Trout Steak Revival promises ‘unique perspectives’
BECCA MARTIN-BROWN
bmartin@nwadg.com
It’s never easy for a musician to describe what he does. Ask Casey Houlihan, bass player and vocalist for Denver-based Trout Steak Revival, and he’ll tell you this:
“For me, folk music is the umbrella that bluegrass falls under. We are certainly rooted in bluegrass and love the tradition, even though we choose to write our own songs. Using the term newgrass helps to explain our cover choices and certainly nods to following the path that Sam Bush has taken. We are an independent band. We are not signed to a label; we release all of our music ourselves. Lastly, we are inspired by artists across genres.
“At our core, we are five songwriters interpreting our ever-changing landscape with unique perspectives and melodies.”
Trout Steak Revival stops March 29 at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center in Fayetteville as part of a spring tour, but there’s plenty more on the horizon for the band Westword Music Showcase named Denver’s Best Bluegrass Band.
“We are planning on getting back into the studio in June,” Houlihan says. “Really looking forward to it. We love being at Mighty Fine Studios in Denver, working with Kyle Zender as engineer. Summer tours are lined up with a bunch of festivals coast to coast — [and] I should mention some of our favorite festivals are in our home state of Colorado.”
Houlihan says he himself, along with fiddler Bevin Foley, mandolin and guitar player Steve Foltz, dobro and guitar player Will Koster and banjo player Travis McNamara, all worked in other bands before TSR.
“Will and Travis met as kids at Camp Henry in Michigan,” he explains. “I met them at that same camp in 2002 as a counselor. I met Steve in college at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. We met Bevin when she was playing in a band called The Mile Markers. Bevin put on a St. Patrick’s day show and invited Trout Steak to play at the Walnut Room in Denver. She sat in with us on a few tunes, and we all enjoyed her playing so much that we started inviting her to our shows. Not too long after that we officially asked her to be part of the band.”
Asked what parts band members play beyond their instruments, Houlihan waxes philosophical.
“We all play an important role in keeping the tour machine up to full speed. We have one the best crews out there. I love and respect each one of my bandmates. We honor each other and work hard to keep our minds and bodies healthy out on the road.”
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FAQ
In Concert:
Trout Steak Revival
WHEN — 7:30 p.m. March 29
WHERE — Faulkner Performing Arts Center on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville
COST — $10-$20
INFO — 575-5387, faulkner.uark.edu
