ROLLINSVILLE - Tyler Ballantyne has always loved music, but he didn’t start playing seriously until his college years. Around that time, he became obsessed with Dave Matthews, particularly his right hand—the way he played rhythm guitar.
Ballantyne bought a guitar, and he says that at the time, he learned about half of one of Matthews’ songs and otherwise strummed it to play songs like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Ring of Fire.”
Once he arrived in Colorado, he fell in love with bluegrass and folk.
A few months into the COVID pandemic, he decided to take guitar more seriously, inspired by acts such as The Grateful Dead, Phish, and Billy Strings. He bought a Martin D-18 and signed up to take lessons from Bryan Sutton.
When Ballantyne moved to Denver with his friend Erik Hill, they started playing music together. At one point, Ballantyne suggested to Hill that they could perform their duo material around the area, so they started playing at Over Yonder Brewing.
The two cemented a band lineup when they brought in Dylan and Paul Flynn, with Hill playing mandolin, Dylan playing dobro, and Paul playing bass. The band performed for a few years until Hill and the Flynns split off, forming the trio Magoo.
Now, Ballantyne describes Good for Nothin’ Thunder Mountain Boys as a flexible rock-and-roll, country, and jam band that still keeps the original lineup’s progressive bluegrass roots.
Evolving from playing primarily bluegrass covers, he’s written original songs for the group and hopes to eventually make the band’s sets primarily original. He loves the idea of adding originals as creative twists in their sets from standard bluegrass and fiddle tunes.
However, he’s not in a rush to get his songs into the setlist. While he’s still writing in the background, he wants to prioritize creating an entertaining show and playing songs that are fun for the whole group to play.
Good for Nothin’ Thunder Mountain Boys will be performing at Howlin Wind Brewing and Blending, located at 51 A Main Street in Rollinsville, on Saturday, October 25, 2025, starting at 5 p.m.
You can keep up with the band on Facebook and Instagram (@goodfornothinthundermtnboys) and find their EP In the Green wherever you get your music.
Correction:
In the 10/16/25 issue, Music of the Mountains column featured Good for Nothin' Thunder Mountain Boys. The primary member's name, Tyler Ballantyne, was improperly spelled as Tyler Balentine. We apologize for this error.
