Joe Carroll, Gold Hill.  Up in the small mountain town of Gold Hill, there is an inn. Famous for being an excellent venue for music, The Gold Hill Inn brought an old favorite back May 27th. The Gasoline Lollipops are back to rock the house once again, to the delight of everyone attending. I had the privilege to interview the head and founder of this unique band a few days ago: Clay Rose.

I arrived at a Boulder coffee shop for the interview, not quite knowing what to expect. As I was getting the usual pad and paper out, Clay walked up with a muffin in one hand a steaming cup of coffee in the other. At that moment, I was reminded that even musicians need their morning caffeine. As we sat, I also came to understand something else. Clay and his band are a rather unique group of artists. They may be wild and crazy with their instruments, but they are still very spiritual and peaceful people.

Clay Rose founded the Gasoline Lollipops in 2004, when he was 24. Since then, the band has grown in popularity by leaps and bounds. The bands’ main influence is mainly Rock-a-Billy country from the 70’s, psychedelic rock, and highway men like Johnny Cash. This unusual blend has made the Gasoline Lollipops hard to categorize, but Clay said that if they had to give it a genre it would be, “alternative county folk rock.” Quite a mouthful, but dang is it good to dance to!

Clay’s inspirations came at a very young age. His mother was a song writer from Nashville. Meanwhile, his Boulder-native father was a truck driver, who brought young Clay on many trips. The whole time, they listened to much of the music that would later inspire and influence Clay’s career. As Clay talked to me about this time, his eyes seemed to drift and think about years long past. He talked about how he had wanted his own music to be something you could listen to over and over while driving. It is obvious that these rides with his father meant a lot to him and greatly affected his career. The spirituality of his musical beliefs touched me as he talked about it, just as the Gasoline Lollipops’ music touches those that listen.

Clay also described how the band has changed over time. Today, he is the only remaining original band member. Today, he is blessed with an amazing team of talented artists from all over. Clay plays rhythm guitar and sings. Don Ambory from Chicago rocks the electric guitar. Jeb Bows is a skilled fiddler who hails from Ward, which is home to many amazing artists and musicians. Adam Perry is a drummer from Detroit. Finally, their bass player is “Bad” Brad Morse, who ironically, is the nicest dude you will ever meet despite his hardcore upright bass playing.

As our interview ended, I asked Clay if he wanted me to add anything he would want the readers to know. After a few seconds of serious thought, he asked me to give a big shout out to the Gold Hill Inn and its owners for having them. They put their establishment on the line to host the band’s exciting, rowdy shows. As he said this, he chuckled and told a quick story of how at one point, a show got so exciting and people danced so hard, the floor broke.

Therefore, if anybody from Gold Hill Inn reads this, Clay Rose says, “Sorry for breaking your floor!” Then he got a bit serious for a minute and said that of all his shows, Gold Hill Inn is without a doubt one of his favorite locations and without the mountain folk, the Gasoline Lollipops might not still be around. “The mountain folk are our main audience and have kept us going through some tough times. They are our main audience, and they helped us gain recognition. Thank you to all our fans in little mountain towns.” He also proudly said that the band’s newest album, “Resurrection,” is currently being recorded and developed. It should appear this September, so be ready. As the interview closed and we both rose to head back to our lives, he ended with a witting remark, “If Gasoline Lollipops’ popularity says anything, its’s that the mountain towns are ten years ahead of their time!”