Why Crown Larks Drove Thirty Hours for One Set at Goldrush Music Festival

The Goldrush Music Festival is a great place for bands, new and old, to get publicity and make connections. But let’s face it: Denver is a long way from most other big cities. It’s fifteen hours by van, for example, from Chicago, the home town of Crown Larks. The band played an enthusiastic and tight set Friday on the opening night of the festival after spending the lion’s share of a day on the road.

The extraordinary thing is that Crown Larks isn’t on tour. Goldrush was a one-off show for the band, who arrived, played its 45-minute set, then packed up and left the next morning. Frontman Jack Bouboushian says despite the monotony of the drive the trip was worth it.

“This is the craziest one-off drive we’ve done,” says Bouboushian, adding that the band made the 15-hour return trip on Saturday to open for his favorite guitarist, Yonatan Gat (formerly of Monotonix). “I’m totally heartbroken that we [had] to leave Saturday.”

The trip, he said, was originally meant to be part of a tour. But plans fell through and Crown Larks’ next set of road gigs doesn’t start until October. Having committed to Goldrush, he said, they gladly did what had to be done to get here.

“I feel like we’ve been touring a lot last couple years,” says Bouboushian. “I rarely regret things like this. Driving from Chicago fifteen hours was less stressful than a tour. So much can go wrong from point A to point B. Those are the times that test if your heart’s in the right place.”

Aside from the fact that gas is relatively cheap right now, Bouboushian says making the drive was less of a hassle because of what Goldrush represents.

“People talk about the grind of touring,” he says. “It feels like a blessing to do that, especially. things like Goldrush. This fest, it’s coming from a DIY mindset and we want to make it work for each other. It’s nice to feel that sense of community, that feeling like they’re coming from a good place.”

That comradery is part of what make being a touring band worthwhile.

“By the end of the year we’ll have done over 100 shows on the road,” says Bouboushian. “Meeting people and crashing with people, I like it. You’re not getting the travel guide to a city. You’re getting the real thing. If not for that it would just be like a job.”

Crown Larks debut album Blood Dancer is available from the Already Dead / Space Lung Land Breathing labels.