After winning the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition, Trout Steak Revival quickly became “the quintessential Colorado string band. Defined more by expressive songwriting and heartfelt harmonies rather than any one genre, Trout Steak Revival crosses over and blends the bounds of folk, indie, bluegrass, and roots evoking its own style of Americana.”

I first heard this band — consisting of Bevin Foley on fiddle, Casey Houlihan on upright bass, William Koster on guitar and dobro, and Travis McNamara on banjo — on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction. But in this Saturday Soundtrack, we’ll see that they really are less of a bluegrass outfit and more of a modern day string band, shifting between genres and styles with ease.

Brighter Every Day is the title track to Trout Steak Revival’s 2015 album, released as they were building on that Telluride win. Colorado River is from the same album.

While everyone in the band jumps in on vocals, I am especially drawn to those by Bevin Foley, as heard here on Go On.

From the 2017 album Spirit to the Sea, I’ve chosen to feature Fall at Your Feet and a live version of Take Heart.

The band has gone through some personnel changes, as all bands do. You can hear the maturing of the sound through their five albums. Released in 2020, their newest — The Light We Bring — showcases that growth as a band.

Arrows in the Dark from The Light We Bring displays the musicianship of the most recent iteration of the TSR quartet.

During the pandemic, TSR livestreamed this full concert from Mighty Fine Productions in Denver, Colorado. You might dip your toes in the water or sit and listen to the entire concert.

Let’s end with TSR — singing with a back-up trio — on the gospel-flavored Side of the Road.

Enjoy!

More to come…

DJB

Image: Trout Steak Revival (credit troutsteak.com)