RONAN — Musicians in Western Montana now have a new venue to share their passion with other artists at the historic Pearl Theater in Ronan.
The Pearl Theater, built in downtown Ronan in 1917, was designed for live performances in an era before amplified sound.
This makes it an ideal new home for the Western Montana Musicians Co-op, which needed a new location.
"We're gifted this amazing building here to continue our mission," Western Montana Musicians Co-op founder Doug Ruhman said.
Here's what's happening at the historic Pearl Theater in Ronan:
"They didn't have amplification and had to design a room that was acoustically dynamic," Ruhman said.
The Western Montana Musicians Co-op was founded by two musicians, Keith Rennie and Ruhman, in 2017, who simply wanted a place to play without the hassle of transporting equipment.
"We thought, man, wouldn't it be great if we could find a place or create a place where we could show up and play," Ruhman said.
This idea evolved into a cooperative supporting all artists in Western Montana, providing them with a space that already had equipment in place.
"Everyone has an opportunity to grow, and I've witnessed it myself, people have became a member and next thing you know they have a band," Ruhman said.
The Co-op quickly became more than just a performance space, especially during challenging times.
"What it became for people, especially during the pandemic, it was kinda like a lifeline for people," Ruhman said.
The venue has become an outlet for local bands like The Late Bloomers, Garden Wall, and Momma Jess and the Rain Kings.
"This place gave me a place to focus my energies on in a positive way," Richard Lecomte, guitarist for Momma Jess and the Rain Kings, said.
"A place to gather together with other musicians....it didn't matter if you had a different world view, politically, socially, all those things were left at the door and when we came here it was all about the music," Lecomte said.
"For me personally, it is an even more than the average person because I've gained so much from it," Lecomte said.
The Western Montana Musicians Co-op will open its new venue at the Pearl Theater this weekend, welcoming anyone looking to create music in the space.
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