A Full Night of Black Hills Blues
Johnny Hastings & Stillhouse Down, the Brandon Sprague Blues Band and the Chris Mangione Trio bring three different routes into the blues to The Prairie Dog Taproom Friday.
Three guitar-led Black Hills acts will share the stage at The Prairie Dog Taproom on Friday, Aug. 28, bringing traditional blues, Americana, slide guitar, jazz and classical influences together for one evening in Hill City.
Johnny Hastings & Stillhouse Down and the Brandon Sprague Blues Band lead the bill, joined by special guests the Chris Mangione Trio. The Prairie Dog’s current event calendar lists the first performance beginning at 4 p.m. Tickets are $10.
For listeners who recognize one or two of those names but have not heard all three, Friday’s show offers a quick introduction to several corners of the Black Hills blues scene.
Johnny Hastings & Stillhouse Down
Johnny Hastings & Stillhouse Down came together in the Black Hills in 2023 after the musicians had gone nearly a decade without playing together. With Hastings on vocals and guitar, Caleb Buum on bass, Kaleb Britton on drums and Will Waller on keys and vocals, the band draws from traditional blues, Americana and the sound of western South Dakota. Their 2025 performance at Levitt at the Falls was later released as a live album, while Hastings has also released solo material and won the 2025 Wild West Songwriters Festival
Brandon Sprague Blues Band
Deadwood guitarist Brandon Sprague has spent more than two decades performing blues throughout the Black Hills and the surrounding region. Sprague plays lead and slide guitar and handles vocals, with a performance history that includes Sioux Falls JazzFest appearances in 2012, 2014 and 2017. His 2017 set was later featured on SDPB’s No Cover No Minimum, and his recorded work includes Edge of the World. Sprague and Hastings have also worked together before on a recording of “Better Believe It,” which features Hastings on guitar.
Chris Mangione Trio
Originally from upstate New York, Rapid City-area guitarist Chris Mangione works across blues, jazz and classical music and has spent years in music education. He performed at the 2025 Guitar Masters concert at the Dahl Arts Center, brought the Chris Mangione Blues Trio to Black Hills Vinyl during the 2026 Black Hills Jazz Fest and has also performed with the Black Hills All-Stars.
A Growing Hill City Stage
The Prairie Dog Taproom is ocated approximately 2.5 miles north of downtown Hill City, the property includes indoor performance space, a creekside yard and an outdoor stage.
The taproom has continued building its live music schedule since opening, hosting local and touring performers across blues, reggae, country, jazz, Americana and rock.
Know Before You Go
A Stage Full of Blues
Friday, Aug. 28
Music begins at 4 p.m.
The Prairie Dog Taproom
23858 U.S. Highway 385, Hill City
Tickets: $10