Transparent
Artist Detial at Mystic Theatre
You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view videos.
|
0:00

JD & The Boot Band

There’s always been an interesting musical connection between California and Tennessee. Throughout country music’s history that renegade West Coast spirit has whipped through Nashville as Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam left their mark on country music’s landscape.

With “Send It East,” the Old Boot Band appears next in line to add a new chapter to the California Country legacy. Mixing traditional country music with a little rock ‘n roll attitude, the Old Boot Band has earned a rabid following that is propelling the group from regional success to the national spotlight.

In fact, it was during a recent performance that a fan shouted out the phrase that would become the title of the band’s new album. “We were down in Palm Springs playing and the crowd was just loving our music,” recalls Old Boot Band founder/lead vocalist J.D. Bauman. “Suddenly a guy stood up on the table and started pointing east to Nashville shouting, ‘Send it east! Send it east!’ And that became the name of this album.”

Bauman and the band are accustomed to such enthusiastic declarations. “We play country music, but it also has a rock ‘n roll mentality in some respects. It’s feel good music with some drive behind it.”

Bauman started the band in 1999, recruiting guitarist Chris Vibberts, and his father, Dan Bauman, a veteran on the California country scene. A native of Santa Rosa in Northern California, the younger Bauman had grown up listening to an eclectic blend of music, most of it rock. “One night I sat him down and said, ‘Son, you need to listen to some good music,’” recalls Dan. “I brought out these old records by Marty Robbins, Don Williams, Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard. He started listening and it was like a light bulb came on. He started playing something that I could relate to and he put this group together. I came down one night to listen to them and low and behold, I started playing with the band. It’s been a heck of a lot of fun. There’s nothing better I like to do than to play music with my best friend and my son happens to be my best friend.”

Separately, each member of the Old Boot Band is an accomplished musician, but together there’s a musical chemistry that some have dubbed “90 Proof Country Music.” “I think our live performances are pretty unique,” says Vibberts. “We come from very different places. J.D. is very much rooted in traditional and modern country as well. I’ve played a lot of different music and have listened to everything from heavy metal stuff to pop/rock records. I’ve also studied classical music. We all come from different places musically, but we find common ground in the Old Boot Band.”

Dan agrees. “It works because everybody in this group brings something to the party. We are such an eclectic collection of talent. Our influences come from several different directions and somehow they unite and create this sound that is pretty unusual. We really appeal to a wide demographic. People come up to us after a show who are in their 60s and say, ‘You guys are great! We just love listening to you!’ And at the same time, there’s a whole crowd of people around Chris and J.D. that are in their early 20’s saying ‘You guys rock! You just rock man!’”

The Old Boot Band won the state finals of the 22nd Annual Colgate Country Showdown and have shared the stage with the Charlie Daniels Band, Willie Nelson, the Doobie Brothers, Joe Diffie, Little Feat and .38 Special. The band also gained coveted exposure when J.D. co-hosted a weekly Friday night radio show on North Bay country station KFGY. In addition to interviewing such artists as Sara Evans, Hank Williams Jr. and Charlie Daniels, J.D. was also able to share Old Boot Band music with their local fan base.

For their new project, “Send It East,” the band traveled to Nashville where they found themselves in the studio merging their West Coast sensibilities with some of Music City’s seasoned pros, among them pedal steel guitar legend Bruce Bouten,guitarist Chris Leuzinger and acclaimed songwriter/producer/drummer Harry Stinson, who helped mix the disc. The result is an album that not only spotlights J.D.‘s talents as a songwriter, but the band’s taut musicianship and unique vocal attack.

“One thing that I think is a very strong point with this group is there are four of us that sing in the band,” says J.D., who admits he’s always been a fan of groups like the Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama that feature different vocalists. “There are three lead singers in our band and we all sing backup vocals. It’s really unique. Hopefully, we can fill the void left when Alabama retired. I’m not saying we’re Alabama, but I wouldn’t mind being compared to them.”

Like their musical heroes, the Old Boot Band records songs that resonate strong with their audience—-songs that echo the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life. “Country music is about telling a story,” says Dan. “We want songs that we can all relate to, songs that tell a story people can identify with.”

Among the album’s highlights is “See You in My Dreams,” a tender ballad about closing your eyes and feeling close to the one you love. Penned by J.D., it chronicles the emotions of a musician on the road missing that special girl back home. J.D. also contributes “What I’d Do for You,” a sultry ballad that echoes a man’s love and devotion. “We created something that we’re all really proud of,” J.D. says of the new album. “People are really liking it and we couldn’t be happier.”

Compelling songs, skilled musicianship and ear-grabbing vocals blend into a potent musical cocktail that make the Old Boot Band one of country music’s most promising acts. “It definitely sounds different,” J.D. says of the Old Boot Band’s style. “We’re not from Nashville and we don’t look like we’re from Nashville. We’re not following anybody. We’re not trying to be anything like anyone else. We just are what we are.”