Fair season is a special time of year for Clint Rieder of Clancy, a moonlighter who ranches, roofs and fronts The Longhorn Band, a country act that has been a staple at Jefferson County events for more than a decade.
It all started, Rieder said, when the community rallied behind him at the 2008 state finals for the Colgate Country Showdown – a talent contest based in Nashville that sought to discover country singers around the nation. Rieder was hoping to take state and go to regionals, following in the footsteps of previous Colgate Country Showdown winners Tracy Byrd, Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood, among others.
Although Rieder didn’t win, he was blown away by the generosity and the enthusiasm of his hometown crowd. “A bus came out to the competition from Boulder to watch me compete,” he recalled. “It felt like pretty much the entire community was there.”
The low-register crooner continued to follow his country music dreams. He kept developing his voice and started taking guitar lessons from Terry O’Hare, who a few years later would play lead in Rieder’s Longhorn Band.
Their partnership “started with a spot at the Music and Arts Festival,” Rieder said. “[O’Hare] and I got together, jammed out on some songs and went and performed at the music festival. That’s kind of where it all began. From that day forward we were officially a band, and now we’re in our 11th year.”
O’Hare and drummer Mike Doughty have been with him since the beginning, Rieder said. Bassist Dennis Dupray and fiddler Chad Sigafoos are more recent additions. Rieder’s daughter Addison occasionally joins the band, most recently singing Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
“She’s going to be a heck of a talent,” Rieder said. “She reminds me a lot of myself. She always wants to sing, always wants to learn new songs…she lives and dies music.”
A third-generation Montanan who ranches a mile and a half north of Boulder, Rieder said he loves to take advantage of the hunting and fishing the area offers. “I feel lucky to have grown up in the most beautiful place I’ve ever been,” he said.
Enjoying the outdoors with his family and playing music with his band are Rieder’s truest passions, and he said he’s grateful to have played all over the state, including headlining spots at the Fall Fest in Townsend and multiple headlining spots at the Boulder Music and Arts Festival.
“We’ve been playing honky tonks, weddings and rodeos all over the state,” Rieder said, “and we play for the people. If you enjoy dancing at all you will not be disappointed. Texas two-step, swing, waltzes, it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s 98 percent country with a few older rock songs. You’ll hear George Strait, Alan Jackson, Waylon Jennings and a whole lot more.”
Many in the area are already familiar with Rieder’s sound, and he said he appreciates how many regularly come out to his shows, local or otherwise.
“The community has been unbelievable,” he said. “I don’t think I’d get this kind of support from any other community. Everyone has been so generous and they’ve always had such good things to say to me. It means a lot for them to come together and always be supportive.”
Rieder said it means a lot to him to play the annual Barn Dance this year – his band’s first time in that slot. “It’s a gig we’ve wanted for a long time,” he said. “We love the acoustics, love the barn setting and love the fair. It’s a fun family event and we’re honored to be a part of it.”
The Barn Dance takes place Saturday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. in the White Barn at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
