Flag Raisin’ and Foot Stompin’ Concert at Fort Buford State Historic Site

Williston – Fort Buford State Historic Site will feature Jalan Crossland at 1:45 p.m. Central Time for a special Flag Raisin’ and Foot Stompin’ concert.  Preceding the concert, the 6th Infantry Regiment Association will raise the colors over Fort Buford to celebrate the beginning of the summer season.  The event is free and open to the public.

Free refreshments will also be available.  In the case of inclement weather, the concert will be held at the nearby Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center.

"There ain't much to see in a small town, but what you hear sure makes up for it" is the old adage.  In Ten Sleep, Wyoming, population 307, what you'll hear -- more often than not -- is a clanky old banjo ricocheting off the storefronts and buttes, like a renegade .22 rifle shell.  This clamor is Jalan Crossland, local trailer park troubadour. His singing voice is as dusty as the Triassic shale hillsides, spinning yarns and painting portraits of the lives and people of the rural Rocky Mountain West.  "Gossip is even better when you sing it" says Jalan.

Although playing the banjo is "more fun than poking little chicken heads under the water,” Crossland's primary tool of musical expression has always been the guitar.  In 1997, Jalan placed second at the Winfield, Kansas National Fingerstyle Guitar Competition, and first in the state flatpicking contest of his Wyoming home.  These added to dozens of regional championship awards, attest that his playing is "...so dexterous that when he stops at the end of a song, you realize you forgot to breathe” (The Weekly News, Rapid City, South Dakota).

Crossland's songs are vivid, first-hand accounts of life in the small towns and backcountry of 21st Century America. Like the people they portray, the songs are tough and honest. They also reflect the tremendous heart and soul of their colorful characters. Even where the warp and weave is of hardship or heartbreak, the songs are threaded with strings of optimism and humor.

Jalan’s lyrics travel in a musical vehicle more akin to a rusty, hopped-up '66' Ford (with three-on-the-tree) than an air-conditioned Prius. The sound glides along on the wheels of a country music clearly not to be mistaken for mainstream.  Old-time and bluegrass are present, but treated to the creative freedom of rock-n-roll.

"More than just a great picker, Crossland's performances feature graceful delivery and genuine character" – that according to the Planet Jackson Hole of Jackson, Wyoming.  Whether performing solo or with his band, Jalan's concerts are energetic, upbeat and fun. On stage, he is as comfortable as he would be pickin’ on his own front porch. This relaxed demeanor disarms the coolest of audiences, pulling everyone onto that porch alongside him, with their luke-warm beer and paper plates full of hot-wings.

Crossland and his band have recorded 3 CDs;  'Poorboy Shanty', 'Moonshiner,’ and 'Trailer Park Fire & Other Tragedies'.  They perform full-time throughout the U.S., venturing as far afield as Europe and Australia.  Jalan has been the opening act on several tours with alt-country legend, Robert Earl Keen, has appeared on television, radio, and in dozens of magazines including The New York Times, No Depression, and Fingerstyle Guitar, sharing concert and festival stages with many of the biggest musical acts in the nation.

To learn more about Jalan and the band, check out the website www.jalancrossland.com or http://www.myspace.com/jalancrossland.

Preceding Jalan’s concert, the 6th Infantry will formally raise the flag over Fort Buford for the first time this summer season.

Organized in 1962, the Fort Buford 6th Infantry Regiment Association is the oldest re‑enactment group representing the post‑Civil War era of the 1870s and 1880s in the United States. The Fort Buford 6th Infantry has in recent years become active in military encampments at state and national parks throughout the United States. Members of the 6th Infantry were also instrumental in organizing the multi‑state Frontier Army of the Dakota, and continue to play an active role in promoting the historical development of the Missouri‑Yellowstone Confluence region.

The Fort Buford site, located 22 miles southwest of Williston, is managed and maintained by the state's history agency, the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The state acquired the Fort Buford property as a state historic site on June 22, 1931. Today, the site encompasses approximately 189 acres, including Confluence Park, where the Missouri‑Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center is located.

Date: Sunday, May 10, 2009

Time: 1:45 p.m.

Location: Fort Buford State Historic Site