Laws turns love of music into side gig

For anyone who went to the Ted Vigil concert last month the Rex Community Theater, the audience was not only serenaded with music by John Denver; but they also got the chance to listen to some local country music, by Thompson Falls' very own, Tanner Laws.

The 23-year-old musician opened the show with an hour long set of his originals, with a few of his favorite covers thrown in.

"I was really excited to open for someone with a big name, and it was even better that I got to do it at home in front of my friends and family," Laws said. While he has played a few gigs in Trout Creek, Laws says it's been a while since he's had a gig in his hometown.

Laws was born and raised in Thompson Falls, and is currently in his last semester at Montana Tech in Butte. Studying to become a civil engineer, Laws plans to graduate and has hopes of staying close to home.

"I would like to stay in Montana and work for a company here, while I play music on the side," Laws said. The musician can often be seen performing locally in Butte, at a small bar called Sam's Place, which is located next to Tech's campus. For Laws, a normal gig lasts a minimum of three hours. "Sometimes I'll play for four or five hours, maybe more if they are tipping well," Laws said. He sings mostly country western songs on his acoustic guitar, but has also delved into classical music on the piano. "I sing mostly country, I grew up listening to it, and I was always singing as a kid," Laws stated.

"I usually sing a lot of covers, but I do have 23 finished originals that I mostly play at my gigs," he said. Last month, visited the small town of Condon for the first time to perform for the locals there.

Laws' music can be heard on his YouTube channels, as well as his Instagram and Facebook accounts.