Mary Claxton of the Burroughs Ran Out of Gas on the Way to a Show

Karl Christian Krumpholz

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Mary Claxton of The Burroughs: “Everyone arrived a few days before Salmonfest. Everyone, that is, except me. I was unable to arrive until the day of the show. I started with a 6 a.m. flight to Anchorage, then hopped on a tiny, nine-passenger propeller plane. I was terrified during the bumpy journey, despite the fact that the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. We landed in Kenai, and a volunteer drove me the remaining hour to the festival, about two hours before showtime. We had a great time chatting, until mid-sentence, he says, ‘Well, looks like we’re out of gas.’ I was stranded with a stranger in a van about thirty minutes away from the rest of my band, and we were set to go on stage in ninety minutes.

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Karl Christian Krumpholz

“Fortunately, a different volunteer swooped in and drove me the rest of the way. I arrived about thirty minutes before our set and took the stage to play a magical performance for 2,000 people. The sun barely went down for the rest of our trip, which made the whole ordeal seem even more like a fever dream. But it’s a dream I’d look forward to every night if I could!”

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Karl Christian Krumpholz

The Burroughs celebrate their new single, “Love & Unity,” at Cervantes’ Other Side on March 6.

Editor's Note: The Denver Bootleg is a series chronicling the stories of local bands by longtime Denver cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz. Visit Krumpholz's website to see more of his work.

Listen to The Burroughs and more favorites from Westword writers on our Westword Staff Picks playlist.