Bozeman Magazine

Horseshoes & Hand Grenades - A biography  In 2010, the five Wisconsinites that today make up Horseshoes & Hand Grenades found themselves in a living room in the college town of Stevens Point, WI, holding acoustic instruments and enjoying a hodgepodge of fermented beverages. Music ensued that evening and while many of the party guests eventually bid their goodbye well into the morning hours, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades wasn't ready to let the get-together fade. Three years later, the music still hasn't stopped and the party is still going strong, from the mountain west to the river towns of the midwest that the quintet calls home.  Early open mic performances at a central-Wisconsin country bar called the Northland Ballroom led to other shows and the band began to realize their love for playing music together and traveling to new places and new people. As the band continued to perform regularly on weekend nights, while also hanging out and picking at parties and get-togethers just about any night of the week while attending school, a sound began to form that was reflective of the musical influences of the individuals that make up the group. While strongly rooted in bluegrass, old-time, and folk music, the band produces a sound that draws on the vaults of music collectively or individually enjoyed through the course of their lives thus far. The music doesn't lend itself well to definitions or boundaries. One could probably be formed, but the boys seem to generally prefer fishing a river, or enjoying the company of friends and barley beers.  With their music well-defined or not, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades has began to form a place in the midwest music scene, gaining recognition on both a regional and national scale. The band took 3rd place at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival's Band Competition in 2012 and has shared the stage with Merle Haggard, the Infamous Stringdusters, Yonder Mountain String Band, Charlie Parr, the Big Wu, Pert Near Sandstone, and many more. In 2012, the group received a nomination for a Wisconsin Area Music Industry Award in the category of Bluegrass/Americana. The group's recent album release, This Old Town, has been featured on the popular Wisconsin radio show, Simply Folk, as well as other radio shows across the country. Being mostly inspired by rivers, valleys, good friends, and good drink, this five piece is as sturdy as any midwest riverbed and will make your toes tap from sundown to sunrise.    

Tickets are available at 1111presents.com, Cactus Records (29 West Main Street, Bozeman, MT), or by calling (877) 987- 6487.