The Burroughs playing at Concerts Under the Stars last summer・La banda The Burroughs tocando en Conciertos bajo las estrellas el verano pasado.

Concerts Under the Stars, the popular series of free Tuesday night outdoor summer concerts hosted by the University of Northern Colorado’s School of Music, is known for featuring an eclectic mix of music from Colorado and beyond. This year’s concerts celebrate music diversity showcasing the sounds of jazz, mariachi, salsa and soul performed at UNC’s historic Garden Theatre. 

The series began with a July 11 performance by the Colorado Jazz Orchestra, followed by the Mariachi Los Mensajeros on July 18 and Salsa Forte will take the stage July 25.  

This year’s finale, scheduled for Aug. 1, features Greeley’s own The Burroughs, a local funk band comprised mostly of UNC alumni. Their performance kicks off the first of several events the band has planned to celebrate their 10th anniversary.  

To celebrate the band’s milestone, we talked to Brianna Harris ‘14, a graduate of UNC’s master’s in Jazz Studies program who is the manager and saxophonist for The Burroughs. She shared a little bit about the history of this remarkable band.  

Tell us a little bit more about the 10-year history of The Burroughs.  

The Burroughs’ origin story goes that one of our original trumpet players, Craig Basarich, also a UNC alumnus, approached our lead singer Johnny Burroughs, who at the time was playing some open mics around Greeley. They both enjoyed classical soul music. Craig asked Johnny if he would be interested in putting together a band to play one show. Johnny secured the rhythm section, and Craig got the horn section. That one show went so well that the band was immediately asked to play more, and from there the momentum just kept rolling. 

We could not have predicted that the band would still be together 10 years later, or that we would have accomplished so much then. 

We have had personnel changes over the years, but a lot of our core membership has been the same since about 2014. We have learned so much together in the process of building an original band. It has been like doing another college degree, in the real world! Besides learning how to become better creators and collaborators, we have also had to learn how to navigate the industry, including booking, management, marketing, networking and more.  

Over 10 years, I think it has really served us to set ambitious project goals, but to also stay open to whatever opportunities present themselves. The greatest joy we always come back to is being able to play music together. 

What are some challenges the band has had to overcome? 

Three of the biggest challenges have been: 

– The simple logistics of coordinating schedules and calendars between nine very busy, in-demand professional musicians. We have all made this a priority in our lives, and it still is sometimes a challenge to schedule things. Having a shared Google calendar and regular weekly practice time helps a TON.  

– The way that the music marketing landscape constantly changes. We have seen multiple social media platforms come and go during our existence as a band. Instagram Stories didn’t come out until mid-2016–three years after our band started! TikTok just became a major platform for music in the past three years. The technology for getting your music to new audiences constantly changes, and you must adapt but also prioritize what is effective for you and your audience.  

– Growth and national touring in general. Colorado is such a rich environment for live music, but it is a geographic challenge to tour from here. If we were in the Midwest or on the East coast, the next major market would be a couple of hours drive away. In the Mountain West you are driving at least a full day to hit another major market. So, you must get creative to make touring financially feasible. 

Why did you choose Concerts Under the Stars to kick off  the band’s 10th anniversary? 

Our actual band’s anniversary is the anniversary of our first gig which was on July 26, 2013. So, this concert falls close to that date! While we are planning multiple 10-year anniversary events throughout this year, this will be our first. Since many of our members were studying at UNC when the band started, it feels like a full-circle moment to celebrate on campus. 

Who are UNC alumni and what positions do they play? 

All our current members besides our lead singer Johnny Burroughs are UNC alumni. 

Alec Bell (trumpet), Briana Harris (alto saxophone), Jeremy Fallis (trombone), Hayden Farr (baritone saxophone), Mary Claxton (drums), Brian Claxton (bass), Spencer Zweifel (keyboards) and Jack McManaman (guitar).  

In what way is UNC important to the band? 

UNC, specifically the School of Music, is important to us because it gave us the tools and foundation to be successful working musicians. It also gave us the musical network to get our footing in the industry. Many of us continue to have strong ties to the university; several of us have worked or taught there as professionals following graduation. Many of us are still involved in signature events like the UNC Greeley Jazz Festival. It is a valuable source of connection with the music community in Greeley. We love hearing about what other music students are up to on campus. 

How did studying at UNC shape the identity of the band? 

I am not sure I would say that UNC shaped the band’s creative identity, as that was formed independently, mostly after folks graduated from UNC. But the School of Music did give many of us as individuals the skills to become highly competent and versatile creative collaborators. We still use a lot of the skills we learned in school – music theory, composition, practice techniques and even research techniques – when we are working in the band. 

The Concerts Under the Stars series is organized by the UNC School of Music with sponsorship from Weld Community Foundation and the Bohemian Foundation. It is free to the public. Families can bring blankets, picnic food and lawn chairs. This year Las Catrinas Mexican food truck will be available. The final two concerts–Salsa Forte (July 25) and The Burroughs (Aug 1)–start at 8 p.m.