The Willows, the Boston based indie band whose name originates from the famous attraction, have one thing going for them that the park doesn’t. While the park is only open in the spring and summer, the six-piece ensemble has, since their launch in 2006, shared their rootsy rock, country and Americana vibe with thousands of folks in the Boston area all year long.

Fans have been able to experience The Willows at famed Beantown clubs like The Middle East, T.T. The Bears, The Abbey Lounge, Tommy Doyle’s (formerly the House of Blues) and The Lizard Lounge, in addition to many other clubs in the greater Boston area. Because of the band’s overall vibe of Tom Waits- styled Americana and traditional Johnny Cash/ Wilco styled country with an edge, The Willows are able to play both hard-rockin’ electric sets and acoustic shows, appealing to a wide demographic fan-base.

The Willows have enjoyed an exciting evolution since its initial three members—Linehan, Hopkins and keyboardist Jonathan Rosen—met at a local rehearsal studio and joined forces out of the remnants of two popular local alt rock bands. Each brought in a batch of songs they felt weren’t right for their previous groups and the three worked on new material that they tried out at numerous open mics around the city. The well-known local music magazine Wicked Hawt placed some of The Willows’ songs on their monthly compilations; many of these early tracks later appeared on the band’s 2006 self-titled debut.

Upon receiving further encouragement from drummer Russell Lawton, who has played with Trey Anastasio from Phish, they began adding members to the band which now includes bassist Kevin Levesque, lead guitarist Bill Grizzell and drummer Russell Lane. The Willows’ current “supporting cast” of players includes mandolin player Nathaniel Brown, and fiddle player Larry Young. While the first album was more rock oriented , the 2nd album See You Next April is a more fully evolved and dynamic mix of Americana and traditional country twang with an edgy twist. In 2009 the band put the finishing touches on their 3rd full length cd, Roots Run Deep. "Roots" was recorded live to analog tape, blends several writing styles into a cohesive and impressive song collection, and stands to be the band's finest work to date. Hopkins credits the new sound to the addition of Grizzell and Levesque who have strong roots style influences.

Unlike some bands that simply play to realize the vision of a single chief singer/songwriter, The Willows are a fully collaborative unit. Lead singer Courtney Linehan is the main lyricist and rhythm guitarist Randy Hopkins writes many of the basic chord structures; each of the other members then writes melodic and harmonic parts for their own instruments, adding to the overall shape of the tunes.