The Driftless Plowboys

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courtesy Driftless Plowboys

A band in front of a bar.

Driftless Plowboys

media release: The Driftless Plowboys are a new band playing vintage music that combines hillbilly pre-country with Hawaiian steel guitar. During the 1920s and '30s, when Hawaiian was the craze in popular music, hillbilly string bands and blues musicians infused their tunes with the exotic glissando of the steel guitar. That's the heart of The Driftless Plowboys repertoire, but this unique quartet also incorporates the Gypsy Jazz of Django Reinhardt and the Western Swing of Bob Wills, as well as more modern country tunes from the '40s and '50s. It's an ear-catching amalgamation of heart, humor and rootsy flavor.

Members include local faves Christo Ruppenthal (Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble) on steel, archtop guitar and plectrum jazz banjo, Mark Roeder (The Best Westerns) on fiddle and mandolin), David Heuring (Don't Spook the Horse) on guitar and vocals, and Forrest Evans (Christo's Novelty Combo) on bass. $15 ($10 adv.).