It is fitting that we launch our interview series with Bow Thayer, Vermont native and a co-founder of the Tweed River Music Festival. Thayer got his start in the Boston-based rock/reggae band 7 League Boots in the early 1990’s. He subsequently moved to Vermont and began an extended exploration of Americana and blues. Thayer’s most recent releases are 2013’s Eden and 2014’s Eden – Live at The Chandler. He also conceived of the “Bojotar“, a new instrument that is part resonator guitar, part electric guitar and part banjo.
As a Tweed co-founder and veteran performer, what are your favorite memories from years past?
Oh man! there are so many wonderful memories…. to many to mention really, but I do recall at one point, and I don’t even remember the year, having a very definite moment of complete harmony. Like the stars were aligned and the Tweed was a force that could do no wrong… a machine that ran on positive energy that was flying through the universe. It was a great feeling and probably the reason I keep doing this.
Are there any particular artists that you are particularly excited to see perform at Tweed this year?
Yes, I am very excited to see what the youngsters are doing! We have young bands like Vermont’s Coquette. The future of ROCK lies in there hands! I will be front and center cheering them on.
As you well know, Vermont is a haven for outdoor sports and activities year-round. Are there any outdoor sports/activities that you especially enjoy when you’re not working?
In the winter I try and ski as much as possible, although I am becoming disenchanted with the groomed trails favoring the back country. This spills into the other seasons as well, just getting out and hiking the woods or canoeing the rivers is a favorite pastime. I also put many hours into working on my house studio and small bit of property I own. I would also include that this is all part of my writing process, I have written more songs while laying up a stone wall than starring at a blank page.
What is your favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor?
I am not a big ice cream guy, or a huge pot smoker, but when I DO eat Ben and Jerry’s I am usually to stoned to read the label…. its all good to me!
Do you think differently about festival shows than you do about regular shows?
Not really, I kind of have the attitude that a gig is a gig, but all gigs are different. I try to adapt and give it my all every time.
Tweed has always been a festival that is built around community. How would you describe the music community in your home town? How has it, if at all, influenced your music?
I have always maintained that my music is a direct response to my immediate surroundings. I am very influenced by living in rural Vermont. So as far as community goes, there has always been a strong sense that folks help each other out around here. The same holds true during the Tweed Fest. There is always bartering of some sort and a local vitality that changes depending on the season around here. For the most part people live very close to the land with farming, hunting, fishing, logging, sugaring, building….and when there is time, music. I guess that is what I have to offer, there are not a lot of folks around trying to make a living playing music and I am often compensated for a performance with moose meat or fire wood. With that said though there are many folks tucked into these hills who are fantastic musicians and over the years I have met many of them but the general attitude towards playing is rooted in a more personal way.
How does “location” fit into your songwriting?
Keeping a band up and running here is damn near impossible, especially when it comes to touring. I can make a living playing locally alright, more so than living in a city because there is not so much competition, but when it comes time to travel the road is long. If there is any reward, it is rarely in the form of money. I am lucky to have a dedicated crew of musicians at the moment. I feel like I kind of live in this bubble and sometimes I venture out into society…. But I always get to retreat back home and work it all out in musical form.
Here is Thayer’s full 2012 Tweed performance for your viewing enjoyment.
Tweed River Music Festival is less a showcase for bands and more a celebration of everything that great music embodies: the deeply personal link between artist and fan, the spirit of community and cooperation and, yes, the magical atmosphere of a great show in a stunning setting.
Set on a bucolic swath of land nestled between the Green and Northfield Mountains in the Mad River Valley in Waitsfield, VT, the 2015 Tweed River Music Festival will host more than 30 acts, including staples such as B​ow Thayer, Tim Gearan, Andrea Gillis, White Dynomite a​nd T​he Curtis Mayflower, ​while also welcoming B​loodshot Records r​ecording artist L​ydia Loveless,​ Vermont natives W​aylon Speed and​ A​lligator Records​ recording artist (and Boston native) J​esse Dee.​ Other great musical acts include J​oe Fletcher, JP Harris and The Tough Choices, Caitlin Canty ​and A​NTI Records ​recording artist C​hristopher Paul Stelling.​
Visit the Tweed web site for ticket information and additional details on the festival. Click here for more Twangville coverage of Tweed and this year’s participating artists.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.