There is nothing like a rock concert in Carras Park.  On afternoon’s when the great white tent is raised and young musicians set up their amps and drum sets, youthful decadence is broadcast across downtown Missoula and the surrounding areas reminding all of those within earshot that Missoula has not forgotten how to rock.

Last Saturday afternoon, The Flying Rickshaw descended on Carras park for the release party of their self-titled, first album, The Flying Rickshaw.  Music could be heard clearly from the far side of Higgins Bridge, giving all those on there way to the show their first taste of the Rickshaw’s melodic, heavy, just something else, Montana-made rock music.

Kristin Bailey, a UM student taking summer classes, cruised through Carras park on her beach cruiser Saturday to find out what all the commotion was about.  She said “There weren’t that many people, but the people there were grooving.”

As day turned to night the crowd and the grooving grew.  “These guys are really talented,” said Chris Lane, a Missoulian.  He said he liked the wide variety of instruments, citing the “lap steel”, also known as a dobro,  in particular.

The Flying Rickshaw is a six-man band with great stage presence.  Two vocalists, Chad Lantz and Ryan Waniata, take center stage and somehow never seem to be just standing there.  Both lead singers give off great energy seeming to fully immerse themselves in each song.

Dennis Ferriter, the keyboardist, and according to several of his band members the leader of the band, smiled good naturedly behind his keyboard throughout the show.  Ferriter also plays guitar in a rock-based hip hop group, InHumans, that performed at the party along with several other bodacious local bands.

However, the other half of the sound, comes from drummer Hunter Hessian, guitarist Chris DuPerri, and bassist Luke Michelson.  They combine for a rolling rock and roll sound that picks at bluegrass, dips into funk, blasts some licks, and manages to stay melodic like Montana (whatever that means).

The CD, the reason for the Carras park throw down, opens with an intro and closes with an outro that exemplify the melodic picking that is at the base of the rest of the CD.  However, from that base The Flying Rickshaw wheels all over with harder hitting songs like tech9 and dance with the devil towards the beginning of the CD and several catchy songs like radiosong, dweedootdotdoy, and sweetrhythm towards the end.