Buckles and Boots

Buckles and Boots was the ultimate evolution of a deep rooted relationship between Jessi Dalton and Brian Maxwell. The two musicians had crafted a tight connection through playing in several larger bands, traveling across the country together, and playing their hearts out around countless campfires. One late night alone together, after sharing a bottle of wine, the two began writing a new song on the fly and had unknowingly tapped into a new sound more raw and primal than any of their previous musical incarnations. Over the next several months the duet honed their sound and carved out their image to eventually create Buckles and Boots, a rugged, primitive, stripped down exploration of the full range of human emotion carried by the powerful, often haunting vocals, melodic guitar and creative use of percussion from Jessi Dalton accompanied by the driving rhythm of Brian Maxwell's bass, banjo and mandolin. The result is a truly unique sound which looks back to the roots of American appalachian folk, alt country, and blues music while conjuring images of a wandering pair of Gypsies and subtly incorporating elements of dark, soul searching modern rock. Buckles and Boots first established their sound while hosting a monthly country music showcase, often testing out new songs for a modestly attended Tuesday night crowd in 2012. The duet then began to make a name for themselves playing the traditional music venues, along with bars, barns and backyard parties through the winter. The band recruited a well known local recording engineer and record producer, Jay Alton, to turn their home into a working recording studio for a week in April 2013. The result was a stripped-down yet powerful and organic representation of the energy Buckles and Boots brings to the live stage. Their debut album, The Dirty Listen and Laundry On the Line, which was released in July, 2013, is comprised of two separate discs. One packed with heavier, more rocking roots music and the other showcasing a lighter, folkier side. In the fall of 2013, the duet walked into the Blue Eagle music store in Athens, Ohio, and fell in love with a beautiful Orpheum resonator guitar made in 1970. This new love spurred the pair into writing The Red Feather, which includes more elements of southern blues than their previous release. Working again with Jay Alton as a producer, in March 2014 Buckles and Boots headed to Oranjudio Studios to begin recording as well as filming a couple of live in-studio tracks with GingerAttack Video Production. Following the release of The Red Feather in July 2014, the pair moved to Memphis, Tennessee where they eventually moved on to different projects. They both still reside in Memphis. A rugged, primal, stripped down musical exploration of the full range of human emotion .