Episode #7
"Livin' la Vida Ely" with Stony River Band
Tune into a conversation with members of Stony River, an Ely-based string band. Stony River’s sound is a lively blend of country, soul, and grass; their songs are heartfelt, down-to-earth, and guaranteed to get your heart grooving and your feet moving. Nick Allen, Nick Holtz, Dillon Wilkins, and Zeb Butterfield have been making music together for over a decade. Their performances showcase their proficiency on the strings as well as the joy of playing side by side. Stony River Album Release Party at Ely’s Historic State Theater on Friday, July 24 Stony River Music website Stony River on Spotify Stony River on Apple Music Stony River on YouTube Finding Zeb part 1 & part 2 -- A Fox21 KQDS Duluth-Superior news production featuring Stony River's frontman, Zeb Butterfield. Aka some of the most delightful 20 minutes you can spend on the internet. Boundary Waters Connect -- Sponsor organization behind the Wilderness Edge Podcast. --- CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS: 0:00 | A note about the wildfires and a heads up that we'll offer an episode about them next week 0:44 | We have a strong commitment to gathering, and we aren't going to give that up 4:08 | Introducing Holtzie, Al, Zeb, and Dillon 5:45 | What brought you to Ely? 6:18 | Holtzie: "Next thing you know, I fell into a good little community..." 8:01 | Quick interlude: How did you guys meet? 8:40 | Al: "I went to VCC and stuck around" 10:01 | Zeb: "I came up for a summer job and have been living la vida Ely ever since" 12:13 | Dillon: "If we wanted to start a family Ely seemed like the spot to do it" 13:10 | Stony River -- what's in a name? 16:13 | Zeb, when did you get into writing lyrics? What is your process? 17:12 | Zeb the frontman, the byproduct of growing up in a musical family 18:58 | What does the process of making a new song look like? 20:15 | Have you been playing original music all along? 22:11 | "We made an active decision a couple of years ago to seriously work on our music" 24:00 | Recording 10 Miles of Bad Road 27:43 | Shout out to John Berquist of the Moose Wallow Ramblers 28:15 | How would you describe Stony River's style? What does it mean to be grassy, but loose? 29:50 | What does giving back to the community look like to you? 30:28 | "We want to be recognized as an Ely band" 36:00 | Organizing open mic night at the Boathouse 39:48 | Organizing the Shagawa Shindig at Semers Beach on the Fourth of July 40:50 | The Ely music scene has no age limit, it supposed to an all ages thing 43:29 | Two bands, a baby, and a full time job 44:36 | Nick Allen, anchor of persistence and vision 46:45 | How can the Ely community support Stony River? Listen, show up, purchase merch! 49:03 | Entering the world of entrepreneurship 52:15 | Shout out to the wives, they keep everything on track 52:35 | On playing the Blue Ox Music Festival 56:13 | The Ely community really embraces music 57:22 | Shout out to album release party open Thor Leisman 58:35 | Thank you, listeners! Consider giving this podcast a 5-Star review! 59:53 | Shout out to Boundary Waters Kitchen & Market, album release party caterer 1:01:09 | Ten Miles of Bad Road by Stony River -- Title track of the forthcoming album Send us a voice message!
