Trail Listening Post

Zootown Swing is a newer Missoula nonprofit built around Lindy Hop, a vintage swing dance that started in Harlem in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Callie describes it as a joyful, social, goofy, partner-based dance that gives people a way to connect for a few minutes at a time through music and movement. The group started hosting dances in Missoula last September, with regular social dances at Fr...

Mike Smith welcomed Lisa from American Rivers and Carmen from Wild Montana into the Trail 103.3 studio to talk about the 2026 Trails, Rivers & Forests Expo, happening today, Wednesday, June 3, from 5–9 p.m. at Trail Head River Sports. The free event is co-hosted by American Rivers and Wild Montana and brings together local outdoor organizations, businesses, conservation groups, and community p...

Every year, marathon weekend brings runners, families, volunteers, spectators, local businesses, and entire neighborhoods together for one reason: the love of running. The banners go up, the course comes together, the cowbells come out, and Missoula becomes part race course, part welcome committee, and part block party. Always fun to welcome Trisha Drobeck, executive director of Run Wild Missoula...

Rosie La Secco and Joyce Gibbs join Trail 103.3’s Tommy to talk about the return of Missoula’s wildly popular Kinky Bingo — a one-of-a-kind night of burlesque, drag, bingo, immersive performance, and community fundraising. Alongside Joyce Gibbs from Tell Us Something, the conversation explores how the event grew from its roots in Moscow, Idaho into a beloved Missoula tradition now in its fourth ed...

Mike Smith sits down with Marcy Allen, Executive Director of the Missoula Community Foundation, for a conversation about Missoula Gives and the power of local philanthropy. They explore how this community-wide giving event has grown into a beloved annual tradition—bringing together nonprofits, businesses, and everyday donors across Missoula and the Bitterroot. Marcy shares stories about the impact...

Mike Smith is joined live in-studio by longtime Missoula community member and former Justice of the Peace Karen Orzac to talk about the 65th Annual Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast. Now retired after 20 years on the bench—and having officiated over a thousand weddings—Orzac shares her continued passion for serving the community through the Missoula Kiwanis Club. The conversation highlights Kiwanis’ centu...

Mike Smith is joined in-studio by Lynn Wood and Sean Higgins of Storyhouse Montana for an in-depth conversation about the transformation of the former Roseburg Mill site in Missoula into a major new hub for film, media production, workforce training, and community development. Storyhouse Montana is reimagining the industrial complex as a full-service production facility designed to attract mid-siz...

Mike Smith is joined in-studio by former Trail 103.3 program director and longtime DJ Robert Chase, along with his daughter Mazzy Chase, for a conversation that blends radio history with a deeply personal story. Now living with type 1 diabetes for over 26 years, Mazzy was diagnosed at just 20 months old—an experience that reshaped her family’s life and led Robert to become actively involved with w...

Mike Smith is joined live in-studio by Bob from Free Cycles to talk about spring riding in Missoula—and the future of one of the city’s most community-driven spaces. At the heart of the conversation is the Free Cycles “Forever Campaign,” an effort to secure the long-term sustainability of the organization by paying off its property and expanding its impact. The campaign supports everything from yo...

In this episode, Mike Smith sits down with Joy French of Bare Bait Dance and the Westside Theater to talk about the energy, creativity, and community behind 40 Over 40 —Missoula’s sold-out dance showcase celebrating performers stepping back into the spotlight. Joy shares how dancers of all experience levels are taking on new styles, pushing past self-doubt, and rediscovering the joy of movement. F...

Mike Smith sits down with Carolyn Buchta, the creator of Dance Til Dusk —Missoula’s ultimate early-evening dance party for women (and their friends!). Carolyn shares the story behind the event, how it brings together people of all ages and backgrounds, and why it’s all about fun, friendship, and great music—no pressure, no pretense. Learn about the pre-party at the newly relaunched Florence Cockta...

Mike Smith is joined live in-studio by Missoula-based choreographer and educator Colleen Rosbarsky ahead of Rubber Soul Reimagined , a musical cabaret inspired by The Beatles iconic 1965 album. Presented in collaboration with the University of Montana School of Music and School of Theatre and Dance, the production brings the entire Rubber Soul album to life through live performance, dance, and sto...

Today we’re celebrating James McMurtry turning 64, so we went into the Trail Vault and pulled out a live session we recorded at the Top Hat Lounge in downtown Missoula on June 3rd, 2015. Craig Johnson was on site for this,  just a sitting on the booths with a couple mics, and a really honest conversation with James, plus a few live performances while patrons and tourists alike sat around unsuspect...

 Colter Nuanez is joined by filmmaker Scott Diener, director of Big Sky Falling , ahead of the film’s premiere at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Now in its 23rd year, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) is the largest nonfiction film festival in the American West. Presented by the Big Sky Film Institute, the festival brings filmmakers and audiences together for a dynamic week of...

Parker Peddicord is joined live in-studio by Missoula-based filmmaker Jordan Hoffmaster , director and producer of Something to Hold , ahead of the film’s World Premiere at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival . Now in its 23rd year, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) is the largest nonfiction film festival in the American West and is presented by the Big Sky Film Institute, bringing f...

Mike Smith sits down live in-studio with documentary directors Emily Schuman and Dave Schuman ahead of the World Premiere screening of The Baker’s Hotline at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula. Now in its 23rd year, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) is the largest nonfiction film festival in the American West and is presented by the Big Sky Film Institute, bringing filmm...

Tommy Evans is joined live in-studio by filmmaker Elijah Sullivan and composer Desan Sullivan ahead of the Montana Premiere screening of The Hole Story at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula. Now in its 23rd year, the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) is the largest nonfiction film festival in the American West and is presented by the Big Sky Film Institute. The festival brin...

Mike Smith sits is joined live in-studio by Bill Payne (Little Feat co-founder, keyboardist, singer/songwriter) and documentary director Jesse Lauter ahead of the World Premiere screening of Little Feat: The Documentary at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula. Now in its 23rd year , the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF) is the largest nonfiction film festival the American west...

Filmmaker John Wilson (creator of HBO’s How To with John Wilson ) joins Tommy Evans on Trail 103.3’s Trail Lunchbox for a conversation that starts with a snowstorm detour in Deer Lodge and ends at the literal foundation of New York City. Wilson’s new feature The History of Concrete follows his attempt to make a documentary about the world’s most overlooked material—until the film industry reality...

Director Johanna Gustin joins Mike Smith (with BSDFF’s Nick Davis ) to talk about her world-premiere short I Think About Birds —a sharply funny, uneasy journey through the algorithmic rabbit hole of online dating coaches, contrasted with surprisingly romantic bird behavior and the real emotional risks of intimacy. The conversation touches on “desktop documentary” filmmaking, pulling hours of mater...

Trail 103.3 is proud to once again be a media partner of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula — and this week we’re welcoming filmmakers, directors, and special guests into the Trail studio for quick conversations about the films lighting up the festival. In this episode, Mike Smith sits down with Peter Nauffts (archival producer) to talk about Sun Ra: Do the Impossible — the American...

From the 23rd annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, we sit down with director Caron Creighton and former Wood Street resident John Janosko to talk about Wood Street —a 2026, 100-minute documentary following two unhoused men turned organizers, John and LaMonté , as they build community power in West Oakland in the face of displacement, addiction, and a failing social system.  We tal...

From the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Montana , we sit down in the Trail 103.3 studios with filmmaker Pete Sillen , who brings two rare music documentaries to Big Sky: Speed Racer: Welcome to the World of Vic Chesnutt and Benjamin Smoke (co-directed with Jem Cohen ). Pete shares how he first discovered the power of Vic Chesnutt’s songwriting in Athens, Georgia, how a chance conne...

From the 23rd Annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Montana , we sit down in the Trail 103.3 studios with filmmaker and subject Sam Soliman  to talk about his short documentary Almost American — a deeply personal story that also reflects the larger national conversation around immigration, DACA, and belonging in the United States . Sam shares how a leadership grant in Lancaster, Pe...

Erika Fredrickson, co-founder of The Pulp stops by the Trail studio with an exciting announcement.   The Pulp is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization serving Missoula and western Montana. Launched September 2023 by Erika Fredrickson and Matthew Frank, former reporters and editors at the defunct but beloved Missoula Independent, in response to the deepening local journalism crisis i...