The McLovins: a video profile

The McLovins started as a three piece band in 2008. They describe themselves as specializing "in the creation of dynamic and improvised sound, influenced by the members' disparate and eclectic musical influences." In the tradition of improvisational bands like the Grateful Dead, The McLovins allow the recording and sharing of their live performances. Most of their shows can be found on the Internet Archive.

The Connecticut based trio quickly gained notoriety after posting a video of themselves covering Phish's "You Enjoy Myself" on YouTube. In 2009 they performed at their first music festival, Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, Conn.

By 2011, they had created a loyal fan base in the North East by appearing at festivals like StrangeCreek, Gathering of the Vibes, and Nateva. The buzz around them grew to such an extent that they begin collaborating with Phish lyricist Tom Marshal, and Spin Doctors guitarist Anthony Krizan.

In March 2011, I interviewed the band before their show at The Main Pub in Manchester, Conn.

As seen on Jambands.com and FARK.com.

Since the interview, The McLovins went through a line up change. Guitarist Jeff Howard left the band, and was replaced by Justin Berger and Atticus Kelly.

Jeff Howard's last show was December 30th, 2011 at Pearl Street in Northampton, Mass. It was a great way for Howard to say good bye. If you listen to the show, you'll find that the audio's a little raw because the acoustics of the place weren't super conducive to recording, but the music still stands out. Jeff Howard went all out, playing what seemed like every song he had ever thought about teasing, much to the delight of the members of the crowd who picked up on those. Unfortunately, the band played so long they were denied an encore by the venue's staff. Fans never got to find out what the band had in mind as a farewell Jeff song.

With their new line up The McLovins continue to explore new directions and extend the reach of their fan base. They even appeared on ESPN. In 2012, they were SportsNation's house band for four weeks.

This year, the AURA Music and Arts Festival in Live Oak, Florida, ran a fan contest to find a band for the festival's opening slot. The McLovins beat out the competition, and then ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise funds so they could attend.

In July they performed at Gathering of the Vibes for the fifth consecutive year. Their set included very special guests like Grant's Tomb's Horn Section and The Funky Meters' bassist George Porter Jr.

Their willingness to take risks on stage -- which is evident when you look at some of the covers they tackle -- will no doubt continue to make them an exciting band to watch in years to come.

Below is the recently released official music video for "8 Dogs" a  track off of their upcoming fourth album: Beautiful Lights.