Henry County Summer Concert Series hosts, “Montepalooza” at Arts Park Pavilion to honor the life of local musician, Monte Jackson
By: Kevin Vickery
On Sunday, September 21st, a crowd of over 400 people gathered in downtown New Castle at The Arts Park Pavilion for a celebration of life honoring the late, Monte Jackson who passed away earlier this Summer on June 10th.
Monte was a New Castle native and lifelong resident. He graduated from Walter P. Chrysler Memorial High School and went on to attend Vincennes University, graduating with a degree in Architectural Drafting which he taught at his Alma Mater, New Castle Chrysler High School. Monte worked at Modernfold in New Castle, and eventually retired from Ball State University as a Draftsman.
He spent the majority of his life in his hometown of New Castle, where he was always ready with a joke, a story, a song, a line from a Monty Python movie, a piece of trivia about The Beatles, or a heartfelt conversation.
In addition to being a son, father, brother, friend, he was a teacher, who left a lasting impact on everyone fortunate enough to know him.
Monte was also a gifted musician – a talented guitarist and singer who played in many bands over the years including Jesse, Taxi, 10:01, The Sofakings and, most recently, Shiner and BarneStorm. Many members of these bands were on hand for Montepalooza to share heartfelt memories of their time working with him and to reunite these bands to share a set of the music Monte loved playing. Some of these musicians included Monte’s former bandmates like; Tony Marcum, Daryl Utt, Mike Groce, Rich Stephens, Marty Weaver, Brent Murphy, Paul Fabrick, Dan Davis, Jim Conley, and Dave Barnes.
Montepalooza also featured other well known local musicians like; Sherman Stockton, Bret Mann, Waylon Thompson, Dave Ellison, Josh Ellison, and Robert Trowbridge.
His two sons, Andy Jackson who now lives in Seattle, WA and Derek Jackson who now calls Boston, MA home made it back to New Castle from both coasts to share in the event and perform in the name of their Father’s memory.
Monte deeply loved his bandmates and thought of them as family. His love for music extended past simply being in bands and went into the broader community through his involvement with the Henry County Art Association, where he helped organize a free concert series that brought people together to enjoy live music in a welcoming, inclusive setting.
This setting is where I got to know him the best. I worked closely with Monte when my own band, The Cousin Brothers, performed at the Henry County Concert Series for several years in a row back when the series was first coming to life.
I’ve covered many of the concert events held at the Arts Park Pavilion and Monte has always been there, with a smile on his face, a positive attitude and just enough sarcasm to make the perfect person for me to deal with at these shows. This was his 9th season on the board for the Henry County Concert Series which was cut short due to his unexpected passing just 10 days before the first show of this year’s series.
In a brief interview for my column on the final event of last year’s series, Monte told me, “This has been my favorite year so far” while neither of us even remotely thought it would be his last. In that piece he went on to give all credit and “Thanks for the fantastic job of sound engineering for these events go to Don Smith and his crew who I believe have done an excellent job at making the shows sound great”. In my opinion that’s a big statement when it comes from Monte because he’s an accomplished sound engineer in his own right and in fact the very first time I ever met him, he was running the sound system for my band at a New Castle bar gig over twenty years ago.
When the concert series started this year with The Dane Clark Band, admittedly, there was a certain sadness in the air due to Monte’s recent passing. His absence at the event was felt by all who have been involved with The Henry County Concert Series in the past but so was his presence in spirit and so that show and the entire series went on without a hitch just as he would have wanted.
I was able to speak with Monte’s old friend, bandmate and fellow Henry County Series Board member, Marty Weaver and get his thoughts. He said, “Monte was a kind and generous guy. He was a talented musician and a wonderful bandmate. He had a great sense of humor and was a fun guy to hang out with. Adding, “It was beautiful to see such a large crowd at the Arts Park Pavilion for Montepalooza – A lot of love there and Monte was the hub. – Being on the concert board, I have been to many events at the Arts Park and the crowd on Sunday was the largest and coolest bunch of people and Monte would have loved it!” He continued, “Monte was always the first to show up to get the concerts happening. He was a humble guy and a great friend. – Trying to organize an event like this can be tough, but not Montepalooza. – Everyone wanted to help because we all loved him. – It was like a family reunion with the musicians.”
Local Musician, Bret Mann said, “I knew Monte as a long time, experienced guitar player, knowing he played in the popular Indiana band 10:01 in the 80s, and my most interaction with him was when he had his band , the Sofa Kings, who were playing across town when we played quite often. – We both had great and different followings! He added, “The Montepalooza show was a huge success, and had a large crowd, especially early on. – There was the biggest collection of local musicians I have ever seen at one location.” He continued, “We, Seldom Seen were the last band to play for the first time together in six years and I hope we put a good exclamation point on a great day for a great cause!”
Henry County Concert Series Board member, Lydia Ferguson added, “Monte was a dear friend, an accomplished musician and a highly respected member of the Concert Series Board. – Montepalooza was an absolutely perfect way to honor him: a true reflection of how connected he was to so many artists and how much he was loved by everyone. – We miss him so much.”
Monte’s artistic talents and designs reflected his creative spirit and his legacy lives on in the music he played, the loved ones he inspired, and the community he was part of. His unique voice, witty sense of humor, and sarcastic personality will be deeply missed. Though he may no longer walk among us, Monte Jackson’s spirit lives on in every song sung, every story told, every piece of art admired or shared. Montepalooza was more than a celebration of what once was but more importantly, a promise of what will be.
For more information about events at The Arts Park Pavillion visit their website at henrycountyarts.org or donate to their organization in honor of Montepalooza through the following link zeffy.com/donation-form/henry-county-concert-series-live-in-the-arts-park
5th 2025 edition of The Courier Times
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