Whether you want to tune in and allow your emotions to be moved like the windswept prairie, or just settle down to an evening of socializing with a perfectly proportioned backdrop of blues... this Friday, Bootlegger’s is the place to be.
The candid fact is that it’s a guaranteed good night when the Strollers take the stage.
The trio of local talent that comprise the soul filled group are an easily taken for granted gift in the commodified country of Minnesota’s southwest.
Canby native, Hawk Creek resident and Granite Falls driver of bus, Jerry Ostensoe, leads the triad with a fervidly soothing voice, subtle guitar and keen ear bent on perfection.
Montevideo farmer and artist, Richard Handeen, accompanies with a satisfied smile and his stand-up base. While fellow Montevidean, ‘Pistol Pete’ simply plays the hell out of the harmonica.
Handeen and Ostensoe have played together for the past 30 or so years, while Pistol Pete, who after migrating from the west coast, incorporated his talents roughly four years ago.
Ostensoe says the Strollers pride themselves on playing “real, hardcore, traditional blues.” And while he understands that it may be different than what a lot of people are used to, “I think it’s pretty approachable, and people seem to like it,” he says.
Locals should be able to identify with it. The majority of Ostensoe’s material is both musically and lyrically of his own creation and draws heavily from his Minnesota River Valley roots.
Over the past 25 years the rural musician has produced five well received albums, his most recent titled: Just East of West, which features Stroller members and a few other area musicians.
Whether one is one of the many avid Stroller fans, or is about to get their first dose, the act is always, always a treat.
“People should appreciate the fact that [Bootlegger’s owner, John Berends] is willing to go out on a limb and make something happen,” says Ostensoe.
But likewise the public should appreciate that the Stroller’s are willing to go out and create the level of music that is worth happening.
See you Friday night – as always during the local music months – from 6:30 - 10:00 p.m.
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Whether you want to tune in and allow your emotions to be moved like the windswept prairie, or just settle down to an evening of socializing with a perfectly proportioned backdrop of blues... this Friday, Bootlegger’s is the place to be.
The candid fact is that it’s a guaranteed good night when the Strollers take the stage.
The trio of local talent that comprise the soul filled group are an easily taken for granted gift in the commodified country of Minnesota’s southwest.
Canby native, Hawk Creek resident and Granite Falls driver of bus, Jerry Ostensoe, leads the triad with a fervidly soothing voice, subtle guitar and keen ear bent on perfection.
Montevideo farmer and artist, Richard Handeen, accompanies with a satisfied smile and his stand-up base. While fellow Montevidean, ‘Pistol Pete’ simply plays the hell out of the harmonica.
Handeen and Ostensoe have played together for the past 30 or so years, while Pistol Pete, who after migrating from the west coast, incorporated his talents roughly four years ago.
Ostensoe says the Strollers pride themselves on playing “real, hardcore, traditional blues.” And while he understands that it may be different than what a lot of people are used to, “I think it’s pretty approachable, and people seem to like it,” he says.
Locals should be able to identify with it. The majority of Ostensoe’s material is both musically and lyrically of his own creation and draws heavily from his Minnesota River Valley roots.
Over the past 25 years the rural musician has produced five well received albums, his most recent titled: Just East of West, which features Stroller members and a few other area musicians.
Whether one is one of the many avid Stroller fans, or is about to get their first dose, the act is always, always a treat.
“People should appreciate the fact that [Bootlegger’s owner, John Berends] is willing to go out on a limb and make something happen,” says Ostensoe.
But likewise the public should appreciate that the Stroller’s are willing to go out and create the level of music that is worth happening.
See you Friday night – as always during the local music months – from 6:30 - 10:00 p.m.
