Two Dollar Bash blends acoustic country-rock with a wide array of influences, drawing primarily from the folk-rock sound associated with Bob Dylan and the Band as well as the country-folk approach of Townes Van Zandt and Emmylou Harris, while also incorporating European elements that emphasize the Celtic tradition. Although the group maintains its base in Berlin and maintains ties to Canary Row Records, its members—Tony Rose on guitar and vocals, Matt de Harp on mandolin, harp, guitar, and vocals, Mark Mulholland on banjo, mandola, guitar, and vocals, and Joe Armstrong on guitar, bass, and vocals—originally hail from Scotland and France. They had performed together in shifting combinations across multiple years prior to officially forming Two Dollar Bash in 2003. Following an independent release of their debut full-length album under the band’s name, they joined the Berlin-based independent imprint Canary Row Records, which issued their follow-up effort, On the Road, in 2007 and subsequently reissued the self-titled debut later that same year. The label then put out the band’s third album, Lost River, in 2008, prompting extensive touring across North America and western Europe that included a showcase appearance at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, TX.
