Alpenglow: Madeline Hawthorne
2026-07-20 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Denver) | Center for the Arts Crested Butte, 606 Sixth Street, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, United States
Free Concert Series | Outdoors | Rain or Shine
The miles we travel make up the stories we tell.
The soles of your favorite boots or the tread on your prized car’s tires soak up the experiences and wisdom of the road under your feet. Born in New England, based in Bozeman Montana, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Madeline Hawthorne pens the kind of tunes you listen to on a cross-country trek to start anew or in the dead of night when you just need a reminder that somebody’s listening.
In this respect, her 2024 independent album, Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives, serves as a fitting soundtrack to life’s trip.
“It’s the perfect road trip record,” she affirms. “It was mostly written while I was on tour. If the songs were written at home in Montana, I took inspiration from journal entries and memories of my travels. This is me stepping onto the stage with more miles under my boots. I’m giving into the moment and the melody to tell a story. It’s like eleven different versions of me—a woman I could have been, a woman I perhaps thought I was, and a woman I hope to be someday.”
Obsessed with music since her childhood on the East Coast, Madeline planted roots in Bozeman, MT during college and never turned back. She honed her talents through countless backup and band gigs before going solo amid the Global Pandemic. Balancing Americana, roots, folk, and rock, she introduced herself on the 2021 LP, Boots, co-produced by Brad Parsons and Tyler Thompson in Pittsburgh. In between, she shared the stage with everyone from Jason Isbell, Lukas Nelson, Josh Turner, and Kip Moore to Sierra Hull, John Craigie, and Nathaniel Rateliff. Plus, she wowed audiences at festivals such as Treefort Music Festival (ID), Americanafest (TN), WinterWonderGrass (CO), Pak City Song Summit (UT), Roseberry Music Festival, (ID), and more. Earning acclaim for tracks like 2023’s “Neon Wasteland,” Relix applauded her “vibrant and buzzing.” Hawthorne has also caught the eye of CMT, who featured her “Neon Wasteland” video at CMT.com and she has received praise from tastemakers such as No Depression who says, “She’s been crushing rootsy tunes.”
Eventually, she decamped to Bear Creek Studios for ten days to record Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives alongside producer Ryan Hadlock [Zach Bryan, The Lumineers].
“I was fully immersed in the experience,” she recalls. “I went for a walk every day, wrote in my journal, and spent a nice amount of time with the spirits of artists who have worked there before me. I appreciate that Ryan put my acoustic guitar first in the arrangement. He felt it was important for listeners to hear the songs with the instruments of origin driving the vibe and feel of the music.”
You can hear this energy loud and clear on the first single “Chasing The Moon.” Bright acoustic guitar underlines pensive lyrics uplifted by piano and a steady beat. Her words resound with excitement as she observes, “That lonesome highway is my Hollywood Boulevard.” On the hook, she exhales, “You can’t change the way things are, but I’ll try again. I’ve got nothing left to lose chasing the moon.”
“I wrote “Chasing the Moon” about my many late nights driving through Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado,” she notes. “It was born driving down Highway 191, going from Big Sky to West Yellowstone. Sometimes, I’ll pull over, get out of my car, and look up at the night sky. It’s powerful to stand in the quiet of the night and listen with your heart.”
Loose slide guitar mirrors the sway of her vocals on “Where Did I Go Wrong.” Her reflections ripple with raw emotion, “Pushed you away for the sake of a song, I need a drink, a moment to think, where did I go wrong?”
“The words you hear are the first words that came out of my mouth,” she goes on. “There are no edits. Although I’m happily married, I’d be lying if I told you this career path doesn’t challenge even the strongest of relationships. I never want to be that woman sitting alone at a bar wondering where she went wrong. It’s a good reminder to nurture a loving relationship.”
On the other end of the spectrum, “Night Ride” instantly intoxicates as she urges, “Roll me up like a joint and smoke me.” She remembers, “It’s about the time I had with my husband during the pandemic. It’s rare we get that much time together without a million things to do. It was a silver lining to an incredibly challenging period.”
The opener “Cold Shoulder” culminates on a wild guitar solo laced with organ. “The record starts off hot and heavy,” she goes on. “It’s a sequel to Boots, which ends with my songwriter character leaving her old self behind to step into a new form. It’s a sassy statement about where I am and how I feel as an artist and a woman.”
The LP concludes with the pensive and poetic “Long Drive To Bozeman,” which traces a map of her life so far. “It’s about my journey to Montana from New Hampshire when I was 18-years-old,” she notes. “I met a boy. We both had aspirations to move to Montana for school, so I drove him to college. Driving into Bozeman still stops my breath to this day. I wound up marrying that man and now we have a house in Bozeman with two cats, two dogs, and a garden. I followed my heart and it brought me home.”
In the end, Madeline is here for you on your journey.
“I’d suggest playing this in your car this summer on a long drive,” she smiles. “Sip your favorite beverage and spin the vinyl in your listening room—or turn it up to 11 and dance wildly around your kitchen. Wherever you are, I hope it gives you what you need. This is an album for the lovers, the wild children, and the ones who refuse to grow up too much. Adventure is always out there. Go on and take the leap.”

Summer Classics in the Courtyard: Hiroya Tsukamoto
2026-07-21 17:30 - 19:00
Outdoors | Seating Provided | Rain or shine
Join us every Tuesday for a live music happy hour in the Feldberg East Courtyard! From classical, to jazz and world music, we hope you enjoy these intimate live performances over cocktails from the Black Dragon Bar, with stunning summer views.
Originally from Kyoto, Japan, Hiroya Tsukamoto returns to Crested Butte with his unique guitar style, haunting melodies, and transcendent compositions to blend classical, world, and jazz music into a profoundly reflective experience.

Alpenglow: Clay Street Unit
2026-07-27 17:30 - 19:30
Free Concert Series | Outdoors | Rain or Shine
Hailing from Denver, Colorado, Clay Street Unit mixes the acoustic instrumentation of bluegrass and folk with the amplified energy of Americana and country. The result is a singular interpretation of American roots music that blurs the borders between genre and geography, fusing the influence of the Rocky Mountains with the traditions of the Appalachians. Driven forward by drums, sharp songwriting, and the chemistry of good friends and musical brothers who’ve shared countless hours on stage, Clay Street Unit’s music doesn’t just nod to the band’s influences; it reshapes them into something new. With their debut album on the horizon, Clay Street Unit are staking their claim as torchbearers of something both fresh and familiar, nodding to the foundations of American music while sharpening their own progressive edge.

Alpenglow: Hand Turkey
2026-08-03 17:30 - 19:30
Free Concert Series | Outdoors | Rain or Shine
Denver-based band Hand Turkey delivers high-energy, groove-driven tunes designed to keep audiences on their feet. Originally formed in 2020 as a quartet of high school and college friends, the group has since grown into a dynamic seven-piece ensemble featuring powerful lead vocals, punchy horns, and a dexterous rhythm section. Drawing from diverse musical backgrounds—from jazz composition to musical theater—Hand Turkey brings a fresh, genre-blending spin to classic funk, fusion, and pop.

Steve Earle
2026-08-06 20:00
Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. A protégé of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, he quickly became a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and countless others.
In 1986, he released Guitar Town, which shot to No. 1 on the country charts and is now regarded as a classic of the Americana genre. Most recently, Earle’s 1988 hit “Copperhead Road” was made an official state song of Tennessee in 2023.
Subsequent releases, including The Revolution Starts…Now (2004), Washington Square Serenade (2007), and TOWNES (2009), received consecutive GRAMMY® Awards. Released in 2022, Jerry Jeff features Earle’s interpretations of songs written by one of his mentors, Jerry Jeff Walker.
Earle is also an accomplished author. He has published the novel I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011) and a collection of short stories, Dog House Roses (Houghton Mifflin, 2003). As a producer, he has worked with artists including Joan Baez (Day After Tomorrow) and Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road).
As an actor, Earle has appeared in several films and had recurring roles in the HBO series The Wire and Tremé. In 2009, he appeared in the off-Broadway play Samara, for which he also composed the score—described by The New York Times as “exquisitely subliminal.” He later wrote music for and appeared in Coal Country, earning a Drama Desk Award nomination.
Earle hosts the weekly show Hard Core Troubadour on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country channel. In 2020, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2023, he was honored by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music.
His latest album, Alone Again (Live), was released on July 12, 2024. Most recently, Earle was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry and was officially inducted on September 17, 2025.

Alpenglow: Chantil and The Dukes of Art
2026-08-10 17:30 - 19:30
Free Concert Series | Outdoors | Rain or Shine
Chantil Dukart is an award-winning contemporary jazz pianist and vocalist with roots in the Tsimshian and Sugpiaq tribes of Alaska.
Dukart has performed with leading voices in contemporary music, including Esperanza Spalding, Nikki Glaspie (Beyoncé, Dumpstaphunk), Michael Pilot (Hamilton) and Guggenheim fellow Nicholas Galanin, at notable venues including the Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival.
SAY Magazine says, “Dukart is a powerhouse on and off stage. Most of all, she is a credit to her ancestors and an integral support to Indigenous creatives all over North America. It’s her time to soar…”
She currently tours nationally and internationally with the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, Pamyua, and her own project, The Dukes of Art.

Cookbook Club: The Italian Summer Kitchen: Timeless Recipes for La Dolce Vita
2026-08-20 18:00
Bring a little dolce vita to Crested Butte with a community potluck inspired by The Italian Summer Kitchen by Cathy Whims and Kate Lewis! Think sun-ripened flavors, fresh herbs, and recipes made for lingering over the last of our long summer evenings. Grab a copy at Townie Books or borrow ours, sign up for a dish, and bring your Italian-inspired creation to share. We’ll set the table, pour the wine, and soak up a taste of summer together.

Cookbook Club: Let’s Stay In
2026-09-17 18:00
Settle in for a cozy community potluck inspired by Let’s Stay In by Ashley Rodriguez! This cookbook is all about slowing down, gathering with friends, and savoring meals that make an ordinary night feel special. From comforting mains to shareable sides, these recipes are designed for connection around the table. Pick up a copy at Townie Books or borrow ours, sign up for a dish, and bring your creation to share. Together, we’ll enjoy the simple pleasure of good food and even better company.

Cookbook Club: The Mountain Baker: 100 High-Altitude Recipes for Every Occasion
2026-10-22 18:00
Join us for a community potluck inspired by The Mountain Baker: 100 High-Altitude Recipes for Every Occasion by Mimi Council and Kimmy Fasani—two bakers who know mountain living inside and out. With recipes designed to rise (and shine!) at altitude, this cookbook is perfect for our Crested Butte kitchens, whether you’re whipping up après-ski treats, weekend brunch, or everyday breads and desserts. Pick up a copy at Townie Books or borrow ours, sign up for a dish, and bring your high-country creation to share. Together, we’ll celebrate the joy of baking in the Butte—where the air is thin but the flavors are rich.
