In the modern Americana and folk landscape, Montana Sand stands out as one of the most compelling voices in the trans music world. Spearheaded by songwriter AJ Keyser, an artist with a natural ear for country, folk, and western music, the project commands attention from the very first note. Their powerful song, “Bricks N’ Bottles,” immediately hooks listeners with Keyser’s gritty, raspy vocals. Written in the immediate wake of the 2016 election, the song serves as a poetic, hard-hitting chronicle of defeat, struggle, uprising, and collective rage. Musically, it is driven by a rich sonic blend of acoustic guitars and bluesy, weeping slide-guitar licks, building toward a soaring chorus and a haunting final refrain: “madness in our eyes.” Captured live on television, the performance doubles as an uncompromising act of protest and a vital display of trans visibility.
“I wrote it in this cavern called Lion’s Den in Durango, CO with my ex boyfriend who played fiddle on it while writing. It was during the first time Trump got elected and we felt cheated. We saw the rage people had at protests. It was prophetic since it was written in 2016 and now all this is happening. Recording it at DownBeat Denver was fascinating and thrilling because we did it live on a TV show.”
Written by Ryan Cassata
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About Rock the Pigeon:
Rock the Pigeon is an independent music and culture blog dedicated to uplifting emerging artists, spotlighting underrepresented voices, and sharing fresh sounds across genres. Since 2012, we’ve been celebrating creativity, authenticity, and the stories behind the songs.