High River Rising

High River has always been comprised of a group of friends who get together to play bluegrass music. The band got its beginning in 2022 when the Campbellton Bluegrass Festival in New Brunswick, southeastern Canada, needed a band to fill a last-minute spot.

“I made a few calls to some jamming buddies, and just like that — High River was born,” says Jason Guimond, who plays banjo and vocals for the band. The ad hoc band sounded great, and they were well received by the audience. “We had so much fun that weekend, we decided to keep it going.” 

The band is made up of Jason, along with Thomas Leblanc on guitar and vocals, Marcel Allain on bass and vocals, Marc Landry on dobro, guitar, and vocals, and Lawrence Martin on mandolin and vocals. 

The playing part came easily to the band members. The next step was to brand themselves with a name for the band. “The name High River just felt right for our sound and where we come from. It’s got that natural, rolling feel to it — kind of like our music. There’s no one story behind it, but it’s grown to represent the flow and drive we bring to bluegrass.”

While the band members all have day jobs, bluegrass is a huge part of their lives. “We spend a lot of our free time rehearsing, recording, or out on the road playing festivals,” says Jason. “It’s definitely more than just a hobby for us.”

Perhaps it’s because of the location near the northern foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Whatever the reason, the bluegrass scene is very active in New Brunswick. “You’ll rarely see a weekend where there isn’t a jam going on in someone’s house,” Jason says. “It’s a close-knit scene full of people who just love the music. We split our time pretty evenly between festivals and a certain lounge we’d like to plug — Le Paysan in Saint-Antoine, New Brunswick. It’s become a great spot for live bluegrass and good company.”

High River has been described as “embodying the spirit of bluegrass while pushing boundaries and exploring new musical territories,” with a nod to traditional bluegrass music with a modern twist. “That’s a nice way to put it,” says Jason. “We all love traditional, hard-driving bluegrass bands like Lonesome River Band, Blue Highway, and Dan Tyminski are big influences — and we’ve also been shaped by where we come from. We all grew up around kitchen parties where the music never really stopped, and we’ve been inspired by local musicians who’ve kept the music alive here in the Maritimes. We like songs that tell honest stories, whether they’re originals or covers, but we don’t mind putting our own spin on things.”

Most of the songs High River plays are covers. “They are the songs we love and enjoy putting our own touch on,” states Jason. “That said, we have another recording project coming up in the near future, and we plan on releasing a couple of originals of our own.”

Their first record, a self-titled LP, dropped on September 5. “We’re really proud of it. It’s a mix of original songs and some of our favorite covers, recorded with that traditional bluegrass drive we love. We wanted it to capture the energy of our live shows. We hope people feel something real when they hear our songs. Whether it’s joy, heartache, or just the urge to tap their foot — as long as it connects with them, that’s what matters.”

Since that unplanned beginning back in 2022, the band has grown tighter musically and closer as friends. “The more we play together, the more natural it feels. Everyone’s found their spot in the band, and our sound has really come into its own.”

Jason says for now they plan to keep the momentum going — playing more shows, writing new songs, and hopefully getting back in the studio before long. “We’ve had a great response to the album, and we’re excited to see where the road takes us next.”