Back Forty: Press/Videos

Striking a Chord
On-The-Town Magazine of West Michigan
It was an all-day celebration dubbed the Harvest ...
It was an all-day celebration dubbed the Harvest Festival starting at 4 p.m., but it didn't really start until the band arrived. This group from the Ann Arbor area has been working its way through the Michigan club and festival circuit attracting fans like some kind of giant funk magnet. As some of the folks came through the door and paid the cover they had no idea what they were about to be hit with. Many people who came through the door knew exactly what they were going to be hit with; they were the ones who went straight to the seats right in front of the band.
Back Forty is a real band, a serious band, a group of five individuals moving as one. The significant individual talents members bring to the band are exponentially fused into a unique driving sound that forces involuntary muscle movement. The first thing you feel when you hear them is the incredible rhythm section of John Yax on drums/percussion and Jeff Friesen on bass. They move you both emotionally and physically with tight interplay and combined backbeat that pushes the rhythm through your central nervous system. The two melodic anchors are Dan Ripke on guitar and Andy Benes on guitar/mandolin who slip in and out of leads and the supporting melodic foundation. In the center of the group is Colin Murphy on electric fiddle. Murphy is a force to be reckoned with, a pure musician who knows his instrument so well he can bend it to his will. All three of the front men sing and blend rich harmonies as they trade-off lead vocals throughout the set.
Back Forty is starting to gather that critical mass musicians need to jump to the next level. It works hard with mailing lists, merchandise, and booking, and on this Saturday night some of the wives of the band members drove to Grand Rapids to work the merchandise table. The band has had a lot of success on the festival circuit this summer and is booking regularly in Grand Rapids, metro Detroit, and Columbus, Ohio.
It is hard to pigeonhole the sound of Back Forty because it uses the elements of traditional bluegrass or soul or Irish folk or rock or whatever you thought you knew about a genre, and it blows it up, redefines it, and puts it back together in a way you have never heard. The stage presence is powerful, the musicianship is a wonder to watch, and there is no doubt it has a lot of fun.
It's 2:30 in the morning, the band is still playing, and everyone is bouncing up and down or moving-bartenders, doormen, the guys cleaning off tables, and the small dance floor in front of the band that has been full since it started five hours ago. The people who had never heard of this band and just wandered into Founders for a beer got one of those delightful serendipitous moments we all long for. The people who knew why they went there got one of those moments also, that's the way it is when you get to hear the real deal.

Article written by Robert Costa

I arrived just before Back Forty was to take the stage for their second set of the night. This night was theirs only, and there was a good crowd to be had. Every seat was taken, not that it was standing room only, but the turnout was pretty impressive for this band that hails from Ann Arbor, MI.
Back Forty's style is a sort of bluegrass mix; you can feel the funk, the blues, the folk, and a few other influences. There were always at least a few couples happily dancing, whether the song was an instrumental, or had vocals to go along with the tempting rythyms and sounds.

It was a good, quality, night of music. The sort of music a person of any age or influence could enjoy. I urge you to go check these guys out no matter your genre of choice.

Big Orange Tent
Back Forty

Ann Arbor-based funk grass band Back Forty's sophomore release, Big Orange Tent, is a high-energy funk-infused blend of traditional bluegrass and modern rock themes. With nearly three albums' worth of material to choose from, Big Orange Tent boasts eleven carefully-selected tracks, which showcase the bands diverse musical attributes. Listeners will not only find themselves swept away by the intoxicating rhythms, they also will recognize the depth and intelligence of the lyrics that span from surreal to reminiscent and a few songs that are purely fun, whimsical, and hilarious.



"Groove Tractor," the album's first track, sets the tone as a fun jam standard with smooth vocals. The song is "about a tractor born with self-awareness and a burning desire to explore and groove." A more traditional ballad, "Lake Superior" is a down-to-earth telling of a "hopeless romantic beatnik hero living and dying in the upper peninsula of Michigan." Certain to please folk and bluegrass traditionalists, "Crescent Moon" is an acoustic roundelay "about late-night acoustic sessions around the campfire in the Michigan summer." Without question, my personal favorite is "A Bullet Saved." A socially conscious piece described by the band as "an anti-violence message encouraging tolerance and peaceful resolutions."

Back Forty has done a remarkable job in following up its debut album, Down Home FunkGrass, clearly stating it is a band to take notice of. The group is poised to be one of the next big acts to come out of Michigan. Performing with national mainstays such as David Grisman, Peter Rowan, and Todd Snider, it won't be long before Back Forty transitions from regional band to national act. Check out Back Forty when the group makes a May 31 stop at Founder's Brewing Company, 235 Grandville Ave. The concert is at 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.backfortymusic.com

Back Forty
The Allman Brothers meet the Grateful Dead

Writing music reviews is much like eating oysters. A lot of bands are worth a little hot sauce, but rarely do they offer up a pearl. And then comes Back Forty. This all-white, all-male Michigan band is not just good local talent. These musicians are just plain good, as in record-contract good.
The trouble is how to promote them. They describe their sound as “down-home funkgrass.” That covers some of it. Young Colin Murphy’s wicked breakdown fiddle on top of Jeff Friesen’s resonant walking bass creates a potent stew, while elder statesman Dan Ripke’s classic country compositions and warm, throaty singing easily transport us to a back porch in rural America.
But there’s some serious rock ‘n’ roll here, too. Ripke and Andy Benes both play solid rock guitar – complete with wah-wah moments – and the whole band can jam somewhere in that Allman Brothers-Grateful Dead space. Even new wave, reggae, and world influences are obvious.
What holds it all together is the deep talent of each individual. They all play impressive solos and have something to say. They know their instruments well enough to let loose and see where their eclectic mix will take them. They don’t always mesh seamlessly, but the jams never devolve into a mess. Sometimes they’re downright transporting.
Benes often swaps his guitar for an electric mandolin, which he can coax way beyond bluegrass into punk and soul. Murphy’s fast fiddling shines every time, though it is not quite as beautiful on the slow numbers; his sound is a little bright and tinny for romance. Ripke knows what oldsters like me enjoy – classic rock riffs that keep the younger musicians rooted.
Meanwhile, the rhythm section is no throwaway. Friesen puts the soul food in the mix, and drummer John Yax is thoughtful about how to create different moods. Yet he can be to sparing. I usually opt for plainspoken drumming, but he can afford to run a few stop signs in this tight traffic.
Almost all of them write original numbers, and they trade off lead vocals. Lyrically, the songs are unpretentious and universal: “Someone tell me how I’m supposed to be. I can’t find anyone quite like me.” The band is also unabashed about its Michigan roots, with songs like “Lake Erie” and its references to zebra mussels and Ypsilanti, and the beautiful “Sideways Daydream”, set under the Michigan moonlight with Stroh’s beer. Ripke in particular has a gift for moving and memorable tunes. He is responsible for the band’s signature track, “The Back Forty,” which is basically an invitation to a party I’d like to attend.
At a recent Ark show they played almost all originals from their 2006 CD and from their brand-new Big Orange Tent. But when they started into a slow, heartrending performance of Hank William’s “Kaw-Liga,” by esteem grew further. I’ve never much cared for that corny song about the wooden Indian, but Back Forty almost got me crying for him.
I hope these fine musicians, who are at TC’s Speakeasy on Saturday, May 3, will soon be laughing all the way to the bank.

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Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.