Of All The Places

Buck and Bridget Miller are the creative power-couple behind High Life Tattoo. After meeting each other through the Missoula tattoo community, their mutual love of Butte’s grit and weirdness had them traveling I-90 anytime they had the chance. As soon as they could, they made the move and went full-Butte, raising the city’s cool-factor exponentially.  Throughout our conversation, their selflessnes...

BT Livermore has been an Artist, Maker of Things, and Provider of Services ever since much since they were a small child in Minnesota. In addition to a web design degree, they completed a BFA degree in Illustration while working in Portland, OR. It was an artist residency at the Imagine Butte Resource Center that brought BT to the Mining City and they became enveloped by the history, grit, and wea...

Chad Okrusch is a professor, author, photographer, philosopher, and singer-songwriter with deep roots in Butte, Montana. After attending graduate school in Eugene, Oregon, circumstances brought him back to his hometown to accept a pair of jobs in a city that, at that time, had no jobs to offer. The Butte “vortex” has kept hold of him since, and continues to inform and inspire his myriad creative p...

Scott Tallman Powers is an internationally-recognized naturalist painter. His talents have taken him all over the globe, creating art that depicts different world cultures. Originally from Alabama, he attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago. While working toward his dream of becoming a full-time artist, he founded a weekly outdoor painting group known as "The Plein Air Painters of Chi...

Zooey Zephyr is on a wild ride through the halls of the Montana State Capitol building. She represents Missoula in the Montana House of Representatives. Zooey didn’t necessarily seek out the political arena; it was frustration at seeing anti-LGBTQ and transgender bills being passed that spurred her to run. She was sworn into the Montana House in November 2022, becoming the first openly transgender...

John McKee is the owner and founder of Headframe Spirits; Butte’s first (legal) distillery that opened its uptown doors in 2012. His journey is as tasty as the whiskey he brought us to enjoy during our recording. As a typical Butte kid, John played on mine dumps and brought home liquid mercury that bubbled up through the streets. This ‘Butte grit’ led him to an attempt at playing high-level rugby...

Cassie Wick likes good trouble, the kind that elevates community and the people around her. She is certainly doing that as the business owner at 5518 Designs, as a member of uptown Butte’s Business Improvement District, and most recently as the Public Policy and Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator at Ability Montana. She credits the roots of her contagious passion to a year in AmeriCorps and being ‘ra...

The powerhouse duo behind RESTÔR design + build is the husband-and-wife team of architect Maisie Sulser and contractor Mike Handley. This two-person, one-stop shop for historic renovations is bringing back the magic of Butte with one of their first (of hopefully many) major developments - restoring the historic Fairmont Creamery Warehouse. From the outside, it looks like any other empty, century-o...

Dr. Les Cook is the recently retired 12th chancellor of Montana Technological University. During his six years of leadership, Montana Tech has cemented a reputation as one of the nation’s top STEM institutions. His student-first, community building approach has been transformative for campus life and student success. We sat down with Les, almost literally, on his way out of Butte to reflect on his...

As a “silly little biscuit,” Patrick Quinn approaches life with a beautiful depth, enthusiasm, and generosity. He has been coaching outdoor recreation since he was a teenager in upstate New York. He soon realized a need for people with disabilities who want to experience the outdoors, which led to his career in adaptive recreation. Patrick discusses how healthy risk makes us feel alive, the role M...

When the financial crisis hit in 2008, Shera Konen jumped at the chance to leave the real estate industry for an opportunity in television and film. After a healthy dose of ‘almost’ reality TV, and several adventures wrangling mountain men, Shera eventually found her niche in location scouting. Shera talks about her experiences in Butte, Montana’s film boom, casually getting a call from actress He...

Author Maggie Dallen is proof that unicorns walk among us disguised as talented, charismatic neighbors wearing sweatpants. She has published a library’s worth of Young Adult titles and a growing collection of screenplays in those sweatpants. Most recently, her work ‘Believe In Christmas’ was developed into a 2024 Hallmark Christmas movie. Yes, that Hallmark. Maggie shares her journey from Brooklyn...

It feels like the many chapters of Cassie Loretta’s journey have culminated into her recent opening of a Dandelion Salad brick-and-mortar storefront in uptown Butte. Anchored by her own art, her boutique carries a creatively curated selection of locally-sourced art, vintage clothing, home goods, and one-of-a-kind gifts. Cassie tells the story of making dandelion salads on the playground as a child...

Whether it was to decompress after a day practicing law or to “study snowboarding” in college, the pull to be outside never left the attorney-turned-snow farmer, Mark Thieszen. When the opportunity to purchase the Homestake Lodge Nordic Ski Area presented itself after a summer spent clearing trees on the property, he jumped at the chance. Now, he and his family run the facility year-round, as a No...

The artist and closet scientist, Justin DeShazo has convinced himself that when more people get to know him, more people dislike him. What he doesn’t realize is how wrong he truly is. With his trademark snark, Justin shares his experience growing up in the rough part of town and the story of how his high school girlfriend saved his life with a small amount of money and a belief in him. They ended...

Our guest Shanna Adams is working tirelessly to lay the groundwork to move her community forward. Using decades of engineering experience, her family’s investment in the iconic Hotel Finlen in the heart of uptown Butte, and an unwavering determination to create a desirable community that benefits everyone, Shanna is the driving force behind the Uptown Butte Master Plan and the Uptown Business Impr...

We’re pulling Ben Morris away from his computer and onto the couch to kick off our season 2 with a banger. He is an expert audio engineer with Morris Mountain Productions and the beefcake member of our favorite power-disco musical duo Desperate Electric. Ben tells us about growing up in a musical bubble, his (lack of a) hair care routine, and the process behind coming up with a ‘horny summer camp’...

Hello hello! Welcome back for season two of 'Of All The Places'! We can't wait to continue our journey and learn more about the magical people working hard to make their communities brighter and better. We hope you'll join us for the shenanigans and get inspired along the way.

When you spend any time around Mark Garff, the idea that we can simply do better is contagious. This mantra is woven through his time in the Morman religion, his passion for several niche hobbies, and what led him to become a landscape architect in a town designated as a Federal Superfund Site. But not necessarily in that order, as we found out, because this also applies to his ability to mix a pe...

If we’re lucky enough, we’re able to apply our passions and skills to the places most special to us. For Julia Crain, that place is her hometown. After receiving degrees in Seattle and Portland, Julia returned home and found herself working in local government. She’s inspired and sees each day as an opportunity to use her expertise in urban planning and policy to honor her deep Butte roots and con...

A tireless doer of all things, Matt Boyle’s business card officially lists him as the owner of Montana Booking Agency and the manager of Collective Elevation. To the broader world, he’s been promoting music and producing a mind numbingly wide array of community events for well over a decade. And if he’s not working behind to scenes, he’ll definitely be enjoying it, in the crowd right next to you. ...

Christy Hays has been a professional touring songwriter forever with multiple studio albums and a unique fusion sound described as Americana rock and roll (with an occasional psychedelic flourish!). After time spent in Alaska, Nashville, and Austin, she has settled in Montana and started a writer's residence program called Dear Butte. She has recently been named the general manager of KBMF 102...

Our host is the owner and creative engine behind 5518 Designs, an award-winning apparel brand and gift store that also includes the Dig City Supply retail brand and this brand spanking new podcast under the 5518 umbrella. Don’t ask him where he gets the time, it’s a mystery to him, as well. Jon comes to us via a meandering journey starting in the Midwest. He’s an avid traveler and cancer survivor,...

We’re catching up with our host Kayti Korte. A lifelong musician, Kayti brings electro-soul funk and some trademark space-nuggets to our little corner of the world. She also captains the social media and marketing at 5518 Designs. With her beefcake husband Ben, our magical sound engineer, the duo forms the band Desperate Electric, bringing their juicy vibes nationwide and to your ear holes by way...

A show exploring passions, creativity, and careers of people creating magic in their communities. From 5518 Designs in Butte, MT