Stealin’ Strings Continues to Evolve

Starting out six years ago as an acoustic bluegrass band, Stealin’ Strings was charting new territory.

They created a new sound that was leaning toward the bluegrass dismantling that Railroad Earth was producing at the time. But even then, the band members couldn’t help tinkering with that musical path.

“We started incorporating electric instrumentation after about a year of playing,“said guitarist Rob Shively last week in a phone interview. “It started out with just a couple of acoustic instruments. There wasn’t a bass player, and there weren’t drums. So eventually, with the addition of drums and bass, we are able to now do more than just the acoustic stuff.”
Using the term bluegressive rock, Stealin’ Strings has crafted a progressive rock sound with occasional acoustic instrumentation. “We’ve really meshed it together,” Shively said. “We always stayed true to our acoustic roots because that’s what we got started on, but we also get out into some more face-melting electric jams, too.”

Sometimes having a dual identity of sorts can make booking troublesome. But Shively and his bandmates figured out a way to market their musical smörgåsbord. “I do most of the booking myself,” Shively admitted. “When we send demos out, we make sure to show exactly what it is that we do as far as the different styles go. We give them a bluegrass cut. We give them an electric cut. Then, we give them a two-step electric cut, the southern rock sound, so that they can hear it. The bluegrass sound and the rock sound-the flavor of all of it is within the demo.”

Shively has been successful in booking the band into premier festivals such as the 10,000 Lakes Festival in 2006 and the Summerfest in their hometown of Milwaukee. They will play Bella Sol on Saturday of this week and then move on to two nights here in the Valley next week. As part of the 10KLF Pre-party Tour, they will play with That One Guy and Bettina next Wednesday, May 28, at the Aquarium in Fargo and then will come up to Grand Forks for a Thursday night date at the Crosstown.

Then, Stealin’ Strings will be off for their summer tour and will play at Log Jam and the Campout Roots Festival in June, as well as Summerfest on July 1. But it is the small club dates that are really getting them excited. “What happens at the big shows,” Shively said, “is we just get warmed up and we’re done. We kind of take some time to ease into it.”
Doing a full night will allow audiences to see the breadth of this band and the kind of songwriting that he and Ryan Ogburn (mandolin, guitars) can produce. Though Ogburn and Shively do 90 percent of the songwriting, Rob Buehler (drums, percussion) and Matt Turner (bass) add the polish. “Everyone has to put their part into it. The songs wouldn’t be what they are without help from everybody,” said Shively.

Check out Stealin’ Strings this weekend at Bella Sol or get a more intimate look at their music at the Aquarium and the Crosstown next week. The Aquarium date is a 10KL Festival Pre-Party, and 10KLF tickets will be given away.

If You Go

What: Stealin’ Strings
Where: Aquarium (May 28), Crosstown Lounge GF (May 29)
When: 10 pm
How Much: $10 (Fgo), $5 (GF)
Who: 21+ID
Info: (701) 235-5913, (701) 757-0162