Hello Berklee on tour readers!! Eric Robertson of the Boston Boys here to tell you about our first gig of the summer! It is important to note that the lineup of the Boston Boys is likely to slightly vary from gig to gig. On Saturday, May 30th, the band was myself, Nate Leath on fiddle, Stash Wyslouch on guitar, Nick Falk on drums, and, for the first time, Josh Hari on Bass. We played the Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival in Preston, CT.
I was a little nervous going into the festival, as our set was sandwiched amongst some of my favorite hardcore BLUEgrass bands (Josh Williams, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, The Lonesome River Band, etc..). But at 4:00, we took the stage and did our thing, playing mostly songs from our upcoming album, “Listen”. I think the audience was a bit shocked when they first heard the drum kit during our sound-check. But as the set began and we settled into a groove, we got a great response from the crowd… especially after Stash taught them how to dance while sitting down. After our set we were greeted by a campsite full of friendly people and way too much food. The headlining band that night was the Greencards. They killed it on stage, and after the fester was over for the night, we all went back to the hotel and jammed until sunrise.
The next week Stash and I left for Colorado, this time to play with Sam Grisman on bass, as well as Mike Barnett and Alex Hargreaves on twin fiddles. We stayed with the wonderful Leslie family for 3 days in Evergreen, rehearsing,hiking, and EATING. On June 4th we played at Swallow Hill Music in Denver, opening up for Missy Raines and The New Hip. The show was a blast! The next day we drove 5 1/2 hours through the Rocky Mountains to Pagosa Springs, CO, where we would play for the next three days. Needless to say, the Pagosa Folk-n-Bluegrass Festival was beautiful! Not only were there enormous mountains, trees, and open spaces, but there were natural hot springs along the river! And most importantly, the people who ran the festival were amazingly kind to the artists, with great food and accommodations all weekend. Endlessly energetic, laced with love, and perpetually partying… the Colorado audience is like none other. We played four of the most fun sets we’ve ever played on Friday and Saturday! A slammin’ free concert in the park, an intimate acoustic set in the morning, a full-fledged main-stage set mid-day, and a routy late-night set in the beer tent, joined by our friends Dominick Leslie, Sarah Jarosz, Hannah Read, Mike Munford, and Mike Witcher. Both nights of the festival we stayed up jamming with members of The Infamous Stringdusters, The Bellville Outfit, and The Expedition Quartet. Now it’s back to Boston to get ready for the CD pre- release at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival July 16… stay tuned at www.myspace.com/bostonboysmusic.
- The Boston Boys @ Strawberry Park and Pagosa Springs!! - June 10, 2009
Danielle
Music festival, natural hot springs, and jamming all night? Your life is CHARMED.