. The Wyoming-born singer/songwriter’s upbringing was a mix of working the ranch and working crowds. Under the tutelage of their fiddle-playing father, Munsick and his two older brothers grew up playing everything from bluegrass to The Beatles. Incorporating elements across genres, he has now established himself as a progressive artist with an old soul.
Captivated by traditional lyrical truth and the modern soundscape, Ian followed his ear to Music City. In 2017 he released a self-titled EP, winning iHeartRadio’s Rocky Mountain Song of the Year for the rootsy “Horses Are Faster” and becoming the only artist who simultaneously qualified two tracks as finalists in the NSAI/CMT songwriting competition.
Equipped with a full ready-for-release collection of songs, the 27-year-old has signed his first major label deal with Warner Music Nashville. His debut album Coyote Cry, features his mile-high tenor underscoring self-penned songs that conjure equal parts epic adventure and down-to-earth wisdom. The record marks the dawn of western pop-laced country, pulling a thread straight from Chris LeDoux through Post Malone. Munsick’s recent releases include “Long Haul,” “Me Against the Mountain” and “Humble” – and with them, western country is being reborn.
Tickets go on sale for Deadwood Mountain Grand Reward Members at 10 a.m. Tuesday, October 19th and to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, October 22nd. They will be available at the Deadwood Mountain Grand Box Office – The Spotlight Store – or at ticketmaster.com. Both hotel reservations and ticket arrangements may be made by calling 877-907-GRAND. Please be aware of third party ticket brokers as Ticketmaster is the only official ticket outlet for Deadwood Mountain Grand.
For more information, visit www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com or call 605-559-1188. To open your free Grand Rewards Center membership and enjoy the benefits of purchasing advance tickets ahead of the general public, bring a photo ID to the Grand Rewards Center counter, located in the Deadwood Mountain Grand Resort Casino.
Deadwood Mountain Grand is the restored 1906 Homestake Mining Co. ore processing plant that overlooks Historic Deadwood, which features a 98-room luxury hotel, 210 state-of-the-art casino games, high stakes gaming action, a 2,500 seat entertainment and event center and a multi-level parking garage.
