Songwriters Series with McLellan & Strachan

Please join us for an evening of amazing originals John McLellan & Matt Strachan! SpaceOneEleven is an intimate, concert venue with the focus on the Artists. So grab your ticket now because space is limited.

Doors open at 6:30pm to grab your seat and a drink.

$15 in advance or take your chances at the door for $20.

Meet our Artists,

John McLellan

I blame my parents. All songwriters are supposed to be monumentally dysfunctional, and there’s no one better to blame for one’s own epic dysfunction than one’s own beloved parents. Here’s my case.

My folks say when I was four years old I’d be up in front of church congregations singing my little heart out. Apparently I’ve always loved to sing and perform for people. Knowing what I know about myself now, I guess I haven’t changed much since I was four.

When I was in elementary school they insisted I take piano lessons. I’d start in the fall and have a spring recital in May, then take the summers off. Each fall my mom would say, “John, honey, you got so good last year at piano! You should keep going!” I’d agree, then by Christmas I’d be frustrated at how difficult it actually is to learn to play piano. Mom would lay the law down, “HEY BUSTER, YOU AGREED TO TAKE LESSONS FOR A YEAR SO STOP WHINING AND PRACTICE.” By summertime I’d swear to never take lessons again, but by the fall I’d hear, “but honey, you got so good last year!” Parental manipulation. Mom’s ego boost would convince me to do another year of lessons. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

By high school I could actually play piano. I sang in choirs (at the urging of my parents, of course) and a month after graduating high school, I bought my first guitar. My dad started informally teaching me how to play, and thus, my fate was sealed.

I called my folks after seven semesters of college to tell them I was going to drop out and make a solo acoustic record. Dad’s exact words to me were, “dude, go make the best record you can make.” He should’ve told me that if I actually got my pharmacy degree (which was my plan at the time) I would enjoy a lifetime of eating good food that I could actually afford. But nooooooo... By being supportive, dad was only pushing me deeper into years of eating bowl after bowl of cheap noodles for dinner, since that’s all a broke musician can afford.

Fast forward to today. I’m married to a very supportive woman who tells me to “Go get ‘em” every time I step on stage. We are lucky enough to have two sons who both have music in their souls. What do I tell them whenever they don’t want to practice their pianos? “Honey, you got so good last year!” If you want to be the best, you gotta learn from the best.

To all of you reading this, I appreciate you being here and supporting my music. It means the world to me. I’m a writer, so I could wax poetic about my gratitude, but the most succinct, elegant and honest thing I can say is, Thank You.

Matt Strachan

A Montana based singer songwriter, shines on stage with his high energy, crowd pleasing band The Hoot Owls. The songs dig deep into life’s struggles while delivering an uplifting spirit that gets folks up dancing. Compared to American Aquarium’s BJ Barnum, Matt has a way of bringing listeners into honest stories that resonate and bring emotional responses.

Matt is currently working on his third studio album while continuing to tour and gain fans across the western United States. 

• Returning for a sixth consecutive year to the Rocky Mountain Songwriter Festivals (Red Lodge, Whitefish, and Cody, WY)
• Named Nashville Songwriters Association songwriter to watch.
• Named Unsigned Artist of the Week by Music Connection Magazine in 2016. 

"Ably backed by the Hoot Owls, Matt Strachan has a gift for conveying life’s golden moments." -Music Connection Magazine

See you at the show!