OUTLOOK - I pull up to the south side doors of LCBI High School just outside of Outlook and see a concrete set of steps leading downstairs located just below another set of upward steps leading into the school.
Huh? How have I never seen these steps before?
I walk down, and I hear them instantly. Amps turned on, followed by the soft strumming of guitars. The band is just down the hallway to the left, and within moments I'm inside what is very much the group's rehearsal room.
I'm only left to assume that this is indeed where the magic is made.
The Riverbottom Boys have met up for a practice jam session just six days before they take the stage at the 4th annual Prairie Festival in Outlook this coming weekend. The group is headlining the outdoor stage on the grounds of the museum on Saturday night, May 31 starting at 8:00, and they're aiming to give music lovers a show to remember when all the dust has settled and the amps have been unplugged.
The band, consisting of guitarist Martin Rude, guitarist Rick Myrol, drummer Chris Akre, and bassist Curtis Akre, is made up of a number of guys who carry their own extensive musical backgrounds in the riverside community.
Now, you'll have to stay with me here because sometimes it feels like one needs a guidance map or a cheat sheet to keep track of all the rock bands and musical groups that have been formed in the town of Outlook over the last 30-40 years or so.
There's the longtime Myrol Brothers Band, who Rick still plays with today, but of course, he's appearing these days with the Riverbottom Boys. Martin, Chris and Rick played for years with the late Kevin Robertson, a dear friend who passed in September of 2014. Helping to fill the gap after losing Kevin was Curtis, bringing a youthful spirit to the group.
Of course, this is just the history of these four guys as a group. When we extend the family tree branches, we see the further talent on display. Chris's daughter and Curtis's sister Syhra sings for another local rock band, Bad Influence, which also includes Martin's son Josh on guitar and vocals, while Rick's niece Lisa Moen is another impressive performer in the musical family.
Music. It's the family business in some parts.
The musical history of each of these Riverbottom Boys is different, with Martin first picking up a ukelele when he was around five years old before eventually picking up both the violin and the mandolin, and then finally the guitar was he was 10. Rick, meanwhile, swears that Santa Claus is real because he was the one who gave him his first guitar for Christmas at five years old. Curtis first picked up the drum sticks due to his drummer dad Chris before learning the guitar at age 10 and taking lessons from his uncle Jarl, who was also a Riverbottom Boy for some time. Chris, finding his own musical path in his earlier years, first started playing a horn, but didn't know how to read music, so he took the advice of his band director in school and took up the drums.
"So, back when he was in LCBI, I met him in a jam session in the countryside," remembered Martin, discussing his relationship with Chris. "He doesn't remember it, but I remember meeting him and jamming out in the middle of nowhere. I don't know where exactly, but it was somewhere around here."
Myrol says that the late Robertson was partly responsible for helping to form the group, which first formed around 2008, and the band still honours him to this day, with a large photo of Kevin hanging on the wall of their rehearsal room.
"Kevin came up to me one day and he said, 'Hey, why don't you come over and sit in with us and just play for a bit?'," said Rick. "And the rest is history. I stayed all those years, still here. Then after Kevin passed away, along comes Curtis to take his place."
The group had always practiced in Chris's garage, where a young Curtis was starting to follow in his own pursuit of music.
"He was always out practicing," said Chris, looking at son Curtis. "So, I would like to say I was his inspiration for music, but I actually think it was Kevin."
When asked to clarify, Curtis confirmed that Robertson inspired him, as did Martin and Rick when it came to the guitar. That influence of Kevin still hangs to this day; literally, off of one of Chris's cymbal stands while the band is performing onstage.
"He's not always there, but quite often, he IS there," said Chris. "He brought lots of laughs. Kevin had a pretty good sense of humor, he was a funny guy."
"And he had a habit," added Rick. "In Chris's garage, he has a ceiling fan. And we can't count the amount of times Kevin hit his guitar on that ceiling fan!"
"The chord would wind up," remembered Chris. "So he'd start going like this to unwind his chord!"
"And because the blades were going around, the fan would hit the end of his guitar," said Rick. "Jesus, what a guy!"
After possibly going with Dusty Old Franklin as a band name, which longtime readers of the Outlook newspaper may remember as a recurring feature, the guys landed on the Riverbottom Boys after Rick says he saw the movie 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?', which featured a trio of singers who called themselves the Soggy Bottom Boys. Linking it with Outlook's river history, the name has stuck to this day.
Of course, ask any musician who their own favorite artists may be or what their own favorite songs are, and you're going to get a long and varied list. For Rick, as a vocals kind of guy, he's drawn to the likes of the Eagles, the Hollies, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. For Curtis, it's groups like the Who, the Beatles and the Foo Fighters who he's drawn to. For Chris, it's the Eagles, the Who, and Rush. For Martin, it's Queen (particularly Brian May) and Kansas, as well as the Eagles.
For these 'Boys', they get something different out of performing onstage for people.
"Well, just to be able to get together and do music like we do is great," said Rick. "And you know, there's not very many towns this size where you can play in a band like this. Let's be honest about this. We are very fortunate to have this, that we've got these guys. We're fortunate that this young guy here (Curtis) will put up with us old guys and play with us. Because then we would be a trio. And there's a couple other young guys like Marshall here, and Josh, and a few other guys that could probably play too. But we're just damn lucky to have him. Because where would we be when Kevin passed away, then we're back to three of us going, now what? So I think for me, it's just the enjoyment of just going out and playing and seeing the smiles on people's faces. We have a good time on stage and they get it. They can see that."
"It's just fun to be up there and playing the songs that we love playing," added Curtis. "And seeing all the little kids just running around up front. They're usually the ones that dance the hardest, and it's just so fun to see them just go crazy."
"I like the fact that when we make mistakes, we laugh about it," said Chris. "You know, that's how music is. When we went to see The Who, how many times did they swap the songs over again because they screwed up? So it happens to the best of them. But it's kind of a fun thing to be able to make mistakes too. And then have a good laugh after. They're there to have a good time, right?"
So then, what can people expect on Saturday night? Well, the boys have been working on fine-tuning their set list and working out the kinks of a few songs, but those in attendance at the Prairie Festival are sure to see a fun show when they take the stage that night.
"Depends on this practice!" laughed Martin, causing everyone else to bust out. "Whether we come up with something we think is worth pulling out! That's the work in front of us."
Regardless of the song choices, Outlook and area folks are sure to get a kick out of the show this weekend. In addition to the Riverbottom Boys on Saturday night, the Prairie Festival is bringing all kinds of live music to guests throughout the weekend, including Lisa Moen and Syhra Ellis taking the stage on Friday night at 6:30, as well as music provided by Jolie Blue, Glen Adair, and Kevin Harcourt throughout the day on Saturday.
Check out what else the Prairie Festival has on tap for this weekend by going to .
