Dang Ol’ Boys: Acoustic Fusion that Goes Down Smoothly as a Guinness

At first blush, the musical territory known as Acoustic Bluegrass Country Irish Punk Rock Fusion would seem a fairly rarefied one. But the eight-member assemblage known as the Dang Ol' Boys somehow make it seem as comfortable as a lawn chair beside a campfire.

Which is not surprising, from a band whose home page lists their chief influences as “Guinness” and “music that doesn't suck.”

They're equally at home in a concert hall and a standing-room-only saloon, and they can deliver a jaunty “Walking with my baby / Down by the San Francisco Bay...” and the Lyrnrd Skynyrd heart-breaker “I can see the concrete slowly creeping / Lord, take me and mine before that comes...” with equal aplomb.

And considering their band moniker, Roger Miller's classic is apt to sneak into their song list at some point: “Dang me, dang me / Ought to take a rope and hang me / High from the highest tree / Woman, would you weep for me?

Even Dang Ol' Boys distinctive logo has a touch of the Gaelic dark side: a profile view of a cowboy in traditional hat and kerchief, with a grass stem in his mouth. The only jarring note is that the skin of the cowboy's face is melted away, a la The Crypt Keeper.

Guitarist/banjoist Brendan Lamb gives all the credit to Casper artist Matt Baker: “We only had a few requests when we approached Matt to design our logo. Basically we just asked for a skeleton-type cowboy with a piece of wheat between his teeth. What he came up with is amazing. He puts a tremendous amount of detail in his work.”

Lamb says the Dang Ol' Boys “had a really good time” at last year's Beartrap Summer Festival, and are looking forward to the 2011 event. “Beartrap is a totally different experience than playing in a bar,” he says. “The meadow is beautiful, and the stage and sound setup are good. It's hard to beat playing music outdoors on a nice summer day.”

--Dale Short, carrolldaleshort.com

Dang Ol' Boys live at Wolcott Galleria: