Making their first Perry appearance since the pre-pandemic days of 2018, the Bus Boys performed two energetic sets of acoustic folk music to a receptive audience of about 40 Sunday afternoon in the Perry Fire Arts concert series.
The musical trio hails from Winona, Minnesota, and all three men are former school bus drivers — hence their name — united in their love for the folkish sounds of the Grateful Dead, Ry Cooder and the like, including their fellow Minnesotan Bob Dylan.
The Bus Boys formed in 1997, and they mixed healthy doses of bluegrass and traditional folk and fiddle tunes into Sunday’s show, along with what sounded like a few original numbers.
Mandolinist Wayne Beezley is the band’s front man, chatting casually between numbers with the audience. His lead lines blend familiarly with the skilled playing of guitarist Mark Christensen and bassist Dedrick Benz, and the group’s comfortable groove and solo breaks were warmly received by the audience.
The next events in the Perry Fine Arts concert series will bring the Al Welsh Orchestra on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. in the Perry Performing Arts Center. A Tuba Christmas honoring Bill Bell will be staged Sunday, Dec. 10.
Perry Fine Arts concerts are free and open to the public. Donations in support of the concerts are gratefully accepted. The Perry Performing Arts Center is handicapped accessible.
