music

Taj Weekes

Taj Weekes, a St. Lucian singer-songwriter, opens the Mount Helena Music Festival Friday night, June 24. Although long hailed by reggae fans, Weekes defies simple genre formulas. His intuitive, intense songwriting ties together the many threads of his Caribbean heritage and honors his unflagging engagement with the world as a musician, philanthropist and lecturer.

On stage and on albums like the recent “A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen,” Weekes and his band Adowa unite a vibrant diversity of sounds with thoughtful, lush arrangements and a long-honed penchant for telling tales of hardship and hope.

This spring and summer takes Taj Weekes & Adowa on tour across the United States, including performances at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, the Blissfest Folk & Roots Festival, and the River City Music Festival.

“I don’t sit down and write socially conscious songs. I write songs about where I place my focus,” Weekes explains. “I grew up listening to the power of the music, the lyrical content. That’s what matters.”

For more information about the Mount Helena Music Festival, watch the upcoming Your Time.

Sound Evolution

“To describe Sound Evolution is to describe a thoughtful journey. A journey where every step is an ear opening experience, where music and time meet on the grand stage.”

On Monday, June 13, at 8 p.m. Sound Evolution journeys across time from prehistoric times to modern times using primitive rhythms, Gregorian chant, baroque music, the blues, funk, electronica to current hip-hop and progressive rock.

The audience will be led on this musical journey by local band The Thread, which includes band members Alex Lee, Trevor Holt and Jason Ryggs.

Also featured on the bill for the evening are Evrgrn (Dustin Agen), Lok Skywalker, Illizm, and special guests Floyd, Jeanine and Ted Gates. This mix of local Helena musicians will be joined by the Big Sky Dance Works.

Tickets are $15 and are available at the Myrna Loy Center box office, 443-0287 or online at