In Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse Five, a character named Billy Pilgrim reports to be "unstuck in time." He can’t help but travel from the present to the past, and then to the future again. The four Northern Colorado musicians who formed a new retro country & bluegrass band named after this literary figure feel the same way about music.
The Billy Pilgrims band features Lyons, Colo., residents Caleb Roberts and David Richey, and Fort Collins, Colo., couple Aaron & Erin Youngberg (or Double A and E as their friends like to call them). Dave sings lead and plays acoustic guitar, Erin sings lead and plays upright bass, Aaron plays banjo and pedal steel, and Caleb plays mandolin and electric guitar.
The Billy Pilgrims return to country music from the 1950s, influenced by Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Ray Price, and Lefty Frizzell, and they also perform vintage bluegrass influenced by the Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Vern Williams, and Flatt & Scruggs. A typical Billy Pilgrims show includes an acoustic, bluegrass set and an electric, classic country set.
To book the Billy Pilgrims, contact Pickin’ Productions at oldtime@tds.net, 970-260-6493.
Howdy Pilgrims. I'll be in your stomping grounds come Rockygrass time. Too late to catch you at the bar, but not too late to run into you around town/fields/campgrounds I hope.
1. subdudes - street symphony (back porch) 2. devotchka - a mad & faithful telling (anti-) 3. otis taylor - recapturing the banjo (telarc) 4. uncle earl - waterloo tennessee (rounder) 5. flobots - fight with tools (universal republic) 6. harvey knuckles - dinero (mars motors) 6. kort mccumber - lickskillet road (lucky nugget) 6. spring creek - lonesome way to go (self) 7. barbara clark - she won't wait (self) 7. bela karoli - furnished rooms (helmut room) 7. john-alex mason - town and country (nakked jaybird) 8. kevin jones - collection (kiva) 9. gregory alan isakov - that sea the gambler (self) 10. paper bird - anything nameless & joymaking (self) 11. the billy pilgrims - billy pilgrims (self)
Hey sorry I had to take off before your 2nd set break and couldn't say good-bye. But you guys were so wound up and on fire. It was awesome! Everyone loved you. As per usual. love to you all C : )
Congratulations, winners of ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHRONICLE'S Editor's Choice Award for Best Traditional Band. We're so proud of you and can't wait to celebrate with you on April 4! Way to go superstars.
