Photo Credit: Shane Engleking
In 2009 Dave Bolyard and Jeff Stehr formed The Tritonics, a Milwaukee band that plays original music written in the Jamaican roots styles of rock steady, ska and reggae. They also dusted off standards from that Jamaica-centric corner of danceable music. And the Tritonics’ live approach was a novel one—name another band fronted by a drummer and keyboard player.
In April 2020 Dave lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was remembered in a memorial walk, but the pandemic didn’t allow for a proper celebration. Stehr (keyboards and vocals) made the decision to schedule a handful of shows to recognize his comrade and write the band’s final chapter.
“We had a run of almost 12 years as a band. Dave was front and center when we played and I really don’t want to do the music any more without him. I think it is a great way to honor his memory,” Stehr says. He takes pride that they built a great audience and became a legitimate part of the local music community. The band’s semi-residency at Bay View’s Tonic Tavern was a sweet spot for fans looking to catch live music on a Sunday afternoon.
Bolyard was a multi-instrumentalist who played drums, horns and sang. His musical resume includes Mark Truesdell and The Lost Pioneers; C-Food Buffet, Voot Warnings, Sixty Watt Sarah, Eat The Mystery, Riverwest Accordion Club, Sandmen, BTO (Bolyard Turner Overdrive) and Dr. Chow’s Love Medicine. He also was a competitive guts frisbee player and a visual artist.
Again, the shadow of the pandemic looms and Stehr has announced that The Tritonics’ Aug. 28 show at Linneman’s has been postponed but other shows will go on. They are: Metro Jam Fest in Manitowoc on Friday, Aug. 20; Tonic Tavern Rock Steady Matinee show on Sunday, Aug. 22 and The Vista King Concert Cruise on Friday, Aug. 27. John Carr will man the drumkit for these shows.
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There are plans for a gathering at Estabrook Bier Garden on Saturday Aug. 28. In addition, Stehr says Bolyard’s art is being cataloged for anyone who would like to acquire a piece of his artwork by making a donation in memory of Dave to PanCAN here.
