December 8, 2025

The Bootstrap Boys' New Beginnings

Nab their new EP
By Lynda Wheatley | Jan. 15, 2022

Hot on the heels of a new year and — we pray — the end of this getting-very-old pandemic, The Bootstrap Boys have hit exactly the right note with their latest release, New Beginnings. We’ve been fans of this Grand Rapids quartet since they sauntered into the woods to play a show at the Michigan Legacy Art Park in the summer of 2019. Their boot-stomping Americana-bluegrass not only had the forest’s aspens quaking; kids, grandparents, and millennials alike couldn’t help but shake their aspens, too. New Beginnings proves that two years of world chaos and limited touring has done little to slow these boys down. Equal parts chest-thumping and heart-aching, New Beginning’s six-track lineup runs the country-rock gamut, making love, loss, and hard truths sound so good you’ll think they’re something to aim for — if only so you can sing and dance along. Find it at www.thebootstrapboys.com, where you can treat yourself to the closest the North can get to a live BB performance: Big Jake Bootstrap’s online streaming show, Country Music Hour, 6pm Fridays.

Trending

Fighting Harder for Local Women and Children

Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center (TBCAC) has been navigating a particularly challenging year. Though CEO Lande… Read More >>

Christmas in Sweden (by way of Benzie)

Musical duo Ingemar and Lisa Johansson, also members of Song of the Lakes group, bring “Christmas in Sweden: A Musical… Read More >>

Searching for a Sugar High

In the words of Cookie Monster, “NOM NOM NOM.” It’s cookie season, and we’re here for every gingerbr… Read More >>

Reconnect with Nature This December at the Botanic Garden

If the cold and the dark have you feeling down, brighten up the day with the three remaining 2025 events at the Botanic Gard… Read More >>