By Austin Henderson
Sonorous harmonies pair with the earthy tones of acoustic instruments. Mixing guitar, mandolin, and banjo, the Way Down Wanderers captures the changing sound of Americana. The band finds a middle ground in the genre, oscillating between the straightforward roots-based melodies of the Woods Brothers and the songbird qualities of the Civil Wars.
The group will travel from its home base in Chicago to make its third appearance in the basement of the Yacht Club on March 31 for a 10 p.m. show.
Though based in Chicago, the group can trace its roots to Peoria, Illinois. In this heartland town, hardly a folk mecca by any means, founders Collin Krause and Austin Thompson gravitated toward each other after playing in different outfits in the city’s burgeoning music scene.
Over the years, the group has grown beyond the mandolin and guitar duo, reaching its present formation with the addition of bassist John Williams and drummer John Merikoski, a former jazz student in percussion at the University of Illinois.
The last addition, Travis Kowalsky, joined the group last year.
“We met Travis at a music festival, the Thunderbay Folk Festival in Alpena, Michigan,” Krause said. “We were looking for a banjo player; we met him, started playing, and really hit it off. He’s been a member of the band since.”
The group members have diverse backgrounds, which plays in their favor.
“We love all kinds of music. Jazz, folk, Americana, it all plays into our music,” Krause said. “We all like different stuff, and it kind of meshes together.”
The band has a journeyman-touring ethic. Though not paralleling the Grateful Dead’s “Never-Ending Tour,” the guys have put in quite a few miles.
“We’ve toured a little bit of everywhere,” Krause said. “Been to 40 states so far. In a few weeks, we’ll head to the Northeast and plan on touring the United Kingdom later this year.”
The band is touring behind the success of their namesake first full-length album. The record, produced by Mike Marsh, the drummer for the folk-rock greats the Avett Brothers, is graced with the presence of the song “Dead Birds.” The cut was featured on the finalists’ list of the International Songwriting Competition, a competition of rising songwriters.
Asked about expectations for the show on such a heavy touring schedule, Krause said that being fatigued — or rather, letting it show — is simply not an option.
“We’ll be fresh this weekend, though; we are staying home in Chicago and playing a show Friday night in Ames,” he said. “We’ve played the Yacht Club two times before; we just want to make sure everyone has a good time. We expect a really fun show.”