Rooted in Rage: Inside Montana Sand’s Protest Anthem “Bricks N’ Bottles”

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.