Madeline Hawthorne w/Goodnight Texas
Sept. 26 | Crystal Bay Casino | Crystal Bay, Nev.
“It’s so great to be home in Bozeman,” says roots rock singer Madeline Hawthorne. “It’s a beautiful sunny day. I can smell a little bit of smoke and see some off in the distance, but I think the worst of it has passed.”
Like many Tahoeites, Hawthorne and her husband are mountain folk at heart. In fact, they’re about to take a three–hour drive to Rock Creek in the Sapphire Range to go camping with aninflatable kayak and two Australian Shepherds named Keller Williams and Nica.
“We’re adrenaline junkies, but I’m sure we’ll eventually settle down and start fishing. It’s easy to get out here. We really don’t have to drive that far to see the stars at night without light pollution.”
The rising Montana artist was born Madeline Hawthorne Kelly in Boston, Mass., the daughter of two classical musicians. She grew up in Durham, N.H., where her father helped to establish theSustainability Institute at the University of New Hampshire. At age 18, she moved to Bozemanwith her boyfriend, now husband, Henry Vinson.
“I have a bit of wanderlust and the desire for travel, but we absolutely love living here,” she says. “Even though Bozeman is growing, I’m a smalltown girl. I like my space. I love spending time outdoors and I think it’s important for my spiritual wellbeing. I’ll travel far and wide, but this is home for us.”
After earning a degree in sustainable food and biosystems at Montana State University, Hawthorne started playing open mics at a nearby dive bar, The Haufbrau, which locals affectionately call “The Hoffice.” Being right on I-90, Bozeman has always been a hidden hotbed of music with places such as The Filling Station, Zebra Cocktail Lounge, Colonel Black’s and Cat’s Paw all hosting iconic acts as they toured the country. Sadly, many of those stages have succumbed to television, keno and EDM — a testament to the post-pandemic, remote–work gentrification that has enveloped much of the Mountain West.
“ ‘Yellowstone’ came out and suddenly everyone is hanging out in Montana,” says Hawthorne.“When we moved here it was much smaller. I always thought we had such a cool music scene for somewhere so isolated. But most of the bars where I got my start at are no longer here. It’s a little sterile to be honest. There’s room for upward mobility, but I hope the color and the essence and the grit stick around.”
About 10 years ago, Hawthorne dropped her maiden name and adopted her middle name (which comes from her great-grandfather) as her stage persona. She started a band called The Hawthorne Roots, which toured from Colorado to the Pacific Northwest.
“Music became the most important thing in my life. I felt the power and connection and it totally took hold of my heart and soul. I dove in full time and never looked back. We were playinganywhere we could. There were tons of empty bars, but we learned a lot.”
Right before the pandemic, Hawthorne parted ways with the band to pursue her own career. She produced her first album, “Boots,” at Studio 110 in Pittsburgh, Penn., with Brad Parsons and Tyler Thompson, the drummer for Fruition and TK and the Holy Know-Nothings.
Hawthorne’s recent second record, “Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives,” was made at Bear Creek Studio outside Seattle, Wash., with Ryan Hadlock, who produced The Lumineers’platinum debut in 2012 — a CD that played on repeat in Hawthorne’s Subaru when she first came to Montana.
“The ability of great songwriters to say so much with something so simple is incredibly powerful and profound. The experience of touring with my band and having those live performances were in the back of my mind when I was writing this record,” she says.
Hawthorne released the LP independently in June before hitting the road once more.
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t take a record deal if one came along, but to tell you the truth, I’m happy we didn’t need one. Things feel like they’re starting to pick up and see the fruits of ten years of hard work, which is really cool. I’ve still got a long way to go. I don’t know what the end goal is, but I feel like I’ve got a lot to do, a lot to say and a lot more music to make.”
Hawthorne performs on Sept. 26 in the Red Room at Crystal Bay Casino in Crystal Bay, Nev.,with her Front Range backing band featuring members of Grant Farm and Hiss Golden Messenger. They’ll be joined by Goodnight, Texas, an alt-country rock group led by Avi Vinocur, the prolific former guitarist of The Stone Foxes. | madelinehawthorne.com
