The Libby Creek Original: Bluegrass Kicked Up a Notch

A lot of bands have trouble coming up with a name that all the members can agree on. But for Libby Creek Original, the name just came naturally. Libby Creek in the Snowy Range Mountains (they hail from Laramie) is their favorite nature spot, and their music is highly original.

They've also been described as "an unorthodox Bluegrass rhythm section (including a drum) that lends a new energy to an old style of music. Delicate arrangements and precise vocal harmonies give charisma to this band and carries crowds into dance enlightenment. The band is a new Wyoming powerhouse." The Originals were featured in Paste Magazine's 50 States Project.

As another music critic has observed, "The boom-chick of Bluegrass and the storytelling of folk music give a quick appeal to fans young and not-so-young." So if you fall in one of those age groups, this band just might prime you to experience dance enlightenment.

Reverb Nation says their music has echoes of Mumford and Sons and the Lumineers. But the Libby Creek Original is named that for a reason: they put their personal stamp on every song, including the heartfelt ballad titled simply "Wyoming": "Wyoming, Wyoming / Where the water tastes like wine / Wyoming, Wyoming / Come with me if I go away..."

The band's quartet, in alphabetic order, consists of:

--Drummer Ryan Bell's musical repertoire ranges amongst everything from electronic bands to the UW Symphony, and a bandmate describes his style as, "Ryan feels more in a single note than anyone. Them drums are alive!"

--It has been said of lead singer/songwriter (and custodian of the aforementioned boom-chick guitar), Patrick Harrington, that "his songs of freestone rivers, sprawling mountains, spring snow storms, and deep canyons feel at home in Wyoming. That's because they are. Patrick has been singing his songs through the woods of Wyoming for nearly 10 years."

--Fiddle player Jackson Clarendon's history includes this snippet: "Three-year-old Jackson begged his folks to buy him a violin. Sensing childhood impulsiveness, they waited for him to quit asking. When he didn't they were left no choice but to give in. Jack met Patrick in a basement in Laramie, singing folks songs, and formed the band the next day." Jackson also contributes to the group's sound with mandolin and banjo, not to mention harmony vocals.

--Lastly but not leastly, Luke Woodbury, an original member of the Original is said to have "taken some time off to explore other avenues before getting all nostalgic and coming back. Lucas is a tactful musician, King of the Bass Face, and above all else a creative, high-quality human."

But perhaps music critic Rod Miller, of News from Nowhere, says it best:

"It's fitting that the Libby Creek Original plies their trade here, at the piedmont...where the prairie meets the mountains, because there is something of both in this music."