Mike Murray celebrates new albums with three local shows

Mike Murray is at home in the woods and it’s his relationship with the natural world that is front and center in his sixth studio album, “Western Sky.” In a style that blends Americana and folk, Murray celebrates the natural beauty that surrounds him, the experiences that challenge him and the importance of growing through tough times. In February, he released an album titled “We Are Like Warriors,” but was forced to postpone concerts celebrating his work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Friday, June 18, Murray will perform songs from both “Western Sky” and “We Are Like Warriors” in a double album release show at Bigfork’s River View Bar beginning at 6 p.m. Murray will also make stops at Gunsight Saloon in Columbia Falls tonight and tomorrow, June 17 at Sacred Waters in Kalispell to celebrate the albums. Joining Murray on stage will be Todd Cowart on guitar, Chris Krager on bass, Mark McDowellon drums and Ross Bridgeman on keys.

“Western Sky” has a mellow and authentic feel to it with songs that are more soulful and honest than heavily produced. Murray did most of his writing during the pandemic, when the local live music scene all but shuttered overnight. While he’s always drawn inspiration from the mountains he calls home, this latest production highlights his connection with nature even more so.

“Spending time in the outdoors is such a reviving experience for me,” Murray told the Eagle. Getting outside, whether it was mountain biking or skiing, provided both creative inspiration and catharsis for the many stresses that came with the pandemic.

“Getting out into the woods and the mountains was medicine for the soul. A lot of the songs are very nature-centric and really kind of simple,” he said.

The gentle tone of the album is also a product of Murray’s surroundings. His wife gave birth to their second child, a baby girl, in September 2020 and Murray’s recording time often coincided with her nap time.

“My recording studio was underneath my daughter’s room, so I had to do everything really quietly,” Murray explained. But he also enjoyed the challenge of having that creative boundary, which guided his songwriting down a more nostalgic path than his previous, more rock-influenced music.

In “Where Your Tough Comes From” Murray writes about learning from failure and finding freedom in that. He said the song was inspired by watching his eldest daughter learn what it means to make mistakes and grow from those experiences.

“Hunting or Hunted” tells a harrowing story of Murray’s encounter with a trio of mountain lions while “Morning in the Mountains” is a poetic ode to starting the day, well, in the mountains.

In her review of the album, Amelia Thornton, founder of Artwork Strings Music Strings in Missoula, wrote that Murray “opted to go acoustic for most solos and showcase complex finger-picking patterns, rather than the electric guitar-centric approach he took on his previous album. He recorded the acoustic guitar with five mics strategically positioned around the recording studio, providing his listeners with a more immersive experience of the instrument … Murray summons up the strength of our American roots, but he has not left out the parts that we do not like to hear.”

Find Murray’s music along with specific tour dates and times at www. Mikemurraytunes.com