Stone Poetry band members (L to R): Russell Barabe, Kate Regan Ciari, Daniel J. Smith, Mark Sullivan and Dan Krza. Photo courtesy of Stone Poetry Stone Poetry offers music, lyrics and history by Evelyn Boswell Dan Smith, '87 ES, '90 M, used to rock and roll in Guam, a tropical island about the size of Flathead Lake. He performed with "Soft Rain, Wild Wind." He played with bands like "Tugboat." "It was quite a wild time. The Vietnam War was in full swing," said Smith, who entertained soldiers on leave, but did his share of protest songs. Fast forward almost 30 years and Smith is still performing. But now it's with "Stone Poetry," a Bozeman band whose name reflects its lyrical bent and Smith's love of geology. And today's songs are more about western expansion than wars. Stone Poetry sings about Lewis and Clark, heading into the great unknown and wondering what lies beyond. Researched for historical accuracy, the songs span Benjamin Franklin to space exploration. Stone Poetry recently released its first CD and performed songs from "Into the Great Unknown" at MSU's Museum of the Rockies. They were accompanied by several videos, one of which incorporated artwork from fifth graders at Emily Dickinson elementary school in Bozeman. They are taught by Patti Harrison, '90, Educ. Smith spent eight years in Guam, moving there as a 14-year-old when his father became director of a public television station. Used to life in rural Pennsylvania, Smith joined 100,000 people on an island that covered about 230 square miles. He discovered his favorite beach. He attended the University of Guam. Despite the life, Smith became intrigued by the Rocky Mountains while playing in a band with Bozeman resident Bobby Wilson. After hearing about Montana, reading The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie and being urged to visit Bozeman, Smith finally decided to leave the island in 1976 and move to Montana. "It seemed like the logical place," said Smith who performed with Wilson throughout the Pacific Northwest, then started playing solo at Big Sky. Smith spent five years at Big Sky, then earned his associate degree at Flathead Community College. After graduating from MSU, he started Earthtalk Studios in Bozeman. The multimedia company that combines Smith's background in earth science with his minor in media and theatre arts has an ongoing relationship with Yellowstone National Park. It is currently working on a project that offers online field trips to Yellowstone. "MSU has been a wonderful resource," said Smith whose company employs 10 MSU graduates. "Being a small company, you can't always hire the absolute top talent because they are so expensive. If we are selective, we have been able to find awesome talent right out of school, bring them into Earthtalk and teach them how we do business here." Stone Poetry's next scheduled performance is 7:30 p.m., Friday Feb. 18 at the Emerson Theatre in Bozeman.