Tierro Band takes the stage this Thursday

It's a special moment when a local musician can take the stage at Rock & Rails. That's what will happen this Thursday as Tierro Band with Bridget Law headlines. The group is helmed by guitarist, founder and area resident Tierro Lee, who is excited to once again play for friends and neighbors. As an additional treat, he's planning to have his son take the stage with him in a musical debut.

Tierro Band has been lauded by a number of industry-leading musicians including Michael Travis of String Cheese Incident and Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon. Read on to learn more about the band's history, influences and how they're feeling the night before their big night in Niwot.

Q: Thanks for taking the time today to talk to us in advance of your performance. Can you talk a little about what audiences might expect on Thursday night?

TL: This will be our second Rock & Rails, I think, and we're glad to be back. Musically, I'd describe us as a mix of world music, Gypsy Grass, Bluegrass and Latin, a lot of complex rhythms. And we've got a world-class tabla player from Nepal we're bringing with us.

Q: That's a lot of styles blending together.

TL: It's actually been really interesting the way that world music and the fiddle have incorporated into each other. It's incredible to blend Irish fiddle with a sort of world, sort of Gypsy and Middle Eastern vibe.

Q: Who are your influences and can you talk about your musical background that's led you to this creative space with Tierro Band and Bridget Law?

TL: Music has just been such a big part of my life. When I was young, I listened to so much and have been into tons of varieties of music. Santana has been a huge influence. And Rodrigo and Gabriella. I used to play with one of my heroes, Colorado Music Hall of Famer Otis Taylor. He and I played together for a lot of years.

Q: Let's widen the conversation a bit, now. Tell us more about the larger history of Tierro Band with Bridget Law?

TL: Musically, we've been playing together for about ten years, and we've all got a passion for playing and a background in world music in different genres. Well, we've played all over and headlined at The Boulder Creek Festival and in Carbondale. We've also played at the Amphitheater in Vail, and in Aspen. We love playing in Colorado.

We just love playing with different styles and mixing them all together. For example, our drummer is really well versed in Latin percussion, our bass player is well versed in Middle Eastern and Indian music. My wife, who plays the violin, is experienced in Irish fiddle and bluegrass music and I have a world music background. And Bridget is a fiddle player who was in Elephant Revival. She's a tremendous musician.

Q: Tell us a bit about your local connections.

TL: It's really exciting for us to be back and to play for our friends and families. And I have so many memories. I've lived in Niwot for the last ten years, and I was actually at the grand opening of the park across the street from the Rock & Rails stage. We watched the playground being developed and counted down the days until that park opened! We watched them cut the ribbon.

Q: Will your son get to be there on Thursday?

TL: Yes. He's twelve now, and a really fun thing about the show on Thursday is that he may sing a song or two. He's working at that and becoming quite a talented young singer.

Q: Is he the only guest joining you on stage?

TL: Well....we have some other special guests that may be sitting in with us. [Lee didn't expand on who, leaving it a surprise for the show].

Q: Is there anything else that you want the audience to know when they come on Thursday?

TL: You know, there's one thing. We'll have our latest record for sale. It's just being released and we'll have a bunch of new songs on it. It was recorded by Grammy Award-winning producer Mike Yach. He did a tremendous job.

Q: Well, that's great to know. Looking forward to your show on Thursday.

TL: We're looking forward to it too.

Tierro Band's latest release is available at psaudio.com/products/everlasting-dance/