Juice

When raft guides jam

GARAGE ROCK

Aug. 16, 30 & Sept. 13

| Tahoe Paradise Park | Meyers

Aug. 21, 28

| Lakeview Social Tahoe | South Lake Tahoe

Sept. 16 | South of North Brewing Company

| South Lake Tahoe

Ash Relics

Aug. 20 | Commons Beach | Tahoe City

Sept. 1 | Tahoe Paradise Park | South Lake Tahoe

Whenthe raft guides come to play, expect a wild party that knows no musical boundaries.

Boot Juice began as an acoustic guitar duo formed by Davis natives Connor Herdt and Evan Daly in high school. When they went their separate ways, Herdt attended Feather River College in Quincy where he met vocalist Jess Stoll. In the summers, the couple worked together for Cascade Raft & Kayak guiding on the Payette River in Idaho.

“That’s a big part of the band’s back story,” says Stoll. “Evan would come out to Idaho and play for the raft camps; 150 guides would show up at the bar and drink all the booze. They really liked having us there.”

Over time, the project grew into a fivepiece rock band with a full set of horns and a reputation for vibrant performances that shift effortlessly between hard-driving Americana and cosmic rock ‘n’ roll. Their musical style follows in the footsteps of groups such as The

BY SEAN MCALINDIN Boot

Sept. 8 | June Lake Jam Fest | June Lake school bus they call the “Juice Box.” While the vehicle is currently broken down, that’s not stopping this ninepiece, sonic powerhouse from moving right along.

“In one set of songs, we’ll cover bluegrass and folk and on other side of stage we’re rockers and metalheads,” says Stoll. “We’ve got a funk drummer and a horn section that’s into second line, swing and jazz. It doesn’t feel like the music gets stale or repetitive because it comes from different places. We cover a lot of ground, but at the same time, it all sounds like Boot Juice.”

Much like the rivers they were raised on, the music changes direction rapidly keeping listeners on their toes. So far this summer, they’ve released two new singles: the upbeat, feel-good “I Don’t Need Nothin” and the soulful gypsy “Take Me There.” They’re the first tracks on an upcoming album, “The Right Place,” which comes out on Oct. 7.

Chris Seal was born in the musical swamp of 1970s New Orleans and raised in the indie rock hub of Portland, Ore. He moved to Markleeville in 2007 where he found a job at Alpine County Library.

Seal created Ash Relics (an anagram of his name) as an analog project to combine ‘80s drum machines with electrified blues guitar. The results sound a lot like what might happen if The Black Keys and Nick Drake got together to jam with the ghost of Jimi Hendrix in the home studio of EDM innovators Kraftwerk. In other words, it’s completely original music from the mind of an eccentric, warm-spirited local. | ashrelics.com

FOLK PUNK

Aug. 18 | Kings Beach State Recreation Area

Band, Railroad Earth, The California Honeydrops and Fruition that blend folk-rock and R&B traditions with a rambling New Orleans-style brass section, three-part vocal harmonies and dynamic instrumental arrangements.

Freewheeling shows along the Stanley, Salmon, Feather and Hood rivers soon established Boot Juice as crowd favorites in the close-knit, rowdy world of rafting. In fact, the band’s name comes from the hard-partying, outdoor culture they were formed in.

“Playing in all these dive bars, people dance on sticky, sweaty floors in their boots after a long day of work,” says Stoll. “There’s also a rafting tradition to drink beer out of your boot if you swim in the river. People have been known to take off a boot and drink from it front of the stage at our shows.”

The band is now spread between Auburn, Sacramento and Davis. Since 2019, they’ve toured the country in a 1996 Thomas International T444E

Beyond their eclectic music, Boot Juice is known for its creative posters, merchandise and costumes, all designed in-house by Stoll who also serves as the band’s artistic director.

“There’s always a steampunk, fairy vibe,” she says. “I love illustrating psychedelic animal and nature scenes. We’re working toward bigger stage productions and set designs.”

While they’ve certainly got their sights set on higher ambitions, at the end of day, Boot Juice is a passionate, imaginative group of lifelong friends who simply love what they do. They’re also one of the most entertaining and original groups to come out of Northern California in a long time.

“We really take the music seriously, but we never take ourselves too seriously,” says Stoll. “There’s always a lighthearted feeling on the stage. People can expect a high-energy, fun delivery with a true focus on songwriting and lyrics.” | bootjuicejams.com n