10 QUESTIONS with Hog Magundy
Fort Collins string band is ever evolving
By Eric Frank
April 18, 2016
In March of 2016, COjam shined its spotlight unto Hog Magundy, a fun and energetic string band that loves to keep its audience on its collective toes. We had plenty of questions to ask this sextet, but we've managed to whittle our curiosity to adhere to our COjam.net feature, 10 Questions.
Hog MaGundy formed in early 2013 in the vibrant city of Fort Collins, Colorado. Through a shared passion to create high-energy string music with no lack of improvisation, the group brings a new kind of foot-stomping sound to the Front Range and beyond. Hog MaGundy shows feature a unique mix of originals and covers from a wide, and often surprising variety of artists that will be sure to get you moving.
Let's get to it...
Hog Magundy Band Members
Garrett Burrow: banjo
Ben Hanrahan: guitar
Jack Kodros: bass guitar
Brandon Jay: fiddle
Matt Telsey: keyboards
Devon 'Tree' Lindsay: drums
Who is Hog Magundy?
1. Can you give us the "how we met" story?
Ben: "Our current lineup has evolved through a seemingly random
series of mutual acquaintances, craigslist ads, and coincidental meetings. The
whole thing got rolling when Garrett and I met, through my roommate at the time, in the fall of 2012. We hit it off and started pickin' and haven't looked back since."
2. What artists have been most appealing to you outside of you immediate
genre?
Brandon: "I think more than anything, we all have a passion for quality
songwriting and tasteful improvisation, which can apply to just about any genre.
On that note, I'd say a few groups that appeal to us most that are outside our
genre would be Umphrey's McGee, Snarky Puppy and The Wood Brothers."
3. What inspires your song-writing process?
Brandon "A lot of our inspiration comes from our travels, personal and
as a band alike. Ben and our drummer Tree once worked on a lavender farm in
Kansas for a period of time and we got some great material from that experience.
I wrote our song ‘Word of Warning’ in the midst of my time living in London.”
4. How did you come up with the name Hog Magundy? Does it mean anything?
Ben: I was researching, for inspiration but also out of curiosity, old timey
sayings and slang terms when I came across ‘houghmagandy’. The word comes
from 19th century Scottish slang, and our band name essentially evolved from
there. The word itself has a simple enough meaning, though some definitions are
much more humorous than others. I’ll leave it to the enterprising reader to figure
out the meaning.
5. What is your favorite road story?
Brandon: “A few years back we found ourselves performing at Fly Me to
the Moon Saloon in Telluride. While exploring the town and preparing for the
show earlier that day we found out John Corbett, one of the main actors from
‘Sex & The City’ was performing at the Sheridan Opera House in town the same
night. Towards the end of our show, John found his way inside and came up on
stage for an impromptu performance of Merle Haggard’s ‘Mama Tried.’ We all
we’re pretty confused at first on who this guy on stage was since none of us had
really seen the show before, but then afterwards realized he was this celebrity
from that show we had been hearing about! That was our one brush with
Hollywood fame.”
6. What other bands—in and outside of Colorado—do you most enjoy performing
with?
Brandon: "We've always had a great time performing with the
Henhouse Prowlers who, like a handful of us in the band, share Illinois as our home
state. One of our most memorable performances would have to be with Bill Nershi and The Travelin' McCoury's at The Mish [Mishawaka Amphitheatre]. Those guys are legends and it was such an honor to share the stage with them at one of our favorite venues"
7. In what direction(s) do you see Hog Magundy evolving in the coming years?
Brandon: "We've been drifting more and more away from a traditional
bluegrass approach with our music and I think that will only evolve further. A lot
of us have been listening to more folk/rock lately. That’s led to us working out
some new covers of some folk-ier artists to help us explore the other avenues out
there.”
8. What makes the Colorado music scene special?
Brandon: "I think Colorado's love affair and history with bluegrass makes this
state very special for a band like us. Artists like Sam Bush and Newgrass
Revival, Leftover Salmon and the String Cheese Incident, as well companies like
Planet Bluegrass paved the way for experimentation and innovation in that
genre/scene. That attitude has created a very accepting and passionate
population of bluegrass fans throughout the state, which is great for a non-
traditional group like us. It's nice to be a 'bluegrass' band and not have to be
rocking bolo ties and cowboy hats standing around one microphone."
9. Hog Magundy has a new album forthcoming. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Brandon: "We can't share much, except it's going to be full of Hog
MaGundy classics as well as some newer tunes that are sure to please your
ears. Keep an eye out for it this summer!"
10. Where can we catch Hog Magundy this summer?
Brandon: "We are really excited to be playing some great festivals this
summer. First, we'll be making our debut at our friends The Magic Beans'
festival, Beanstalk Music and Mountains Festival , down in Westcliffe, CO. We are also very excited to be returning to Ozark, AK. This time to perform at the first-ever Homegrown Music Festival with top-notch acts like Leftover Salmon and The Wood Brothers!"
Hog Magundy Links
Facebook Page: @HogMagundy
Instagram: @hogmagundy
Twitter: @HogMaGundyMusic
YouTube: @HogMaGundyMusic
BandCamp: hogmagundymusic.bandcamp.com/track/out-back