Got a chance to talk with Jay Driscoll, lead guitarist for the independent jam band Barefoot Truth. Driscoll hails from South Hadley, Massachusetts and attended UMass-Amherst. Driscoll has many friends who have played for Division III Springfield College.
The band, who will play at the Canal Room in New York City Thursday night, often find themselves playing in lacrosse towns all around the Northeast. Recently, lacrosse legend Mike Powell opened for the band, and the band and Powell became very good friends.
Check out my conversation with Driscoll and check out some of their songs on Itunes.
Colleg Crosse: First off, did you play lacrosse growing up and if so, what positions, etc.
Jay Driscoll: I did. I started off in 5th grade on attack. At the time I was a pretty chubby little fellow, and just didn't want to run. I hung out at X as much as I could. As I got older I started taking some more runs on middie.
CC:What is it about the sport that you like playing/watching it?
JD: I really like the fact that there is no "ideal lacrosse body". It is not uncommon for the smallest player on the field to be the best player out there. Same can happen with the biggest. Also, it is a game that can turn on a dime. I have seen games where a team is behind by 4 goals with just over a minute to go and ends up winning in OT. That kind of thing doesn't happen in a game like Soccer or Hockey.
CC: What college teams do you root for?
JD: D1- Umass. D3-Springfield College
CC: What about the rest of the band..have they played/do they like the sport as well.
Will [Evans, lead singer and drummer] played a bit back in the day. We like to toss around together in the back yard.
CC: I know you play alot of your shows in the New England, Northeast area which is very big with the sport of lacrosse. Have you noticed a good amount of your fans being lacrosse fans as well or anything like that? Any stories you have on that?
JD: Yeah, there is totally a very clear demographic cross-over. We developed a lot of our fan-base by playing prep schools and Colleges, both of which have a huge presence in the lacrosse community, particularly in New England.
After playing Springfield College a few times, it has become a normal occurence for the whole team to attend shows in nearby Northampton haha. We love giving them a shoutout.
CC: Lastly, you had Mike Powell open for one of your shows. Did you and him get a chance to talk lacrosse at all and what was it like just to see a guy like Powell who is known around the lacrosse world as one of the best.
JD: The Polite Rebel! We have actually played a handful of shows with him, and have talked a bit about lacrosse. Honestly though, we generally talk about music and our travels. We've created a real solid friendship with him. The man can obviously light up any lax field, but really you should see him on stage. He's a a super-talented artist/entertainer, and just a great person. (here is a quick ridiculous vid with him and I at Middlebury College http://www.twitvid.com/C6299)