I had the pleasure of checking out Fate’s Fortune at the Top Hat on Friday, January 18th and they rocked hard! I met Josh Rhines (Lead guitarist and owner of Soundwest Studios) when I was doing some work with the Missoula Independent and had received a CD.  For 3 months now I had been jamming to the 5 song EP in my car and one particular song “Different Light” (appropriately the title track off their demo) had helped me get through the Missoula 5’ O’Clock traffic on more than one occasion. With this in mind, I was extremely anxious to hear “Different Light” off their EP live! Like it or not, my fate was calling.

My Date With Fate

From the start, Fate’s Fortune’s sound slammed into me like a whiplash of thunder. Its melodic undertones mixed with the steady pulsing heartbeat of Collin Scott’s drums, Josh Rhine’s screaming guitar and Dan Molgaard’s pounding bass, foreshadowed for me an awe-inspiring event. However, it was when I heard Brooke Olivia’s vocals – raw, unfiltered, deafening – my jaw dropped.

Who was this woman with this powerhouse voice?! And did she just shake a piece of my soul onto the Top Hat Dance Floor? Fuck yes, she did. And let me be clear, I’m not a fan of profanity in my writing, but when you hear this band, there’s one phrase that comes to mind. “Holy Fuck!”

Fate’s Fortune’s sound is a religious experience, twisted into the dark furls of passion, despair, and anguish that can only be defined as life-altering. It is an enlightening, fun, raucous emotional ride of extreme highs and lows and we as the audience have no choice but to follow the sweet-sour innocence of Brook Olivia’s raging vocals!

“Fate’s Fortune’s sound is a religious experience, twisted into the dark furls of passion, despair, and anguish!”

Brooke takes singing and spins melodies into sermons the audience can follow, but its the band as a whole that crescendoes from here. What kept me riveted throughout was the seamless transition from Brooke’s singing to the band’s onslaught of hard rock. It’s this secret ingredient that catapults Fate’s Fortune into a new stratosphere.

If Brooke is the preacher, Josh Rhine’s lead guitar is the wild evangelist, rallying the crowd and serving bouts of inspiration with distorted guitar licks and kick ass solos. Dan’s Bass follows like a dark metronome, thumping into our ears as we spin deeper into a dark shadowy orbit of our former selves.

Finally, Collin Scott helps us bear our souls as we faithfully follow the steady echoes of his drums, the constant heartbeat leading us home.  In the end, this alternative hard rock band delivered in high performance, energy, and soul purging awesomeness. Fate’s Fortune is a must-see here in Missoula, but beware, once you witness this band’s live show, your fate is sealed.

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Deron Wade is Missoula’s Musicpreneur.  Co-Founder of music tech company TunePort.com, Music Education Forum AudioNewsCast, singer-songwriter, direct-sales/online marketing consultant and live music community enthusiast. In his spare time, he enjoys a good book, exploring new breweries and helping businesses think more creatively. Say hello: deron@tuneport.com