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Meet Brent Boland of At The Watertower in Front Range

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Brent Boland.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Brent. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My life has been defined by the relationships that I have been fortunate enough to build. I am a husband, father, friend, writer, software developer, singer, joke teller and bandleader. By all accounts that matter, I have had a wildly successful life to this point. I married my best friend, I have two children who are kind, empathetic and witty. I have owned a successful business, created products that truly make a difference, given a theater full of people the opportunity to laugh and 1000s of people from Folsom Field to backyard parties the chance to sing along. None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for my parents that taught me early that servant leadership is true leadership. Your success is my success and true community works best when we all work together in the best interests of each other.

The vehicles that I have been able to use to create this life are my day job as a software developer and my hobby which is the frontman of the Denver good time band, At The Watertower. At The Watertower has been around for 13 years playing music for anyone that could use a song. I am incredibly proud of this band and humbled by all of the people far and wide that have invested their time and effort into this project. In 13 years, we have only had two people leave the band and two others join. We have had the same line up for the last nine years which is a testament to the guys that I am fortunate enough to make music with, past and present, all working together and in the best interests of each other and the people that we play for. In everything we do, we look for ways to be the helpers. Particularly during the COVID crisis, businesses are having a tough time. We have tried to find ways to help our good friends that are brewery, distillery, restaurant and bar owners keep people coming through the doors. These are the people that create the communities that we all miss so much right now and they need our help. We have played virtual shows for some of our favorite venues as well as created a “Drinks for Essential Workers” program. At The Watertower bought over $1000 in drinks in total from El Rancho Brewing in Evergreen, Boggy Draw Brewing in Sheridan, Dead Hippie Brewing in Sheridan, Coal Mine Ave. Brewing in Littleton and Devil’s Head Distillery in Englewood. We know that it wasn’t much but we wanted to send some money to each of these places that have been so supportive of us over the years. We also wanted to show our thanks to all of the grocery store workers, mail carriers, truck drivers, doctors, nurses and others who put themselves on the front lines as we all navigated life in a pandemic.

The band got started 13 years ago when a few college friends got together to see if we could learn some songs and play for our friends. It has evolved over the years as something that has allowed us to make incredible friendships and provide a fun escape for countless individuals.

Has it been a smooth road?
For me personally, I have been very fortunate to grow up in a two-parent house that put such a high value on education. I recognize my privilege and understand that it is my responsibility to use it to try to affect the greater good. All ships rise with the tide. That said, there are always hardships in life that at the time can really bring you to your knees.

In 2013 my hometown of Lyons experienced a 1 in a 1000 year weather event took place and up to 17 inches of rain fell between September 11th and September 15th. The house that my parents bought in 1959 is on a 2-acre plot that backs up to the N. St. Vrain River. The night of September 11th, my parents were evacuated from their home and they loaded into two cars and followed each other into town. In the rain, they got separated and finding that they could not make it to their agreed-upon destination which was my sister’s house, they ended up in different places. My mom waited in a parking lot in town and my dad went to the evacuation facility which was the Elementary School, a building that he had taught in for 30 years. He looked everywhere at the school for my mom but didn’t find her as she was across town waiting in a parking lot. Fearing that she had gone back home, my dad left the evacuation site and drove back to the place that he had called home for 52 years looking for his wife.

At some point, after he had returned home a surge of water came down the canyon and sent the raging river right into our home. My dad was the only casualty of the 2013 Lyons flood and was found on September 19th, 2013. That week was the hardest of my life waiting on word about my dad and not knowing his whereabouts or if he had survived. In all of that destruction and pain a beautiful thing happened and I was able to see how the life work of my dad came back to care for his family in their darkest hour. He spent 30 years teaching and caring for the children of Lyons and when he went missing, the town of Lyons, his former students and strangers who did not even know us moved heaven and earth to make sure that his family and his wife were cared for. I could never thank everyone enough for all that they did for my family during that time and I know that in large part, it was done because of all that my dad gave to the community over so many years.

I never realized until this moment why it was so important to him that leaders use their position as an opportunity to serve others and to never make successes about them but rather about the team or the community. It was powerful to see this all come together at such a tragic time. My sister Amy said it beautifully when she said “It is like dad had spent all of these years pulling threads together one by one and when his family needed it most the community wove those threads into a blanket and wrapped us in it.”

In all things, I work to lead through service. When the band has had difficulties, we have always looked for opportunities in those difficulties. They are always there but sometimes hard to spot.

Please tell us about At The Watertower.
Our little band At The Watertower is a good time band. We aren’t trying to claw our way to the stage at Red Rocks or sign a record deal. We are a bunch of guys that want to give you the chance to forget about the things that are bugging you for the next couple of hours. We realized early on (thank goodness) that we can’t be in this to make music that pleases other musicians. We have to be the guys that come in and lift the energy of the room for everyone, make everyone feel included and make everyone a part of the show. We do this through crowd interaction and humor at times. Before COVID, we would wander the crowd with a microphone and get folks to sing along with us. It has become apparent over the years that people care a lot less about talent and a lot more about how you make them feel. This is true in all aspects of life but I find it to be especially true as a performer.

I am really proud to be associated with this band and to have built the reputation that we have. I think what sets us apart from many of the bands that are out there is that our goals are not related to what we get out of each night. We have had a successful night if the staff at the venue make more tips than a normal night with life music if the venue does more business than a normal night with live music, if a group of people that did not intend to come out and see live music end up on the dance floor or if we catch a lonely guy at the bar singing along with us at some point in the night. While I absolutely love playing music and playing in this band, it only works if in the end, it isn’t about me or any of the other guys in the band and we make it about everyone else.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
These are really scary times for small businesses and for the music industry in general. Pollstar projects that revenue for the live music industry could be down by as much as $9 billion in 2020. Small businesses everywhere are scratching to make it through, keep costs low and provide a safe enough environment that people are comfortable coming out and spending money to keep them open. I believe the next 12 months will be devastating to smaller independent venues, bars, breweries and distilleries. Without a vaccine or government assistance, I think that many of these places will not survive the winter when less outdoor options are available in Colorado. Not only could this be incredibly bad news for some of our dearest friends, it would be devastating to small music acts like At The Watertower.

With less of these businesses open, there will be less opportunity to play music for people that may need it. From our end, we need to get creative about how to continue playing music for people. I have been taking some crash courses online to learn how to stream shows from my house that look and sound good. While it is a far cry from a live show, it is a way to play and to interact with our friends that have connected with us online. We are also toying with some other ideas like providing pop up acoustic shows and live streaming past shows while the band hangs out and talks to the each other and the crowd in the live stream.

As a band, we have tried to make it a priority to help try to drive business to our favorite venues. We have played online shows for them on their Facebook page and advertised on our live streams. Communities need these type of places to survive. Bars, restaurants, breweries and distilleries provide a place for like-minded people to come together. The few times that we have been out during the pandemic, it is clear to see that people are craving that connection with others in the worst way. That being the case, we have to ensure that we support the types of small businesses that are such an important part of building these communities in hopes that they can make it through until there is a vaccine.

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