31 Jul Stronger Together

On a Thursday night in early May, there is hardly an empty seat at Bozeman, Montana’s Tune Up Bar. The bustling crowd is largely on the younger side — a snapshot of the growing city’s hipster population — and eagerly awaiting the night’s performers. The evening’s musicians have one thing in common: They’re all women. The mostly up-and-coming songwriters and musicians from around the area have gathered together to hone their craft in front of a captive audience. As part of the talented and passionate Yellowstone Women’s Music Collective, they’re poised to create, collaborate, and showcase their music on an even bigger stage.

Lena Schiffer came up with the idea for the collective in 2023. Schiffer spent a decade in the bluegrass band Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs before striking out on her own, focusing on her own music and collaboration with musicians across the state.

The collective was founded by Lena Marie Schiffer, a Livingston musician and songwriter known to many as the former leader of the popular bluegrass band Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs. 
After a decade with the band, including seven years spent full-time touring, Schiffer found herself ready for a change. While on the road, she had noticed a lack of female representation on stages across the country. She came across the online movement #BookMoreWomen and realized that well-known artists like Brandi Carlile and Alison Russell were making a concerted effort to highlight female performers. Carlile, for example, started an all-female music festival, and Russell promotes a band composed entirely of women and non-binary folks. Appreciating their impact, Schiffer thought there was an opportunity for a similar focus in Montana.

“All of these things sparked my interest in bringing attention to the female musicians in my community,” says Schiffer, who officially formed the collective in the fall of 2023. “I wanted to reconnect to the local music scene, and I knew there were some women playing around that I wanted to get to know better.”

Collective member Marcedes Carroll carries her guitar to a gig at the Tune Up Bar in Bozeman.

Since initially reaching out to a dozen women she already knew, Schiffer’s collective has grown to include more than 60 women, predominantly from Gallatin and Park counties, a hotbed for music right now. The collective includes a mix of seasoned performers and newcomers, but everyone has a shared aim. 

“The goal is to have more art from women in this world, and sometimes it feels like we have to fight twice as hard to make our voices heard,” says Schiffer. “The outward-facing part of the collective is to bring visibility to the wide array of female talent in our region. The internal side is to encourage each other to be brave and share our stories and experiences, even if it’s just with one another.”

After moving to Bozeman four years ago for a teaching job, fiddler and singer Ani Casabonne found it hard to fit in until she met Schiffer and other like-minded musicians. When Schiffer told her about the idea for the collective, Casabonne jumped at the chance to be involved.

The Tune Up Bar in Bozeman’s Armory Hotel is a hotspot for local singer-songwriters.

“Since connecting with the women in the valley’s music scene, I have learned so much,” says Casabonne, adding that members often give each other advice on gear, jamming, and booking shows. “This wellspring of knowledge was untapped before the collective, and now we have access to it at our fingertips.”  

Less of a songwriter and more of an instrumentalist, Casa-
bonne — who recently toured with well-known folk rockers The Last Revel — has a unique perspective on what the collective can offer. “I truly believe the voices of women songwriters need to be heard by the world,” she says. “I’m so lucky to get to add my own flair and instrumentation to their beautiful songs.”

Schiffer and Casabonne’s collaboration led to the formation of a new trio, honeyholler, with fellow collective member Kaylie Marie. The group, which features three-part harmonies, has already opened for celebrated Americana bands Big Richard and Joseph and plans to perform more shows in the future.

“Singing harmonies with women gives me full-body chills,” Casabonne says. “It feels familiar and relatable.”

Bozeman’s Ella Rae Cole performs at the Tune Up. With her original music, Cole is a rising star in the Gallatin Valley music scene.

These types of connections — through workshops, performances, and impromptu gatherings — are exactly what Schiffer was hoping for when she launched the collective. Casabonne and members Betsy Wise and Lenka Swenson led two workshops last year focused on playing lead solos. 
Lisa Carman offered a vocal health workshop, and a gathering at Blake Brightman’s equine facility turned into a special tune-sharing collaboration in a beautiful, inspiring setting. The workshops tend to draw 10 to 15 members per session.

“We all have something to learn from each other,” Schiffer says. “I wanted to create a safe landing place for ideas to be shared, questions to be asked, and collaborations to take shape.”

The collective has hosted 15 performances since its first public show in September 2024, primarily at such Bozeman venues as the Tune Up, Live From The Divide, and Bozeman Hot Springs. These intimate concerts are integral to one of Schiffer’s major goals to provide a platform for real connection between artist and listener.

Michael Kirkwood, Gabby Rizzo, and Lenka Swenson (from left) pose before a show at the Tune Up. The trio performed Rizzo’s original instrumental tunes along with a few covers for a recent showcase featuring newer collective members.

“One of the main issues we have as songwriters is finding a room to play in that can be attentive, where the audience can actually listen to the words and music that we have poured our hearts into,” says Schiffer. “I remember feeling like I had tapped into something — that people not only wanted to hear these kinds of shows but that the artists were craving connection with an audience that cared.”

Jason Wickens, the founder and creative director for Live From The Divide — a small, 50-seat venue on Bozeman’s north side known for championing singer-songwriters — 
says he was quick to jump on board when Schiffer approached him in the fall of 2024. “Our focus has always been on showcasing national touring artists, but we’re constantly looking for opportunities to feature local talent in a meaningful, curated way,” Wickens says. “We encouraged her to host and curate the series, and it’s been nothing short of a success, with most shows selling out months in advance.”

Marcedes Carroll poses before a show at the Tune Up. Carroll is a regular at venues across the state and has released two albums of original material.

Wickens praises Schiffer for thinking outside of the box and taking risks in an industry that is increasingly hard to navigate for aspiring musicians. “Lena is a true leader and a shining example of how an independent artist can grow both their career and their community at the same time,” says Wickens. “Without artists like her, it’s easy to feel isolated in this industry. Her work reminds us that we’re stronger when we build together.”

Schiffer aims to maintain the collective’s momentum and growth while balancing her busy music schedule. The collective is currently showcasing women of Gallatin and Park counties, but ladies from around Montana are welcome to attend the workshops. For now, Schiffer is content with how things are happening naturally. “I don’t plan on leaving the area anytime soon, so I guess it’s a slow build,” Schiffer says. “I’m really happy with what has been accomplished so far.”

Back at the Tune Up, veteran collective member and seasoned performer Marcedes Carroll warms up the crowd before Casabonne, the host for the evening, introduces the next showcase performer, Ella Rae Cole. A relative newcomer to the local scene, Cole’s soft-spoken, soothing voice instantly captivates the audience: You can hear a pin drop as she strums the opening chords to “Foregone,” a song from her debut EP. Everyone in the bar listens intently, and the focus is on the performer, exactly as Schiffer imagined when creating the collective.

“I feel like these shows give the performers a sense of a professional show with a respectful audience and a platform to be vulnerable,” Schiffer says. “We are stronger together, with collective knowledge, than we are on our own.” 

The Yellowstone Women’s Music Collective connects, supports, and inspires women and femme individuals in music through collaboration, education, public event curation, and visibility in Gallatin and Park counties. Visit ywmcmontana.com for more info.

Listeners enjoy Rizzo performing her instrumental originals at the Tune Up Bar in Bozeman at a recent Yellowstone Women’s Music Collective showcase.

Brian Hurlbut is the author of Insiders’ Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton (Globe Pequot) and Montana: Skiing the Last Best Place (Great Wide Open), and his writing appears regularly in regional publications. He lives in Big Sky, Montana where he enjoys the trails, mountains, rivers, and roads.

Melanie Maganias loves capturing the essence of her subject matter in editorial assignments, at weddings, and in portraits by following her intuition and using her camera as a tool to depict her vision. Named one of America’s Top 15 Wedding Photographers by PDN, her work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Real Simple Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, and many other publications. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in photography and has also taught at Montana State University.