LA River Boys LIVE!

In the fall of 2021 veteran West-LA guitar and mandolin teacher Tom Farrell arranged for a jam with his two most bluegrass oriented students, Joe Dylan (mandolin) and Jim Doran (guitar, vocals). To fill out the sound Jim hit up his old picking buddies Jasper Burik (banjo, vocals) and David Clymer (bass) of the Old Corn Lickers (who played Vern’s Stage in 2022). Sparks flew at that first jam and the group potential was obvious, they just needed a name. As more gigs came along, the nameless group settled on The LA River Boys, who have been continuously growing their eclectic influences and conversational blend of instruments and vocals.

The LA River boys play a hearty mix of traditional & progressive bluegrass, Dawg music, a variety of innovative covers, and original songs by Jim Doran and Jasper Burik. Each member has a different musical background that serves to deepen the group sound. Joe Dylan is a consummate picker with roots in bluegrass and classical mandolin as well as old-time banjo. Jasper is a powerhouse multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer whose vast musical range spans old-time, bluegrass, jazz and electronic music. Jim is an eclectic multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter as well who, when not playing bluegrass, can be found playing around LA playing jazz fusion and other electrically improvised music. David Clymer is an accomplished classical composer whose vast and worldly knowledge of music brings a deep and holistic lower end to the group. All these backgrounds come together to make what is surely an exciting blend!

The LA River Boys have a number of local gigs leading up to Father’s Day Festival in the works as well as a radio set on KXLU (88.9 FM in the LA area) on August 1st about a month after the festival. Be sure to check them out on Instagram to stay up to date with these exciting developments and feel free to shoot them a line! The LA River boys are eager to keep pushing their sound and to play somewhere near you!