In the summer of 2005, four strappin' lads, each from different walks of life, found themselves on the same "pickin' porch", in Ballston Spa, New York. They gathered there to breathe life into a musical vision...a mutation beyond bluegrass...a sound that was equal parts "pop" and "hillbilly" ...a show that would provoke foot stompin' knee slappin', and elbow bangin' ...a good ol' time. They struck a chord...Happy Balky and the Good Livin' was born. Happy Balky and the Good Livin' offer a refreshing sense of youth and energetic stage command to a genre where such is not typically found. Their strain of "mountain pop" is melodically pleasant and lyrically outlandish REVIEWS This exuberant young "mountain pop" band from Ballston Spa made their Caffe Lena debut last spring. They won us over right quick and we decided to bring them back for a weekend evening. Why we like them: strong chops, rootsy yet contemporary, sparkling melodies, inventive and often comical lyrics, positive energy. Give them a try! You just might discover a new favorite. -Caffe Lena, July 2006 Happy Balky makes some mighty fine music, too. Mountain pop, they call it, describing it as "a left-of-the-dial approach to bluegrass music" or "high-energy folk music heavily influenced by bluegrass." Happy Balky and the Good Livin' eschews the usual song bag of bluegrass standards, and in fact their repertoire features almost all original material. When they do pull out a cover tune or two...Balky and the boys are more likely to serve up an acoustic newgrass version of Bright Eyes' "A Perfect Sonnet," Silverchair's "Tomorrow" or maybe Faith No More's "Epic." -Greg Haymes/The Times Union 2007 Happy Balky and the Good Livin' , as the name arguably suggests, plays an acoustic brand of roots music that nods towards bluegrass...Other than the catchy melodies, the songs are characterized by quirky, witty, sometimes outlandish lyrics that center on a cast of revolving characters. -Philip Schwartz/The Daily Gazette 2007
