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Runaway Symphony a hit
in Bonners Ferry
performance |
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February 24, 2015 |
Last Saturday night, a large crowd of a few
hundred people gathered at the auditorium of
Bonners Ferry High School to enjoy an evening
concert by the Moscow, Idaho-based band Runaway
Symphony. The independent folk/rock band
includes Daniel Botkin, who was raised in
Boundary County.
Runaway Symphony has become a locally popular
group, perhaps initially because of the band's
Boundary County ties with Mr. Botkin, and later
because of their original song Bonners Ferry,
which captures some of the sentiment many feel
about their ties to Boundary County. The
Bonners Ferry song has become popular as
comments and shares of the song have circulated
on local social media circles.
Those who attended Saturday's concert found yet
another reason to like the band, learning that
Runaway Symphony is much more than "the band who
plays the Bonners Ferry song." Their
overall performance, skill, and artistry, along
with other great songs in the band's repertoire,
seemed to enhance their popularity even more in
these parts. And, they did perform the
anticipated song, Bonners Ferry,
eventually, although it had not yet appeared by
the end of their regular performance set.
After completing their performance and leaving
the stage, the audience hadn't yet heard the
song, and brought the band back with their
applause. "Guess we forgot one song," they said
(or something close to that) as they returned to
the stage, and then launched into a performance
of the song that was just a little more up tempo
than the popular version available on YouTube.
Along with singing Bonners Ferry, they
punctuated the idea of "home" conveyed in that
song with a performance of the Simon and
Garfunkel 1966 hit Homeward Bound.
What was it like for this band with local ties
and a hit local song to be back in Bonners Ferry
performing again? According to Daniel
Botkin, "This show definitely had a different
feeling than a lot of our other shows. Bonners
Ferry has always supported us, and coming back
to the place that inspires so much of our music
felt really powerful. Our drummer, Jason, told
me that he could hardly make it all the way
through our song Bonners Ferry without
crying his eyes out. Although I'm the only
Bonners local, the song really means a lot to
all of us."
Runaway Symphony's visit to Boundary County
wasn't limited to just work alone. "A few
of the guys and myself drove back to the farm I
grew up on after the show and just enjoyed being
able to detach from all of our gear and
instruments and just enjoy the silence," said
Mr. Botkin. "There's nothing quite like
sitting in the wilderness after a long day of
loading in, performing and loading out all of
our gear. I'm glad we could all share in that
moment."
You can watch the band's YouTube version of
their song Bonners Ferry by
clicking here.
Runaway Symphony's latest album release,
Running South, was available for sale and
purchased by many audience members.
Jane Worsham of Pullman, Washington, and Travis Billingsley
from Auburn, Washington opened the evening with a few
musical selections. Both performed with
Runaway Symphony during their encore.
"Jane Worsham has been a friend of ours for a
while now and she has always encouraged us to
keep pursuing music in bigger ways. She also has
the smoothest and most stunning voice in
Washington, so we just had to bring her," said
Mr. Botkin. "Travis and myself have a
longer history which includes us starting our
very first band in which he would rap and I
would sing. We've had a lot of good times making
music, so I figured this would be a great
reunion."
This performance by Runaway Symphony was a fund
raising event for Boundary County Victim
Services.
If you missed them this time around, another
opportunity to see Runaway Symphony in Bonners
Ferry will be coming up soon. They are scheduled
to perform at the Pearl Theater on April 11.
More details on that performance will be
forthcoming.
Runaway Symphony website:
www.runawaysymphony.com |
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