AOTW Archives: Bogtrotters Union

Originally posted on Dec.18th, 2023

Today I’m going to be telling you about our new Artist of the Week:

Folk Punk Band Bogtrotters Union!

Here’s their story in their own words.

VMS: “When did you guys start writing and performing your music. What’s your backstory and current lineup.”

BTU:”How we got our start is kind of a long story, so to keep it simplified, Bogtrotters Union officially began in October of 2012. Preceding that, we were in a different band, technically, and playing a lot of bar gigs doing a whole ‘Irish bar band’ type thing. The cover band ensemble began as a small group looking to add to its sound, and everyone found their way to the band via ‘Hey, I know a guy!’

As for individual beginnings, we all started playing music pretty early in life, middle school/high school. BTU has had more than a few line up changes since its inception, but the last several years have consisted of:

Marshall Lytle (vox/banjo/guitar)

Nathan Stewart (lead guitar)

Kevin Linsley (mandolin/vox)

James Dunbar (bass/vox)

Jeremy Tunender (drums).”

VMS: “What artist or bands inspire you and your sound.”

BTU: “There are a lot of influences for us. We’re all over the place with the music we love. Punk, metal, country and folk. Old time, bluegrass, gypsy jazz, surf, Ska, funk and soul…Everywhere, lol. Just a small few of our personal influences are bands like Mischief Brew, Clutch, The Devil Makes Three, Dillinger Escape Plan, Mr. Bungle, Rattlesnake Milk, Todd Snider, Fishbone, Modest Mouse, Less Than Jake, Tower of Power, Tom Waits, Holding Onto Sound (local legends)…The list goes on.”

VMS: “What’s your writing process and inspiration for your music.”

BTU: “That varies. Sometimes we bring full songs to the table, or just bits and pieces and go from there. Inspiration is all over the place. We have songs that cover political opinion to personal feelings, fantasy stories to things that’ve actually happened, and even a song about that time we ate acid at the Renaissance faire.”

VMS: “I love your songs “Seasick”, “Red Cross”, “Chasin’ the Sun” and “Fisherman’s Blues” (but I love so many of your fucking songs, so it’s hard to narrow it down. Lol). What is the inspiration behind these songs.”

VMS: “First of all, thank you very much! We do genuinely appreciate that there are people out there who love our music. Just to go off the songs listed, “Fisherman’s Blues” is a cover song, actually. That was a hold over from our bar band repertoire, and a song we all enjoy, so it got to stay in the rotation. It’s originally by a band called The Waterboys.

“Seasick” is loosely based on what happens in a poem called ‘Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner’, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The riff sounded almost like a sea shanty, and it just came together that way. It covers hubris, folly of man, doom-of-our-own-making type stuff.

“Chasin’ the Sun” is, at face value, about the first time I’d (Marshall) ever visited Ireland. Specifically the trip there. I’m infatuated with everything about the people and the place, and was overjoyed to experience it first hand.

“Red Cross” is a total reworking of a song I (Marshall, again) began writing as a teen. It got a more personal rewrite and largely deals with mental health and emotional well being. That song is kind of a rant/venting process.”

Listen to Bogtrotter’s Union on Spotify:

VMS: “What do you want your audience to feel and experience at one of your live shows.”

BTU: “Every little thing we have to offer in song. It’s a roller coaster of emotions! We want people to feel energized and excited. It’s a hell of a thing to watch people go ape shit in the crowd while we’re up there playing.”

VMS: “Tell me about your Album “Chapter One: Playing the Fool”. What was your writing process and message of this album.”

BTU: “Most of that album was written by Kevin, our original bass player Nick Boswell, and myself (Marshall). Both Kevin and I (M) would either write the full instrumentation to a song, or just a melody, and we would build on that. I’d throw in another chord progression and, more often than not, write the lyrics in full. Chapter One, as the name implies, was intended to be the first part in a pair or trilogy. The title came after everything was put together. It was initially just a collection of songs that we had ready to record at the time, but we looked a little closer at the lyrical content and, with the way the tracks are laid out, they sort of tell a story of a nameless anti-hero when you listen to them in order. It inadvertently became something of a concept album.”

Listen to their album, “Chapter One: Playing the Fool.” On Spotify:

VMS: “Which local artist would you like to work with and why.”

BTU: “So many of them! Pure Sport, Not For Sale, Muertos Heist, Elevated Undergrounds, The Dollheads, The Hideaway, Los Carajos, just to name a few. The reason is simple: they’re fucking awesome.”

VMS: “What’s your overall theme or message of your music.”

BTU: “We’re not sure that there is one, really. Not a cohesive message, anyway. A lot of what the band has written is meant to be personal, and in some cases, deeply personal, but still written in a vague enough manner to be palatable and open to interpretation. It could mean one thing to us, and something entirely different to anybody else. It’s a catharsis, a lot of the time, and as long as you’re getting use out of it, too, that’s what it’s about.”

VMS: “What does the future hold for Bogtrotters Union.”

BTU: “New music and new recordings!”

What I’ve always loved about Bogtrotters Union is how perfectly they marry some of my favorite genres of music together, like Punk, Bluegrass, Folk (just to name a few) all while still creating a sound that stays true to who they are as a band. Their lyrics tell a tale of love, loss, joy, reflection adventure, and anger. One moment a song will have me crying, the next moment I’m wanting to mosh in my house and just dance my ass off all night long. For me there is no in-between.

They have such an infectious joy to their music, mixed with everyone being incredibly solid as musicians, that I end up always finding myself getting immersed in the adventure of self exploration and debauchery with them. If you haven’t experienced one of their live shows, I definitely recommend them! They will take you on a journey you will never forget!

I’m so excited to see what the future holds for Bogtrotter’s Union. Wherever they may go,

I cannot wait to go on this wild ride with them.

——Vegas Music Scene

Their newest song, “Severince Package” is out now: