Outlaw Beat

The 2026 Winter Olympics had it all: triumph, heartache, filthy cheating Canadian curlers, and a delightful clean-cut 23 year old freestyle skier from Helena, Montana named Konnor Ralph.  Konnor joins Outlaw Beat to talk about his experiences in Milan where he did us proud by finishing 5th in Big Air and 9th in Slopestyle. He answers all your burning questions about the Olympic Village, getting me...

We’re talking about building Big Sky on this episode with help from a couple of locals who are doing the heavy lifting… JoDean Bing of Blue Ribbon Builders and Becky Brockie of Big Sky Community Housing Trust. Blue Ribbon Builders has been building well-known Big Sky infrastructure and homes since day one in the early 1970’s and the Housing Trust is doing important work to accommodate an increasin...

To oversimplify, powwows are big, colorful Native dance competitions. And if you’ve never been to one, have we got a doozy for you…  Montana State University’s 50th annual powwow is coming up March 27th & 28th at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, and who better to preview the massive milestone event than the co-presidents of the student-led organization responsible for putting it together, the Ame...

Strip down to your skivvies! We’re getting hot and cold with Bozeman’s new rejuvenation destination, Umvelt (pronounced OOHM-velt) Bathhouse, where owner Paul Byrne shows off the luxurious sauna/steam/soak experience he has created in a 1936 Frank Willson building just off Main Street.  Paul also helps us understand the history and health benefits of the ‘Slavic banya’ style spa and the way that ‘...

For 90 years, the Bridger Ski Foundation has promoted, organized, and created opportunities for skiing as an activity in the Gallatin Valley. And up to this point, it has done so without a building to call a homebase. Just schlepping gear from van to storage closet to garage to ski-swap like Nordic nomads. But that changes now. Board President Natalie Flowers and Board Member Peter Belschwender ho...

We’re talking about what makes the American West different (for better and for worse) in this episode with help from local historian and author Dr. Betsy Gaines Quammen. Her latest book “True West: Myth & Mending on the Far Side of America” explores how myths of the American West fuel modern polarization, extremism, and conflict over land and identity.  Betsy’s area of expertise is extremism a...

Bozeman Children’s Theatre is a machine that churns out 8 live productions a year, but their upcoming dark comedic musical “Heathers” both cuts deep and helps the wounds heal. Thanks to partnerships with Bozeman Health and Howlers Ridge, all the performances will feature a mental health-focused talkback immediately to follow. Based on the 1988 movie and featuring a cast of high schoolers from acro...

Joey Morrison was elected Mayor of Bozeman in November 2023 so naturally he was just sworn in last month. We talk to arguably the youngest mayor in city history about that unique systematic oddity. We also discuss another of his triumphs, the creation of a local tenants union, plus the hollow victory of banning urban camping, and the small-town challenges presented by federal efforts to crack down...

We’re putting the “wood” in Hollywood this episode as Outlaw Beat visits a shuttered particle board factory that is the new home of Story House Montana, Missoula’s new 47-acre film and TV studio with deep-rooted connections to affordable housing efforts in the Rocky Mountains. Co-founder/CEO Sean Higgins joins us to talk about the new endeavor and its potential creation of over 400 Montana jobs. W...

On this episode, the interrogator becomes the interrogated as retired FBI Special Agent Dan Brunner stops by to let Outlaw Beat ask the questions here. Dan lives in Bozeman, but you might recognize him as a frequent guest expert on national news. Dan draws on his 20 year career as a SWAT Tactical Operations Team Leader specializing in RICO cases involving skinheads and cartel gangs to discuss grou...

Williams Plumbing began in Bozeman as a one-man pipe-wrench operation in 1979 but it has grown into a 350 employee residential/commercial behemoth that’s one of the largest job creators in Montana plus a growing trade school training tomorrow’s blue collar professionals to work in an AI-proof field. Williams’ Chief Business Officer Josh Montanye joins Outlaw Beat to discuss the origin and future o...

Outlaw Beat has emerged from the hibernation of focusing exclusively on Montana State Bobcat football and we are ready to learn all about Eagle Mount, Bozeman’s longtime nonprofit that provides therapeutic recreation for people with disabilities & young people with cancer.  We’re talking skiing, horseback riding, aquatics, climbing… flying planes? Yeah we’ll get to that one. Board President Ch...

For the first time in 41 years, the Montana State Bobcats brought home an FCS national title yesterday, defeating the Illinois State Redbirds 35-34 in overtime. Montana’s Senior U.S. Senator (and MSU alum) Steve Daines joins Outlaw Beat from Washington D.C. to celebrate the thrilling victory. A lifelong ‘Cats fan who was present in Nashville for the game, Senator Daines looks back on the past and...

Live from the spiritual capital of Bobcat sports fever — Bozeman’s Rocking R Bar — Flint Rasmussen and Outlaw Beat’s Joe Borden preview this weekend’s “Super Brawl” with help from former players like Tommy White, Ty McCullouch, and Rylan Ortt. Watch the full interview: hoarymarmot.net/episodes/superbrawl Brought to you by…  The Bobcat Collective: https://bobcatcollective.com Ever-green Roofing &am...

Something about playing at altitude just agrees with Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton. After making a name for himself at MSU, he now finds himself one of the NFL’s top tacklers in Denver.  PBR’s Flint Rasmussen joins Outlaw Beat to help interview Alex about the CFL stint that taught him how to be a pro, his abiding passion for the Cats, and his recent battle with testicular cancer that… well let...

The FCS playoffs are underway and after earning a first round bye, the Bobcats are all set for their second round matchup against the pride of the Ivy League Yale Bulldogs.  Former Cats quarterback Tommy Mellott and former Yale quarterback Jeff Mroz sat down with Outlaw Beat in the middle of Bobcat Stadium to school all of us about college football ahead of the big game. Watch the full interview:...

On this episode we’re talking about Montana’s majestic Madison River and its unsung hero caretakers, the Madison River Foundation. In this moment, more than ever, this is a group that deserves your attention, your volunteer efforts, and your dollars. You’ll hear from Executive Director Keith Brauneis and Conservation Programs Manager Mia Cignoni about their important projects to revitalize and inc...

As you well know, we don’t normally publish episodes that are “smart” or “important” but this one fell into our lap, so here we are. Dr. Paul Alan Cox is a world-renowned ethnobotanist who has dedicated his life to understanding and curing the most mystifying brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Parkinsons. Dr. Cox’s nonprofit Brain Chemistry Labs is an unassuming building across from Whole F...

Montana State University’s new President Dr. Brock Tessman has only been on the job for a few months but you can already smell what the Brock is cooking! Sorry. From facilities and staff to research and athletics, Dr. Tessman is poised to lead a rapidly growing MSU into uncharted territory. He inherited a great situation thanks to past leadership, but he’s prepared to leave his own distinctive mar...

Put a sport coat on over your flannel because we’re learning all about Montana Chamber Music, the local program that’s bringing top tier classical talent to Bozeman and all over rural Montana. Artistic Director Angella Ahn (of the Ahn Trio) joins us to discuss bringing fancy chamber music to far flung ranches and she’s joined by two visiting virtuosos Kenji Bunch (composer, violist) and Monica Ohu...

Earlier this month on Indigenous People’s Day, Montana State University’s Department of Native Studies officially dedicated its new massive permanent arbor behind the building. About 5 years in the making, the arbor highlights the importance of the department’s cultural legacy and its presence on campus. Plus it’s just super pretty. Outlaw Beat sat down with Department Chair Meredith Hecker, PhD,...

Bozeman’s WARD (Water Adequacy for Residential Development) Initiative makes real estate developers’ water rights access dependent on the achievement of extremely ambitious benchmarks when it comes to affordable housing. Quite the mouthful. To help you understand and vote smart on WARD, Outlaw Beat is joined by Executive Director at Headwaters Community Housing Trust Nathan Stein and Mayoral Candi...

Jack Creek Preserve is a 4500 acre conservation easement in Ennis that connects two massive sections of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. We’re hosting its 20th birthday party on this episode and you’re invited. If you didn’t bring a gift, it’s okay, but still… rude. Co-Founder Dottie Fossel, Executive Director Abigail King, and Conservation Education Director Addison Perryman join us to talk about the...

The world recently lost a tiny woman named Dr. Jane Goodall who was a giant in the field of animal studies. Jane made a name for herself humanizing chimpanzees, and today legendary wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen joins us to humanize Jane and give us rare insight into who she was as a person.  Tom’s decades-long friendship with Jane was one of joy, of wonder, and of advocacy. The two sha...

Summer is gone. October is here. And in Montana, that means it’s winter sports time. On this episode, we’re talking about youth ice hockey with two coaches and administrators. They’re also hockey dads, so watch what you say around them. Joseph McFadden is the program director and coach for the MT-64 Hockey Association in Big Sky and Pete Kamman is the executive director of the Montana Amateur Hock...