Author: Admin BHAB

The Sheridan, Wyoming Americana band brings two nights to the Black Hills this weekend, with a new album not far behind.

Ten years of long weekends on the road adds up. The Two Tracks out of Sheridan, Wyoming have been doing the math on that for a while now, and they are not close to done. They have full-time jobs and families back home, they tour in whatever windows they can find, and they have never really chased anything beyond making music that holds up. Led by husband-and-wife Dave and Julie Huebner, the quartet is rounded out by bassist Taylor Phillips and drummer Fernando Serna. Dave plays both guitar and cello, and it is the cello that sits at the center of the band’s sound, not as texture or accent, but as the thing the music is built around.

“We’ve never had illusions of some sort of fame,” says Dave Huebner. “More we just wanted to create good music that people cared about.”

That framing sounds modest until you think about how hard it is to hold onto. They tour in long weekends and the occasional week-long stretch, working their way through the West and back again. Their previous record, Cheers to Solitude, landed in the top 40 on Americana radio. They did not make a big thing of it. They just kept going.

Their next studio album, Seasons Unknown, comes out June 5. The lead single, Mexico By Friday, drops April 24. They recorded it in Nashville with Grammy-nominated producer Will Kimbrough, five-time Grammy-winning engineer Sean Sullivan, and four-time Grammy-winning mixer Trina Shoemaker.

Before any of that, they have two shows in the Black Hills this weekend. Friday, April 3, they play The Matthews Opera House in Spearfish at 7 p.m., with tickets available in advance. Saturday, April 4, they are at The Custer Beacon at 7 p.m., donation at the door.

The two venues this weekend are genuinely different spaces, and the band pays attention to that. The Matthews gives the band room to pull the sound down, let the cello carry more of the weight. The Beacon is looser, more casual, the kind of room where the band and the crowd end up a lot closer together.

“What’s fun about our music is that it’s always appropriate for any venue we play.”

That is less a boast than an observation about what Americana can do when the writing is solid enough to carry different configurations.

The Two Tracks have been coming to the Black Hills for years and have friends here. They are also playing some new material, so the setlists will have some things people have not heard yet alongside songs from a catalog they have been building since the beginning.

When asked what sticks with them from the road, the answer is specific:
Walking the Blue Ridge Parkway, catching a super bloom in the Nevada desert, a bad night of sleep in a humid Midwestern hotel room before an early departure. The songs come from the adventure along the way. Ten years of that, and they are still telling people the same thing: “Take a chance on bands you don’t know. Give it a try.”

Friday, April 3 / Matthews Opera House
in Spearfish / 7 p.m. / Tickets available in advance

Saturday, April 4 / The Custer Beacon
in Custer / 7 p.m. / Donation at the door

NEW ALBUM:
Seasons Unknown out June 5, 2026.
Single Mexico By Friday available April 24.

The Two Tracks: thetwotracks.com
Facebook: @thetwotracks
Instagram: @thetwotracks

Keb’ Mo’ to Headline with Ruthie Foster and Amani Burnham on
Saturday, July 11, 2026

DEADWOOD, S.D. — Deadwood Blues Festival 2026 is proud to announce the
Saturday night lineup at Outlaw Square for July 11, 2026, featuring Amani Burnham,
Ruthie Foster, and Keb’ Mo’.

The evening will open with Amani Burnham, a young, up-and-coming blues-rock artist
gaining momentum with a fresh sound and a growing profile. Burnham will be followed
by Ruthie Foster, the acclaimed vocalist and songwriter whose powerful blend of blues,
soul, and gospel has earned widespread recognition, including multiple GRAMMY
nominations and a 2025 GRAMMY win for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Mileage.
Headlining the night is Keb’ Mo’, one of the most respected and award-winning artists
in modern blues. With five GRAMMY Awards and a career spanning blues, folk, soul,
and Americana, Keb’ Mo’ brings a level of artistry and stage presence that makes him a
standout headliner for the festival’s 2026 return.

“This lineup reflects what we want Deadwood Blues Festival to be,” said festival organizers. “It brings together an exciting young artist, a powerful and celebrated performer in Ruthie Foster, and a living legend in Keb’ Mo’. It’s a strong Saturday night at Outlaw Square and a great example of the kind of experience we’re building in Deadwood.”

Deadwood Blues Festival 2026 will take place July 10–12, 2026, with Saturday night at
Outlaw Square serving as one of the weekend’s signature events. Additional regional
artists and the full festival schedule will be announced later.

Held in the heart of historic Deadwood, the festival brings together national and regional
blues talent for a city-wide weekend of live music. The event continues to build on its
early momentum by creating a destination experience for blues fans across the region.

Tickets and festival packages will be available at
10 am, Monday, March 30th, at

Website and Tickets: www.deadwoodbluesfest.com

There are moments in The Squirrels where the room will be laughing, and moments where it won’t be.
The show opens March 27 at Catalyst Theater Company’s space on 7th Street. It moves fast between absurd comedy and something sharper, without much warning, and the production doesn’t try to smooth those edges out.

“It’s really funny when it’s funny and really dark when it’s dark,” said director Ryan Puffer.

The story drops a group of squirrels into a tree heading into winter. Food is limited, territory matters, and the tension between them doesn’t stay quiet for long. What starts off strange settles into something more recognizable as the lines between them harden.

On paper, actors playing squirrels could feel like a gimmick. It doesn’t. The cast plays it straight and commits fully to the physical world of the show, which is what makes it land.

“We focused on movement and the physical nature of the squirrels,” Puffer said.

That physical commitment was one of the harder parts of building the production. It takes a certain kind of actor to go all the way into something this strange and still keep it grounded.

“The biggest challenge is finding actors who are game with being silly and inhabiting the world of squirrels… but also still find the heart and sincerity in the story,” he said.

Underneath the surface, the show keeps circling questions about who belongs, who gets pushed out, and what happens when resources get tight. Those ideas are there, but they’re never spelled out for you.

“Even though it’s a semi-serious story about class and race, the characters are still squirrels,” Puffer said.

For audiences walking in without context, the shifts in tone can be abrupt, but there’s something in the characters that starts to feel familiar as it goes.

“The play truly fluctuates between hilarious moments and shocking moments and sad moments… just come in with an open mind and be along for the ride,” Puffer said.

The run also includes pay-what-you-can performances, supported by the Rapid City Arts Council, continuing Catalyst’s effort to keep their work accessible to the community.

“Our entire community should get the opportunity to experience art,” Puffer said.

The Squirrels runs March 27 through April 18 at Catalyst Theater Company, 513 7th Street in Rapid City.

Photos courtesy of Catalyst Theater Company

The Squirrels runs March 27 through April 18
at Catalyst Theater Company,
513 7th Street in Rapid City.

CAST:

Sciurus: Justin Kleiman
Mammalia: Mandy Pheil
Chordata: Lanaya Young
Carolinensis: Kai Dwyer
Rodentia: Angela Miller
Sciuridae/The Scientist: Ryan Bozer
Squirrel Ensemble: Matt Bertrand, Laura Savage