The following description comes from the event organizer.

In the summer of 2014, Portland Oregon’s premier Grateful Dead tribute, the Garcia Birthday Band, had a crazy idea to host a mid-size multi-day Festival for their friends and family. A brand new Bluegrass band from Portland, The Hillwilliams, was invited to keep the party going with a fireside set after the show on Friday night. Our story starts in that magical late-night, post-set time, when anything can and sometimes does happen.

After the official fireside entertainment ended, a slightly rested Justin John, lead guitarist for GBB, would arrive at the bonfire with his acoustic guitar and play on through the night with Hillwilliams mandolinist Rich Landar, often joined by other pickers and insomniacs. Justin and Rich quickly found a musical common ground, where folk, bluegrass, 60’s and 70’s classic rock, and Dead tunes blended into some fine Fireside gatherings andsing-alongss. Things went so well at these jams that before long Rich asked Justin if he could book some shows as a duo, and how about calling the new “act” The Campfire Boys!

Fast forward to 2022 and The Campfire Boys are still going strong. They released a self-titled album in 2021, https://thecampfireboys.bandcamp.com/album/the-campfire-boys and have amassed a huge song list while honing their chemistry-driven live performances.