All Roads Lead to Whitefish

With an affinity for the road and roots spread across the United States, from Tulsa to Bakersfield to Maui, it’s a string of serendipitous moments that keeps the members of Radio Ranch — Rhett Henry Baxter, Camille Kelly and Johnny Wall — coming back to Whitefish and the Flathead Valley.

“We’ve just had so much serendipitous stuff happen here, and I think that’s kind of what’s kept us coming back and drawn to this place,” Baxter said. “Camille and I developed our relationship with music out here, and it inspired the first record we made out here with Toby Scott, Bruce Springsteen’s longtime engineer, then Johnny came out here. 

“Everything kind of serendipitously landed here, energetically, if we want to go there, so that’s what’s made it really special for us.” 

Having unwavering support from the community hasn’t hurt either, Wall added. 

“I moved here from Hawaii and I’ve lived other places, and here, I noticed how much support there is for local artists and music in general,” Wall said. “People come out and they support it and you don’t see that everywhere. To be in a place that’s so remote and to have that community support, I think is pretty special.”

Since the trio played their first gig in 2022, Radio Ranch has performed at a slew of Whitefish favorites like the Great Northern and the Remington, in addition to some of the valley’s biggest events, such as the multi-day music festival, Under the Big Sky.

On Saturday, the band will help the valley ring in another musical milestone when they perform as an opener for Majestic Valley Arena’s first show in its new chapter as a live music venue.

The arena in February announced the first change in ownership since its doors opened in 2002, saying the venue would transition to more public concerts and events while continuing to uphold its commitment to community and equine programming. In 2025, Majestic Valley Arena, which contains indoor and outdoor arenas and a stall barn that can accommodate over 300 horses, was inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame for its commitment to upholding Western, cowboy and Native American cultures.

East Texas baritone Paul Cauthen, also referred to as Black Velvet, will headline this first concert under the arena’s new leadership, with New Orleans folk duo, Crowe Boys, and Radio Ranch supporting. The concert will serve as a celebration of Cauthen’s new album, The Book Of Paul, which was released April 3.

“This should be an amazing stage, and we love the Crowe Boys and Paul,” Baxter said. “We played with Paul last year when he came through town … and that was a great show, so we’re excited to play with him again. We’re excited to see how that space is looking and is used as a venue. It seems like they have a lot of music lined up there for the next year, so we’re really just excited about that.”

Radio Ranch, which combines “straight-shooter storytelling with the eloquence of Americana, the outlaw of Country, and the spirit of Rock n’ Roll,” originally began its musical journey as a duo of Baxter and Kelly, who made their way to Whitefish in 2021. 

After spending two summers in Whitefish and releasing their first album, the folk-leaning “Ten Sleep,” a mutual friend introduced Baxter and Kelly to Wall — their future drummer who would pace the trio to the rock-inspired sound they have today. 

“Our sound has evolved a lot over the last few years,” Baxter said. “Camille and I were a folk duo, more or less. We would bring in other musicians to play with us, but for the most part, it was very Americana, folky sounding.

“When Johnny came, his whole background was in punk rock and rock-and-roll, so his energy almost immediately had an effect on our sound and our music.”

While the band’s music has evolved greatly since its duo origins, one key factor has persisted: a focus on lyrics and storytelling.

“Ever since I was little, I was drawn to the West and the story of the West and the people in the landscapes, and that’s always gonna influence our work,” Baxter said. “Those stories matter to us more than anything. I think no matter how our sound evolves, we’re just telling the story of the West.”

Combine the symphony of roaring guitars and pounding drums with this style of Western storytelling and you’ll get Radio Ranch’s debut album as a trio, “Half Way Home,” which was released in the fall of 2025.

With songs like “Easy Rider,” “American Dream” and “Free as the Night,” the eight-track album paints the American West from the viewpoint of the car windshield, documenting life on the road. 

The album was recorded in Studio A of the Sound Emporium, in Nashville, Tennessee. Producer Leroy Powell (Whiskey Myers’ “Firewater”) and multi-Grammy winning engineer Brandon Bell (Billy Strings, Brandi Carlisle) helped to bring the nomadic vision and sound to life.

“It was completely self-supported, so we’re really proud of that,” Baxter said. “It was like a big album to put together ourselves. Our first record, we hadn’t really been on the road when we had written those songs as a band. ‘Half Way Home’ is an album for the road.

“When you listen to ‘Half Way Home,’ the idea is that you listen on the highway with the windows rolled down. That’s the sound we’re going for and the feeling we’re going for.” 

Those at Majestic Valley Arena on Saturday can expect to hear some songs from “Half Way Home” during the Radio Ranch’s acoustic set. But with the band “swimming in songs,” concertgoers will also be treated to a plethora of new material that will likely be featured on the band’s next project, Baxter said.

Paul Cauthen, Crowe Boys and Radio Ranch will perform at Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell on Saturday, April 18. The concert will start at 6 p.m. and tickets can be purchased here. 

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