Est. 2009
A Celebration of the American Songwriter
From a 50-seat cold storage room in Bozeman to the historic Empire Twin Theatre in Livingston — the story of Montana’s most storied listening room.
How It Started
A Songwriter Walks Into a Cold Storage Building
In 2009, Jason Wickens — a fourth-generation Montana rancher and songwriter — discovered a 1906 cold storage building at 627 East Peach Street in Bozeman. Inside those century-old brick walls, he built something that didn’t exist anywhere else.
A 50-seat listening room with no bar, no bright lights, no distractions — just the songwriter and the song. The exposed beams, original freezer doors, and raw acoustics of the old cold storage created an atmosphere that couldn’t be replicated. Artists started calling it their favorite stop on the tour.
On The Air
More Than a Venue — A Radio Show
Every performance at the Divide is simultaneously a concert and a radio recording. In 2010, Live From The Divide became a nationally syndicated public radio program — “A Celebration of the American Songwriter” — broadcast via PRX across Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and North Dakota.
Over 643 episodes and nearly one million listeners later, the show has become one of the most respected platforms for songwriters in American roots music.
“The inspiration was just being a songwriter myself and a fan of songwriters. So I just started asking my favorite songwriters to play and to my surprise, a few of them said yes.”— Jason Wickens, founder
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See the Divide
Hear the stories behind the songs and the space that holds them.
Our History
Seventeen Years of Songs and Stories
2009
The Beginning
Jason Wickens, a fourth-generation Montana rancher and songwriter, discovers a 1906 cold storage building at 627 East Peach Street in Bozeman. With Grammy-winning engineer Doc Wiley, he begins building Peach Street Studios and an intimate 50-seat listening room.
2010
On the Air
Live From The Divide becomes a nationally syndicated public radio program — “A Celebration of the American Songwriter” — broadcast via PRX across Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and North Dakota.
2012
Doors Open
Live From The Divide begins hosting officially ticketed performances, transforming from a recording space into a destination venue. Producing over 80 concerts annually, with 50 selected for broadcast.
2014
Community Rallies
A Kickstarter campaign raises over $30,000 from 91 backers to support the radio program, proving the depth of connection between the Divide and its community.
2016–2019
The Golden Era
Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, and Colter Wall play the 50-seat room before becoming some of the biggest names in American music. Over 700 artists pass through the doors.
2019
The Documentary
YETI releases “The Divide,” a documentary capturing the spirit of the venue and its founder. It surpasses 270,000 views on YouTube and introduces the venue to a national audience.
2026
A New Home
Live From The Divide opens at the historic Empire Twin Theatre in Livingston, Montana — a 1935-era theater reimagined as a ~100-seat listening room for the next chapter.
A New Home
The Empire Twin Theatre
In February 2026, Live From The Divide opened its doors at a new home: the historic Empire Twin Theatre in downtown Livingston, Montana. Originally built in 1935, the theater has been reimagined as a ~100-seat listening room that preserves everything that made the Bozeman space sacred.
The intimacy, the quiet, the reverence for the song — it all carries forward. What changes is the reach. Livingston offers better accessibility for rural communities across the region, and co-owner Andrew Feltenstein is renovating the nearby KPRK radio station to bring local broadcasting back to Park County.
The Artists
Over 700 Artists. One Stage.
A celebration of every songwriter who has graced the Divide.
Sturgill SimpsonTyler ChildersBilly Strings
Colter WallCharley CrockettMarcus KingSteve EarleTommy EmmanuelJorma Kaukonen
J.D. SoutherHayes CarllRay Wylie HubbardChris KnightPaul ThornDale WatsonHolly WilliamsPokey LaFargeThe Secret SistersPaul CauthenWatchhouseThe War and Treaty
Corb LundThe Dead SouthRadney FosterSunny SweeneyJohn FullbrightKelsey WaldonPatterson HoodDavid RamirezBand of HeathensRobbie FulksMike and The MoonpiesBirds of ChicagoWilliam Clark GreenEmily Scott RobinsonShane Smith & The Saints
Sam BarberEarly JamesJason EadyBriscoeMelissa CarperJeffrey FoucaultErik KoskinenSera CahooneTony FurtadoThe Quebe SistersRob BairdJack KlattDavid OlneySpencer BohrenBonnie BishopTim EastonRay BonnevilleWaylon PayneDan Rodriguez