The Water Tower Bucket Boys formed in Blacksburg, Virginia, where John Paul Jones, Jacob Thomas, and Marc Evans met at a local music festival. Their name came from climbing water towers as kids, and they built their sound around Appalachian folk traditions. They released their first album, 'Crooked Road,' in 2013, which included the title track that became their most recognizable song.
Their music pulls from folk and bluegrass, with Jones on guitar and banjo, Thomas on fiddle and mandolin, and Evans on upright bass. They followed up with 'The Long Way Home' in 2016, keeping to the same acoustic, harmony-driven style. Songs like 'Meet Me Where The Crow Don't Fly' and 'Pilgrin Song' show their knack for straightforward, rootsy storytelling.
Marc Evans died in 2017, which changed the band's dynamic. They kept playing as a duo, honoring Evans's contributions without replacing him. They've stayed active in the Virginia folk circuit, playing festivals and smaller venues where their unpretentious approach fits right in.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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