—
When three fiddle players met at a national fiddle contest in Idaho, little did they know more than a decade later they’d form a band.
MilkDrive, a contemporary jazz-grass band, hits the Roxy Theater ay 6 p.m. Sunday and The Branch 7 p.m. Monday.
“We all grew up fiddle players,” said Brian Beken, who retained fiddle duties for the band along with being the lead vocalist. “Over the years we’d go camping, and then we started jamming music.”
Three of the four band members even lived together for awhile in Austin, Texas, while each was attempting to branch out in different bands. The group officially formed in March 2011.
“It’s been a side project for about four years,” Beken said. “I think we’ve all always known we’d end up playing together. Whenever the opportunity came we all just dove in.”
The band has received many accolades and is in the midst of a “barnstorming” type tour, playing seven venues in eight days in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. That will help the band, Beken said.
“It’s just really getting out and playing,” Beken said. “It really helps to get on at festivals, that’s where people will hear about you.”
The band also consists of Noah Jeffries on guitar and harmony vocals, Dennis Ludiker on mandolin and harmony vocals, and Matt Mefford on double bass. MilkDrive aims to deliver a “distinctive acoustic experience marked by sophisticated arrangements and fierce musicianship.” The band’s second studio album, “Waves,” was released earlier this month.
The band’s distinct sound has drawn some comparisons to the Punch Brothers, Beken said.
“It’s of course a pretty different band,” Beken said. “But it’s an experimental thing with acoustical music.”
Beken said his favorite songs MilkDrive performs is one Bruce Robinson lent the band for their new record or “Dear Prudence.”
“That’s really fun to play, too,” Beken said.
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
