Bonnie & the Beard

Falling somewhere between Tin Pan Alley and bluesy Americana, this debut from Bonnie & the Beard sounds as if the band spent last year on an extended journey, collecting adventures and experiences along the way. The songs are the sort that come from people who once had dreams of running...

By Tom Murphy

March 1, 2011

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Falling somewhere between Tin Pan Alley and bluesy Americana, this debut from Bonnie & the Beard sounds as if the band spent last year on an extended journey, collecting adventures and experiences along the way. The songs are the sort that come from people who once had dreams of running away with the circus (or actually did). Those same people might have also fallen in love with the music of Janis Joplin and Uncle Tupelo, and, rather than roam the world like Kwai Chang Caine, cultivated stories of their own to tell. If the sparkling "Lonely Hills" and the hazy carnivalesque strains of "Lost Tribe" are any indication, Bonnie and company have spent more than their fair share of time pursuing their dreams.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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