Runaway Symphony has become a locally popular group, perhaps initially because of the band's Boundary County ties with Mr. Botkin, and later because of their original song Bonners Ferry, which captures some of the sentiment many feel about their ties to Boundary County. The Bonners Ferry song has become popular as comments and shares of the song have circulated on local social media circles.
Those who attended Saturday's concert found yet another reason to like the band, learning that Runaway Symphony is much more than "the band who plays the Bonners Ferry song." Their overall performance, skill, and artistry, along with other great songs in the band's repertoire, seemed to enhance their popularity even more in these parts. And, they did perform the anticipated song, Bonners Ferry, eventually, although it had not yet appeared by the end of their regular performance set.
After completing their performance and leaving the stage, the audience hadn't yet heard the song, and brought the band back with their applause. "Guess we forgot one song," they said (or something close to that) as they returned to the stage, and then launched into a performance of the song that was just a little more up tempo than the popular version available on YouTube. Along with singing Bonners Ferry, they punctuated the idea of "home" conveyed in that song with a performance of the Simon and Garfunkel 1966 hit Homeward Bound.
What was it like for this band with local ties and a hit local song to be back in Bonners Ferry performing again? According to Daniel Botkin, "This show definitely had a different feeling than a lot of our other shows. Bonners Ferry has always supported us, and coming back to the place that inspires so much of our music felt really powerful. Our drummer, Jason, told me that he could hardly make it all the way through our song Bonners Ferry without crying his eyes out. Although I'm the only Bonners local, the song really means a lot to all of us."
Runaway Symphony's visit to Boundary County wasn't limited to just work alone. "A few of the guys and myself drove back to the farm I grew up on after the show and just enjoyed being able to detach from all of our gear and instruments and just enjoy the silence," said Mr. Botkin. "There's nothing quite like sitting in the wilderness after a long day of loading in, performing and loading out all of our gear. I'm glad we could all share in that moment."
You can watch the band's YouTube version of their song Bonners Ferry by clicking here.
Runaway Symphony's latest album release, Running South, was available for sale and purchased by many audience members.
Jane Worsham of Pullman, Washington, and Travis Billingsley from Auburn, Washington opened the evening with a few musical selections. Both performed with Runaway Symphony during their encore.
"Jane Worsham has been a friend of ours for a while now and she has always encouraged us to keep pursuing music in bigger ways. She also has the smoothest and most stunning voice in Washington, so we just had to bring her," said Mr. Botkin. "Travis and myself have a longer history which includes us starting our very first band in which he would rap and I would sing. We've had a lot of good times making music, so I figured this would be a great reunion."
This performance by Runaway Symphony was a fund raising event for Boundary County Victim Services.
If you missed them this time around, another opportunity to see Runaway Symphony in Bonners Ferry will be coming up soon. They are scheduled to perform at the Pearl Theater on April 11. More details on that performance will be forthcoming.
Runaway Symphony website: www.runawaysymphony.com