Jessica Kilroy will open the inaugural Wildlands Festival to be held on campus at Montana State University on August 10th. The outdoor show, will feature 3 acts, with an opening from Jessica Kilroy, followed by full sets played by Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, and Robert Earl Keen.
Jessica Kilroy is an award winning songwriter, soundscape artist and conservationist. Raised in Northwest Montana, Jessica draws inspiration from the rivers, rocks, plants and creatures that roam mountain heights and open lands. Kilroy has toured 30+ countries performing original western folk music, sharing the stage with acts such as Doc Watson, Richie Havens, Del McCoury, Sam Bush, Don McLean, Pat Flynn, Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, Elephant Revival and many others.
Her newest project incorporates field recordings of natural sounds into her compositions and live performances. Through such work, she hopes to raise awareness for conservation issues and the rapidly disappearing soundscapes of our wild lands. Jessica has participated in Montana’s American Prairie Reserve artist in residence program, sampling wild soundscapes and using them to create original compositions to further people’s connection with the Reserve. Jessica hopes to bring people together to “evoke the spirit of the prairie and call attention to the importance of unpolluted natural soundscapes in a balanced ecosystem.”
Jessica is also a rope access worker and a long-time rock climber. She has performed, recorded, climbed, and dangled from ropes all over the globe. As she travels, Jessica volunteers her time for Bozeman Montana’s Adventure Scientists as a water sample collector for microplastics research.
