Biography

Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys
10 Kakely Street
Albany, NY 12208
Booking: 518-438-1297
Email: jgaudet14@yahoo.com
Website: www.jimgaudet.com

Reasons That I Run
“These notches on my pistol are the reasons that I run.”
So says the ruthless 23-year-old rounder Billy Matson in the title track to Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys’ new release, Reasons That I Run. The disc is chock-a-block with finely-drawn character sketches (“Johnny Was An Outlaw”), bluegrass story songs (“Justify My Soul”), bluesy moans (“Dark Side of Lonesome”) and hot call-and-response dance numbers (“I Ain’t Gettin’ Up”), all delivered in Gaudet’s distinctive voice, tinged with smoke and honey.

In 2009, the Railroad Boys launched their debut album, So Far So Good, at the Linda.
In the brief time since, the Albany-based quartet issued a second album—the revelatory No Questions Asked—and hit the bluegrass road to satisfy an ardent and ever-growing coast-to-coast following with appearances at prestigious events like the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival (Oak Hill, NY); Wintergrass (Seattle, WA); Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival (East Hartford, CT); Smoked Country Jam (Cross Fork, PA); Roots on The River (Bellows Falls, VT); and the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass (Nashville, TN).

“We’ve become a tremendously cohesive unit while traveling around the country,” Gaudet says.
Gaudet’s rock solid songwriting may be the anchor for the Railroad Boys, but the crack musicianship and tight harmonies of bassist Bob Ristau, mandolinist Sten Isachsen and fiddler Mat Kane (a new addition culled from the ranks of The Doc Marshalls) drive the tunes with progressive bluegrass flair.
“Matty’s really taken us in a new direction,” Gaudet says. “We’re ready to take on the world.”
The band comes to The Linda fresh off a jubilant gospel set at Boston’s legendary Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, and that spirit and fervor will be evident onstage in Albany. With the album already receiving national airplay, it’s the right time to see Jim Gaudet and The Railroad Boys—for the first time or for the hundredth time.
As for Gaudet, he’s buzzing to get this record out to the band’s already rabid base.
“I’m really excited by this new batch of songs,” he says. “These new tunes keep me going. They’re the reasons that I run.”


Hard-driving, up-tempo acoustic Americana Roots music from the traditions of country, folk, and bluegrass. Jim's creative original story songs (anywhere from food to murder) are the main focus of the band.
Can be heard regionally in the Northeast on all NPR stations.
The Railroad Boy’s sound is steeped in the tradition of “Acoustic Americana Roots Music.” They deliver a dynamic blend of traditional mountain music fused with Gaudet’s diverse contemporary songwriting. Gaudet’s unique percussive rhythms become the perfect springboard for his voice to follow and his melodies are downright infectious. It’s typical during any live performance to see the band’s fans shouting right along on favorites like “So Far So Good.”
Gaudet has assembled a strong cast of characters in the Railroad Boys. Individually the Railroad Boys are Jim Gaudet on guitar and vocals, Bobby Ristau on bass and vocals, Sten Isachsen on mandolin, and Mat Kane on fiddle.