Free concert highlights Boundary County Centennial Fair
Boundary County is gearing up for its centennial county fair, and while plans for bringing in a carnival have been scuttled, this will be the first year in memory with no logger events and other changes have been made in the face of pandemic, the fair itself is still a go and it’s going to be wonderful.
“It’s our one hundredth fair, and it’s kind of sad it coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic but it is what it is and we’ll make the best of it, said fair board member Glenda Poston.
One of the biggest new attractions of this year’s special fair will be a free outdoor family concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, on the fairgrounds lawn, with Christy Lee of Coeur d’Alene opening for the Flathead Valley country rock phenom, Marshall Catch.
Marshall Catch was formed in the Flathead Valley in Montana in 2010 by lead singer and front man Luke Lautaret, whose dichotomous role as both a Minister of Music at a local congregation and an apparent heretic (at the same local congregation) came to a head and he was forced to give up that particular career in exchange for saner enterprises, which ironically included being in a rock band.
“We are really looking forward to this show because so much has been canceled due to COVID-19,” Lautaret said.
The son of a pastor and raised with a flair for smithing words and concepts into emotive and impactful narratives, Luke turned his newfound infamy in local religious circles as a chance to flip over a new leaf and pursue his lifelong dream of being a rock star who was allowed to sing about being in love with someone who wasn’t Jesus.
Marshall Catch set the local music scene on fire with a series of potent, high-energy live concerts that showcased the band’s stage presence and knack for storytelling.
The band released their first album “Ad Meliora” in early 2011, to widespread critical obscurity, since no self-respecting music critic would ever care about anything happening in Montana. The fans, however, clamored for the release, eventually selling out all copies and requiring two re-pressings to satiate the demand on the road.
In 2012, the band released the Rob Stroup-Produced EP “Make Noise,” which garnered the radio singles “More Than Myself” and the duet “These Times,” achingly sung with Lautaret’s sister Rachel about the latter’s home being foreclosed upon in the housing bust of 2008.
Now in their sixth year on the road, Marshall Catch hits the stage with a powerful live show, melding the poignant songwriting of Cat Stevens with the guitar-driven sounds of Collective Soul. With Lautaret on lead vocals and guitar, Matt Haun on bass and harmony vocals, Tyler Rounds on lead guitar, Erik Delaney on drums and harmony vocals, the band boasts harmonies that lend a nod to early Eagles records, and riff-rock anthems that channel the feel-good bands of LA’s Sunset Strip in the 1980’s. The band has garnered widespread acclaim from audiences, radio stations and critics alike for their ability to play stripped-down and intimately, or full-throttle rock and roll on some of the biggest stages in the nation.
Christy Lee is a Southern California native with country roots. At 23, she has made a name for herself not only in the Inland Northwest but Nashville as well.
She grew up in Chino, Calif., where she had a very solid Christian family upbringing.
At the later age of 21, she sang on stage for the first time. Granted, her father literally threw her over his shoulder, carried her up on stage, and wouldn’t let her off until she sang at least one song, we believe it’s safe to say she’s been hooked ever since.
After starting her journey in pursuing her music career, her father unexpectedly passed away.
“He wanted nothing more than to see me make it in the music business and move to Nashville,” she said. “I’m living out a dream for the both of us.”
Shortly after her father’s passing, Christy Lee moved to Nashville, Tenn., with her dream and her daddy’s dog.
Christy Lee was very fortunate as her time in Nashville was spent sharing the stage with some great and well known artists including Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan, Daryl Worley, Kid Rock, Alan Jackson, Stephen Tyler, Brantley Gilbert, Chris Young, Thomas Rhett, Gretchen Wilson, Gloriana, Hunter Hayes, Jake Owen and Vince Gill, just to name a few.
Although she was doing very well for herself in Nashville, Christy Lee wanted the best of both worlds ... her family and music. She had the pleasure of fronting the band County Line and is currently back in the Inland Northwest enjoying her time back home with her mother and brother before venturing back to Tennessee.
Bring your lawn chairs, picnic blankets and coolers. There’ll be plenty of room for social distancing, masks are welcome and there will be hand sanitizing station at points around the venue.
