In Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse Five, a character named Billy Pilgrim reports to be "unstuck in time." He can't help but travel from the present to the past, and then to the future again. The four Northern Colorado musicians who formed a new retro country & bluegrass band named after this literary figure feel the same way about music.
The Billy Pilgrims band features Lyons, Colo., residents Caleb Roberts and David Richey, and Fort Collins, Colo., couple Aaron & Erin Youngberg (or Double A and E as their friends like to call them). Dave sings lead and plays acoustic guitar, Erin sings lead and plays upright bass, Aaron plays banjo and pedal steel, and Caleb plays mandolin and electric guitar.
The Billy Pilgrims return to country music from the 1950s, influenced by Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Ray Price, and Lefty Frizzell, and they also perform vintage bluegrass influenced by the Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Vern Williams, and Flatt & Scruggs. A typical Billy Pilgrims show includes an acoustic, bluegrass set and an electric, classic country set.
Contact the Billy Pilgrims at billypilgrims@yahoo.com.
