Forming in late 2002 in a small town in southern New Hampshire, Duty Free serves up a steady blend of jazz/jam influenced songs with inviting melodies to match. Over the past few years the band's following and popularity have grown steadily throughout New England. This year the band has found itself playing more shows than ever before as they continue to make fans in smokey bars, packed clubs, campus coffee houses and festivals all over the Northeast.In 2006, the band's "dedication to quality live performances" and "contagious energy" (Hippo Press, 06) provided the band with several opportunities to spread their music. The biggest of which came last fall when Duty Free prevailed through both State and Regional competitions for the nation-wide battle of the bands search. As a finalist, Duty Free was judged alongside 250+ before being chosen as the National Champion. Capitalizing on their success, the band was then asked to open the 2006 Amsterjam Festival in New York City with big name acts like Tom Petty and Foo Fighters. Duty Free was the only unsigned band invited to the festival.The Band's chronicle began when bassist and longtime friend Tom Benson urged singer/songwriter Phil Butt to come home from college to record some songs he had written. With the encouragement of friends, Tom and Phil made copies of this recording and decided to sell them at their first open-mic. To their surprise, they had completely sold out by the end of their set. Inspired by the response, Tom and Phil continued to write more material when the caught the attention of guitarist Eric Turner. Eric was studying music at the University of New Hampshire and agreed to join the band soon after. The band's sound really began to take shape in early 2003 when Eric Boulter was recommended to play drums. Tom had played with Eric in college bands at Keene State. Later that year Duty Free's roster was solidified when guitarist Travis Fuller moved back from Hawaii to join the band. Travis had played in several bands with both Phil and Tom while attending the same high school.Performing as a five-piece ensemble, Duty Free has established themselves as a band synonymous with high-energy shows and positive vibes. This past year ('06) has been the most successful for the band in many ways. Moving into more well-known clubs like Nectars, (Vermont) Bill's Bar and Harper's Ferry, (Boston) as well as playing New York City shows (CBGB's) have considerably helped the band get noticed. Duty Free has also found themselves on the cover of several magazines and newspapers this year including The Hippo Press, The Union Leader and have been featured in many other articles including Oxx Magazine and Vintage. This year's accomplishments and press have helped spread the word about Duty Free throughout the Northeast. Their fan base has grown show by show as they continue to tape and distribute their live performances. The band's musical style attracts the widest range of listeners from Phish-phans to N.W.A. loyalists. Extended jams to accapella numbers, hip-hop medleys to acoustic soul, Duty free always makes a conscious effort to involve the audience and leaves them wanting more.The CricketSoda Myspace Editor!Get Your Own! | View SlideshowDuty Free
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