Bruce Hayes

(WILLIAMSTOWN, May 14, 1998) -- Bruce Hayes: Ragged mountain music 

Bruce Hayes is one of those musicians who seemingly just ride the wave of their music, letting it take them wherever it goes. After a long stint in the Berkshires in the mid- to late-'80s and early-'90s, when he made a name for himself and his band, Wildlife, on the regional club scene, Hayes took off for Colorado, where his rootsy virtuosity blended in well with such neo-bluegrass performers as String Cheese Incident, Tony Furtado and Acoustic Junction (now Fools Progress), all of whom are coming to the Berkshire Mountain Music Festival in Lanesboro on June 12- 14 (IF the town lets the festival take place). 

Hayes is making one of his occasional visits back to the area this month, bringing with him a new CD to hawk at a series of gigs he has lined up at area venues. "Lunch" (Ragged Mountain Records) includes 15 tracks recorded over the past few years, mostly in Hayes's home studio in Crested Butte, but some that date back to his days in Hinsdale. 

The disk highlights Hayes's phenomenal instrumental talent, as he variously performs on acoustic, electric and bass guitars, harmonica, mandolin, dobro, charango and foot percussion. His songwriting ranges from self-effacing numbers such as the Lyle Lovett-like "Lucky Day" ("I'll play the olive in your martini/I'll eat the parsley off your plate") to more serious fare such as "Feast of Indecision," which finds the narrator stuck with no direction home. 

Hayes also supplies a bluegrass version of Jimi Hendrix's "May This Be Love," featuring some great banjo work by Tony Furtado, and several live tracks, including one recorded at Northern California's High Sierra Fest, the parent festival of the Berkshire Mountain Music Festival. 

In addition to Furtado, guest musicians on "Lunch" include members of Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Fool's Progress and Skin, as well as Hayes's own Ragged Mountain Ramblers, featuring Jeff Reynolds and Les Choy. 

Catch Hayes live this month playing solo at LaCocina in Pittsfield, on Friday night, May 15, at Tune Street in Great Barrington on the afternoon of May 23 and at Sip of Seattle in Great Barrington on the evening of May 23. Hayes regroups his old Berkshire band Wildlife, with original members Sharon Foehl and John Haddad, to perform at La Cocina on May 21 and Bucksteep Manor in Washington on May 24. 

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Berkshire Mountain Music Festival