The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and ethnomusicologist David Gould, the Bootleg Remedy have quickly gained renown among fans of traditional old timey string band, bluegrass, Dixieland, and Western swing. Reminiscent of acts like the Squirrel Nut Zippers and R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders, as much for their free-wheeling fun spirit as for their exemplary musicianship, the band has few obvious rivals in their masterful mixing of revered American forms.
Formed in Brooklyn in 2000 by banjoist Gould, violinist Amanda Kapousouz, lap steel guitarist Michael Gomez, guitarist David Yantorno, drummer Jim Mansfield, Andrew Innes on saxophone and musical saw, and the acclaimed horn section of trombonist Michael Arenella, clarinetist Eric Kay, and tuba player John Simonetti, the Bootleg Remedy draw from a variety of musical backgrounds to form an incredibly vibrant homage to past sounds. Their first release, a self-titled romp through bluegrass and early jazz covers and a smattering of originals, garnered the band their first major critical breakthrough, as the band became one of New York City's only outlets for true downhome roots music. The follow-up, 2002's Cutting Time, further established the band as the leading lights in the re-creation of most joyous sounds of a bygone era, with Gould mixing in a few more originals and turning out a similarly focused and impeccably rendered set.