A celebration of songwriting

Katelyn Shook, Josh Hedlund and Larsen Gardens team up for Songs in the Round

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

For such a small town, Sandpoint attracts a lot of songwriters. Maybe it’s something in the water, we don’t know. Regardless, the best way to tap into Sandpoint’s songwriting community is at a smaller, intimate venue dedicated to the listening experience.

If that interests you, join Katelyn Shook, Josh Hedlund and Larsen Gardens at 8 p.m. Friday, May 26 at the Panida’s Little Theater for Songs in the Round for an intimate evening of songs and stories.

“I really want to give an opportunity for local musicians to have a listening audience and not have the huge pressure of selling a lot of tickets, like they would at a larger venue like the big [Panida] theater or the Heartwood,” Shook told the Reader.

Along with playing in the show, Shook produced and promoted Songs in the Round.

Shook is best known for her work with twin sister Laurie in the popular touring band Shook Twins, but she plans to tap into her solo side on Friday night. With her honey-pure voice and catchy hooks on the guitar, Shook’s songs have helped sell out shows at the main stage of the Panida — among other venues across the country — for years. said “I love hearing him play, and I especially love hearing him in a place with great sound and lighting. It’s the perfect way to experience his music.”

Songs in the Round feat. Katelyn Shook, Josh Hedlund and Larsen Gardens

Friday, May 26; doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 8 p.m.; $25 general admission. Panida Little Theater, 300 N.First Ave., 208-263-9191. As of press time, there are only 20 tickets left, so check panida.org soon to get your tickets.

Hedlund’s songwriting has been lore in Sandpoint for more than a decade, as he has developed a following to his unique fingerpicking style on the guitar and raw, unvarnished lyrics that cut deep. His songs balance on the fine line between delicate, haunting and ethereal.

“Josh is one of my favorites, obviously,” Shook

Shook tapped Larsen Gardens to round out the night after hearing her play at a curated open mic night at Bluebird Bakery in February.

“She blew my mind,” Shook said. “She’s just so good. She just moved to town, so I’m excited to have a new songwriter in town. … She needs to be heard in an intentional space.”

Shook said the Little Theater has undergone a small makeover recently, with new murals painted on the walls and the addition of a green room and a functional bar to the venue.

“I’ve been working hard to give this Little Theater a makeover,” she said. “I want to do more little shows like this if the community supports it. I have this vision of bringing a lot of our friends from regional touring artists that I think Sandpoint would absolutely love. I want a space where people can have less pressure and I can easily produce a show in there.”

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Truck and Carl, Farmin Park, May 27 Strangerers, 219 Lounge, May 27

Among Sandpoint’s bestkept secrets are the worldclass musicians who choose our town for their home base. There’s something beautiful about the commonplace times and places these gifted artists share their work. In this week’s offerings, Truck Mills and Carl Rey will play an open-air, mid-morning slot at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market, providing the soundtrack to strolling shoppers in Farmin Park.

The duo will play old- style and country blues, along with some jazz and world-music stylings, brought to life with strings, harmonica and the voices of two of Sandpoint’s most seasoned performers.

— Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey

10 a.m.-1 p.m., FREE. Farmin Park, Third Avenue and Main Street in Sandpoint. Listen at truckmills. com.

It’s kind of hard to top what’s already been written about Spokane-based trio the Strangerers. Whoever’s been doing their P.R. has a way with words.

For instance: “The Strangerers put the range in strange. They sound like a broken bottle bar fight and have recently expanded their gigging radius from Corby’s Bar & Grill in Post Falls to the one and only bar in Hunters, Wash.” Also: “Strangerers began regularly meeting to practice music, and would play electrified iterations of jazz standards in garages all over Spokane in the beginning of 2020 as guerilla jazz rats.” Also, also, Vinnie Nicholoff

(drums), Jacob Ayers (bass) and Eric Kegley (vocals/guitar/songwriter), have “expanded their range beyond backyards, garages and retirement homes.”

If that sounds intriguing — and it sure does to us — check out their alt-outlawcountry-jazz-rock Saturday, May 27 at the Niner. Hopefully they won’t stay Strangerers to Sandpoint.

— Zach Hagadone

9 p.m.-midnight, FREE, 21+. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208, 219.bar.

I was finally able to dive into local author Ammi Midstokke’s first book, All The Things, which she published through Spokane-based Latah Books earlier this year. The essay collection highlights all that is great about Midstokke’s voice. She makes her reader (or, at least this reader) laugh as often as they have to take a deep breath to digest a hard truth. She puts words to the North Idaho female experience, and I am grateful. Find All The Things in local shops or online.

Once upon a time in Bozeman, Mont., three high school friends joined forces to start a folk-rock band. That trio, known as Ritchy Mitch & The Coal Miners, has managed to amass 6.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify without a label and with only three rapid-release albums since the band’s 2017 formation. I’d venture to say it’s because they’ve managed to make something unlike anything I’ve ever heard — stripped down but absolutely full of life. Must-listen RMCM songs include “Subliming,” “Lake Missoula” and “WET SOCKS.”

Read Listen Watch

My YouTube algorithm is a convoluted blend of government meeting livestreams, ASMR hair-brushing compilations and Taylor Swift music videos (enjoy that window onto my mind). How thrift shopping vlogs recently made it into the mix is beyond me, but I’m not mad about it. Basically, there are people with YouTube channels who film their second-hand shopping adventures and how they choose to style their findings. Videos on the channel @ thriftedbyryanne are perfect, bitesized catharsis.