‘It’s not just a concert...’

This Friday, five bands from near and far – as far away as Israel, in fact – will take the stage at the Badlander as KBGA hosts its 12th annual Birthday Bash. Musicians from Tel Aviv, Austin, Portland, and Missoula will perform in celebration of twelve years of college radio at UM.
“It’s not just a concert, it’s a party,” said Tim Donahue, KBGA’s general manager. “It’s a celebration.”

Monotonix, of Tel Aviv, Israel, is the headlining band. Monotonix garnered attention at KBGA about six months ago after their music started circulating on the station’s playlist. Niki Payton, the promotions director at KBGA, said that they are a three-piece garage band with a “reputation for existing far beyond the normal boundaries, musically speaking.”
The five bands will play upstairs at the Badlander while KBGA DJs keep things shaking downstairs at The Palace in-between sets. The Mermaid, who was recently voted Missoula’s best live DJ by a Missoulian reader poll, will be working the downstairs crowd along with DJ O-Face.
“It’s a great venue for the kind of music we bring to town,” Payton said.  “And it fits a good [number] of people when you have the two venues.”
Hooch Dupree and the Trapdoor Band of Austin will play their folkie tunes including several mandolins, a fiddle and an acoustic guitar against the backdrop of Alex Dupree’s voice. 
The Bugs, a two-piece band familiar to Missoula for their participation in Total Fest, will showcase their D.I.Y. punk music. 
“The Bugs were asked to come up for the event just to mix it up,” Payton said.  “This year we have more variety.”
Two local bands – Vera and The Wartime Blues – are performing as well. 
Vera is a two-piece female rock duo. Both members were previously active in the Missoula music scene and have reemerged from other obligations to play music again.
Nate Hegyi, the Wartime Blues’ frontman, said that its lineup includes an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, a bass, drums, a piano, a violin, a cello and a mandolin.
He described the band as an “Americana rock outfit.”
The Wartime Blues released their first album this month, the ‘Snowghost Sessions EP.’
The Birthday Bash has a 50’s sock hop theme. Payton said that, like last year, a photo booth will be on location to document the costume fun. 
“It should be interesting,” Donahue said. “I know that there’s a lot of folks at the office that are trying to put together outfits along the lines of various 1950s musicians.”
Tickets are $5 and are available at the KBGA office in the UC and at Ear Candy Music on Higgins Ave.  Payton said that she expects the show to sell out.
“The doors are at nine and we’re running ‘till the wee hours,” Donahue said. 
amanda.eggert@umontana.edu