Celestial Hoedown
In the summer of 2006 in a mountain cabin outside Jackson, Wyoming, John Wendling and Troy Hillary began to collaborate on what would become Celestial Hoedown. The music started as an escape from the daily grind of backcountry guiding and ranch work, but soon became much more. After playing a random open-mic at an après ski bar, the band was offered a gig for the resort’s closing weekend. They happily accepted and began to write and rehearse daily for the next month, coming up with over twenty original songs and a handful of covers. Having played several more shows in the area and garnering a sizeable following from the small mountain town, it was realized that some member changes and relocation was necessary to achieve greater goals. John and Troy moved to Boulder, Colorado to search for a new drummer, but shortly after the move family emergencies demanded a hiatus of nearly two years. Having reunited in Colorado once again in the summer of 2009 and hooking up with drummer Barrett Betz and second lead guitarist Darryl Lasky, the band has set some new goals and is ready to once again inspire audiences to have a good time wherever they play! The addition of two young, talented and enthusiastic players has given new vibrancy to the music not heard in some time, and is something that will continue to be built upon. With the recent recording of a new demo, Celestial Hoedown is ready to start damaging eardrums wherever they go.
