By Erika Barker, Curatorial Manager at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with The Boys From Bristol, an exciting new musical group that grew out of the museum’s Pick Along Summer Camp! The members, Easton Compton and Eamon Russell, have formed a musical duo that does more than just participate in the museum’s Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.) weekly music instruction program, they stay after the group lesson and continue to practice together as The Boys From Bristol!
How did you meet and what made you want to start a band?
Russell: We met because last summer there was Pick Along Summer Camp.
Compton: Yeah. We all met right here at the museum. And ever since then, we just started playing together more and more every week and we thought we might have something on our hands here. So, we decided to name ourselves The Boys From Bristol because we are all from the Bristol area.
How would you describe your sound as a band?
Russell: It’s bluegrass!
Compton: Yeah, and I’d say Appalachian. It’s more than bluegrass, it is also traditional roots, old-time, and Appalachian bluegrass.
Do you perform locally?
Compton: Yes! We have been open for bookings for a couple of months now and have played a handful shows so far.
Russell: One of my favorites so far was a private show for a group of female attorneys.
Compton: Yeah, that was a good one. We have also played at the Fiddlers Restaurant in Abingdon, here at the museum, and we have also done a few charity events in the area.
The Boys From Bristol recently had an opportunity to jam with Ralph Stanely II at Bluegrass Jam Session in Lebanon, Va. They will also be playing another charity event this spring at the “Blues and BBQ” Queen of Hearts fundraiser for the American Heart Association on March 22.
What is your dream venue for a concert?
Compton: well, obviously, the Grand Ol Opry is a dream, but that’ll be a long time probably.
Russell: Locally, I think it would be cool to play at the Carter Family Fold. They want people who play acoustic.
Compton: Yeah, That would be a good fit for us.
What are your musical influences?
Compton: My biggest influence is The Stanley Brothers, especially Ralph Stanley.
Russell: (laughs) Of course they are. I’m not sure myself…
Compton: (laughs and jumps in) He’s influenced by it all! Eamon likes every genre and everybody. He listens to everything and loves it all.
What is your favorite song to play?
Compton: For me, it is hard to choose. I really like every song we play together. For me, individually, I like anything by Ralph Stanley and the Stanley Brothers and the music of here, really to be honest.
Russell: My favorite songs to play are probably Foggy Mountain Breakdown or 500 Miles.
What are your goals for The Boys From Bristol?
Compton: Just to stay together.
Russell: Nashville or bust!
Compton: Yeah! Get a bus eventually and just play as long as we can together and have a good time.
Eamon and Easton are 13 and 14 respectively.
Now that you are starting to perform, how do you balance The Boys from Bristol with school and other extracurricular responsibilities?
Russell: We don’t.
Compton: (laughs) Yeah, I mean, it is tough at some points, but thankfully, a lot of the music playing is on the weekends when we don’t have school. But there are some times we play during the school week, which can be tough.
Russell: (laughs) It’s not tough when I get to get out of school for it.
How do you feel you have grown as musicians since you started playing together?
Russell: When I started playing this summer, I had very little musical knowledge.
Compton: Yeah, playing together has helped us both progress. We had both played by ourselves a lot and maybe with a few other people here and there, but I think being in a band or just finding somebody you can play with regularly really helps you grow as a musician.
You both also participate in the J.AM. program here at the museum, which emphasizes traditional group learning styles and encourages burgeoning musicians to play and learn together.
How has being a part of JAM affected your band experience and growth as musicians?
Compton: Oh, it’s great. It helps you meet new musicians at all different levels and the best way to become a better musician is to listen to people and play with people. You know, just the more you can get out there and play, the better you get.
Your band was born at the Pick Along Summer Camp here at the museum, but you were in the intermediate level camp class so yourr musical journey must have begun before camp.
How did you get started with music and how many instruments can you play?
Compton: I played guitar on and off my whole life. About the time right before I started Pick Along Camp, I started going heavy on it. Now I can play banjo, mandolin, and bass as well.
Russell: I started out on the fiddle when I was really, really little. Then I took a long hiatus. When I picked it back up, I got bored with it again pretty quickly and started playing mandolin instead. I also picked up the harmonica this past summer and have been working on that.
Other than the birth of The Boys From Bristol, what is your favorite part of Pick Along Camp, and are you planning to come back to this summer?
Compton: I think we both can agree that Pick Along Camp is one of our favorite things. I remember the first time I ever came here, it was a couple of years ago. The only instrument I could play was the guitar. I didn’t know hardly anything about music but I loved it ever since I was little. As soon as I went there, I was like, “this is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life!” That is literally what I told my mom afterward.
Russell: Yeah, it is just fun. I’ll be back for sure.
Compton: Oh yeah, I will come back until they kick me out!
After they finished talking with me, The Boys From Bristol were kind enough to treat us to a private performance. Check them out at the video above and if you would like to contact the Boys From Bristol to play at your next event, they are active on Facebook and Instagram (@theboysfrombristol) and can be reached by email (theboysfrombristol@gmail.com) for booking.