B. Forrest: The Boulder Newcomer Bringing Blues, Beats, Love, & Soul + His LG Show Tonight

By: Hannah Oreskovich

Blues + Beats = B. Forrest.

B. Forrest is a recent Boulder transplant, originally from Chicago, who has been described as a guitarist/songwriter whose “palette of audible paint contains the colours blues, folk, love, and soul.” Last May, he dropped his debut album Back to Bodhi with a rotating cast of characters called the BODHIs: Mitch Settecase (drum kit), Ben “Jai” Hoffman (keyboard, synth bass, BVs), Matt Wislon (electric bass). The album was recorded DIY in a coach house in Chicago’s Logan Square with production by Doug Saltzman and B. Forrest himself. Back to Bodhi picked up some press after the release: the album garnered features in AfroPunk, Pilerats, Vocalo, and the track “Grown Child” was a John Lennon Songwriting Contest finalist.

Boulder's B. Forrest.

Boulder's B. Forrest.

Following this success, the BODHIs hit the road touring, with shows from NYC to Austin. During those travels, B. Forrest made a stop in Boulder and checked out the Colorado music scene, a decision that would soon transport him from his Chicago cityscape to Boulder’s mountains. Said B. Forrest, “I know the music scene is very healthy in Colorado, but being from Chicago, it was enticing for me to escape into the foothills of the mountains. . . and I know the community of Boulder is receptive to the aesthetics, tone, and message of Back to Bodhi. People here care about the art community, so I wanted to see how it would feel to step outside of my comfort zone and expand my network in a new environment.”

And B. Forrest is doing just that! His next Boulder gig is actually tonight at The Laughing Goat at 9PM. He’s playing with a trio that includes Blake Stepan on upright bass. Beyond booking Boulder shows, B. Forrest’s 2016 plans are to release a sophomore album in the summer, a project which is already in the works. Said Forrest, “It’s going to be a new soundscape. . . [it’s] a hybrid of the organically recorded ensemble stuff, but I’m chopping some of it up to sample and reconstruct, as well as layering electronic and synth textures.” After that release, B. Forrest is hoping to hit the road again, maybe even internationally in the fall.

At The Console working on the new album.

At The Console working on the new album.

So keep an an eye out for this newcomer in the Boulder scene. We’ll bring you updates on B. Forrest’s works later this year. In the meantime, go to his show at the LG tonight and listen to a Back to Bodhi album sampler here:

-Hannah

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All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.