About The Boom Chickens
Abby
Mandolin, Vocals, & Arrangement
Abby comes to the folk scene after a misspent youth in classical music; including extensive study in piano, oboe, and voice. Her music degree from Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University is the secret sauce behind the Chickens’ signature three part harmonies and satisfying arrangements.
Need help with your automo-bills? By day, Abby is a partner over at D’Arcangelo & Company, LLP.
Nora
Fiddle, Vocals, & Songwriting
Nora grew up chicken-winging it in orchestra and chorus, having grown up in the Irish traditional music scene where tunes are learned and shared by ear, not on paper. Nora draws on those trad music roots along with a background in literature and storytelling to write the Boom Chickens’ repetoire of modern folk songs with an old-timey heartbeat.
You say you want a revolution? By day, Nora is the Product Director over at Foreign Affairs Magazine.
Matt
Everything & the Kitchen Sink
Matt began his musical career as a percussionist, and still isn’t convinced that the guitar isn’t just a drum with 6 strings. At a Chickens show, you’ll catch him switching between guitar, bass, and the occasional hand drum— and singing a couple of his original songs for good measure.
Do you need a hammer? By day, Matt hammers in the morning, the evening, and all over this land for Zalewski Associates, Inc.
Why did the chickens cross these roadS?
Start playing at this intersection of origins and you get “ec-cluck-tic folk!” While big-label artists get a lot of pressure to stay in one lane, The Boom Chickens are intentionally making folk music the old fashioned way— as an organic, free-range expression of a time, place, and set of authentic influences.
In their scrappily playful first album Scratch Tracks, you can hear the band beginning to ask the question “what IS a Boom Chickens song?” Twelve original tracks later, they’re starting to arrive at an answer.
A Boom Chickens song has tight harmonies, creative string arrangements, strong lyrics, and a lot of heart. With earnest storytelling that sidesteps the cynical or maudlin, the Boom Chickens are archiving millennial life in the rust-belt foothills of the Adirondacks. From songs about driving in a busted-yet-beloved minivan to cruising real estate in towns they can't afford to live in, shooting themselves in the foot with the same old bad habits, or being plagued by mosquitos and feeling frisky in middle age, these long-time friends bring relatable feelings and a joyful energy to their live shows; drawing listeners in with a mix of earnest sensitivity and raucous play.