8/11 Summervale: Bow Thayer

By Brenna Lewis-Slammon, Summervale Music Intern This week on the Summervale stage, we will be joined by Bow Thayer, both the accomplished, inventive musician himself, and the band. The group’s sound is described as “mountain soul,” which skirts rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, and every genre in between. In listening to their varied tracks, there is a notable raw feeling to each piece; it is undeniably honest music.

With this as a constant, the rest of their music is all versatility: a play of hard and soft sounds, slow and fast rhythms as well as classic rock riffs and acoustic strumming. It’s all too easy to imagine the band jamming out in an old Vermont barn, having their music sweep across a great expanse of ancient farm land. Their aesthetic is that of tall pines and shadowy mountains - winding rivers and days spent in the sun - dirt roads and barefoot dances along grassy pastures. An idyllic Vermont is painted through their music, a summer dream.

Bow Thayer began his musical career in Boston, eventually finding respite from the busy city in the Green Mountain State. Here, he has had the freedom to actively engage with his music on new levels. With this creative space, he created the Bojotar: an amplified, stringed musical instrument that mixes traits of a resonator guitar, an electric guitar, and a banjo. He also records in a studio which he built himself. The group’s aim is to constantly be pushing the limits of their loose genres and innovating America’s musical future, which is evident in considering their wide range of sound. For our event, Bow Thayer brings a passion for the state of Vermont and its people that speaks to the root of Summervale. Allow yourself to be lifted for this one evening away from the bustling streets of Burlington and into the dense forests of rural Vermont. Listen, dance, laugh, eat, and drink. Experience a sense of community and remind yourself why you love it here in the Green Mountain State.