CAN A BAR AND GRILL REPLACE THE PRAIRIE WINDS CAFE?

An article in the Enjoy section of the Billings Gazette on Friday, May 16 announced that a new series of Saturday AM bluegrass music will begin at the Blue Cat Bar and Grill in Huntley, MT, on next Saturday, May 23, 2014.  According to the story Wayne Long of “Spur of the Moment Band” had been pursuing a new Saturday venue from the closing day of the Prairie Winds last June. According to the story he said  “We went up and down the Yellowstone River to find a place,” but to no avail. Then the management of the Blue Cat expressed interest.
That was most interesting news indeed. But it also poses some questions. Will former patrons of the cozy, campy, museum-like atmosphere of the Prairie Winds still drive to a bar in Huntley for bluegrass with their pancakes & eggs?  Will they care for the stark layout of this establishment as opposed to the Molt Café?  Will they want to take their underage children there? Or will there even be a problem with the bar for allowing kids in? I believe the Blue Cat has had evening bands performing so hopefully they have dealt with the ASCAP/BMI fees. Some of our musicians have strong fundamental religious based beliefs which prevent them from performing in any establishment which serves alcohol. Will that prevent their bands from playing the Blue Cat?  Only time will tell. For those of us bluegrass enthusiasts we certainly hope this will all work out, but some of us still have our doubts.  I plan to get out there and support it for the coming “trial” period and you should consider it too.

Wayne Long was a long time banjo picker who came out to my house about 23 years ago when Bob Massey and myself were trying to start a bluegrass club in Billings. I knew him from jams with the fiddlers and others and knew he had played in bars and clubs for years. I recall taking my wife out one News Year Eve to hear his electric lounge lizard group, “Buzzard Bait” play at a Billings Heights dive. Well all that aside,  Wayne came down to the Friday (5-16-14) jam last night at the Lincoln building. In addition to the above he said that two of them had approached the Blue Cat owner about a Friday or Saturday evening gig at the bar. While they talked she said she had been interested in Saturday morning bluegrass when she heard of the Molt Café closing, but did not know who to contact. She said she cooks breakfast for some regulars every morning and she would like to try expanding that business.  So that is how this all began. The basic schedule is “Spur of the Moment” on May 24,  “Longtime Lonesome Dogs” on May 31, “Highway 302” on June 7, and the “Maverick String Stretchers” on June 14. We can’t afford to give you 9 lives, but good luck with at least this one BLUE CAT!