Arty LaVigne - Guitar, Vocals
Mike Scott - Bass, Mandolin
Mark Christensen - Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar, Piano & Organ
Zak LaVigne - Drums
Some songs featuring Mike Colbourn on Lead Guitar
Influences
Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, North End Rhythm Kings, Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield, Allman Brothers Band, Government Mule, Phish, Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, James Brown, Otis Redding, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sonic Youth, Little Feat, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Pearl Jam, Son Volt, Arcade Fire, Uncle Tupelo, Eric Burdon and War, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.
Arty has been playing and making music throughout his life. Beginning on the drums and adding guitar along the way. He formed The Mods in High School playing throughout the Burlington area. Later Arty & Mike Colbourn formed the John Tower Group. Arty and Mike wrote two albums worth of songs releasing Not from Here and A Good Sad Story. John Tower also features Arty's son Zak on drums, Mark Christensen on bass and Chapman Stick and Slide guitar. This line up shared the stage with Dickie Betts and Great Southern, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Buddy Guy, The Dereck Trucks Band,The Johnny Winter Band, Joe Bonamassa, Ian Moore, Corey Stevens, Chris Duarte, Eric Gales and Jon Fishman's Pork Tornado. The John Tower Group contributed two songs to Mr. Charlie's Best of the Green Mountain Blues Vol.'s 1 and 4. John Tower have been on hiatus but Arty has continued to write songs and perform with his cousin Mike Scott in the area.
During the summer of 2006, Arty gathered JTG w/ Mike Scott on bass and Mark Christensen moving over to lead guitar at EMP Studios in Colchester , VT. for a session that would provide the basic tracks for 5 new songs. Later that same year, Arty, Mark C., Zak and Mike Scott returned to EMP to record a second batch of 5 songs. In 2007, Arty and Mark C. returned to EMP Studios for vocals, overdubs and mixing of the 10 song compilation called, Close to Faraway.
hope you guys had a fun birthday celebration yest. while i was busy digging out a basement, sam says the labor will save me $100 off next months rent, alright!!
Hi Arty! Thanks for the post. We are just now starting to get together the archives, and hope to make some available through archives. org in the coming year or so. I will keep you posted. Best of luck! Liz, from "The Wilson Institute. "
look at this fine weather, just in time for the pool party! I'm up at the top of Bolton right now, house sitting, and there is half an inch of fresh snow! Maybe it will be a hot tub party instead. Hot tub! Let me just call Paul...
