About
The Nebraska Boys is a dynamic group of musicians with influences drawing from the traditions of bluegrass music. Brothers Ray and Marty Coniglio, alongside Tim Gauthier, hail from Lincoln, Nebraska, where they learned to play their instruments, inspired by both traditional and progressive bluegrass sounds. Despite initially pursuing separate career paths, fate brought them together on the vibrant Colorado front range, where their shared love for music reunited them.
The guys would eventually cross paths with Ed Harvey, a songwriting bassist, vocalist, and former professor at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, now residing in Fort Collins, CO. The four had an immediate connection and started playing regularly for patrons at a local brewery. It was here that they earned the moniker "Nebraska Boys," a testament to their roots and their burgeoning presence on the local scene.
While grounded in bluegrass, The Nebraska Boys' musical repertoire crosses genre boundaries, encompassing an array of styles that set them apart. With each member contributing to lead and harmony vocals, their performances are a blend of skill and artistry. Their onstage chemistry is welcoming, with guitars and mandolins taking center stage for energetic instrumentals.
The Guys
Ray Coniglio
guitar, mandolin, vocals
Ray began playing guitar in high school. His early influences were Simon & Garfunkel, Gordon Lightfoot and James Taylor. That changed during his sophomore year at the University of Nebraska when he saw Doc and Merle Watson in concert. Being totally mesmerized by Doc, he was set on a lifelong pursuit of flatpick guitar. Ray and younger brother Marty starting playing fiddle tunes together. While attending bluegrass festivals Ray was exposed to additional influences, Norman Blake, Dan Cray and Tony Rice. He began entering guitar contests with championships in Nebraska and Iowa. After relocating to Colorado Ray reconnected with fellow Nebraska Boy, Tim Gauthier. Tim and Ray accompanied each other in guitar contests in Colorado. Ray had additional first place finishes including Rocky Grass. He picked up playing mandolin along the way. Ray had a long career as a registered nurse specializing in trauma and critical care. This included serving as a flight nurse with Flight for Life. The musical collaboration with the Nebraska Boys is a creative outlet, “string therapy” and lot of fun.
Ed Harvey
bass, vocals
Ed became interested in music at a very young age, first picking up the guitar as a boy then learning to play upright bass, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, dobro, mountain dulcimer, and autoharp as an adult. Ed has a vocal range from deep bass to tenor and he enjoys singing harmony as well as lead. Ed enjoys all musical genres focusing mostly on Americana (folk, roots, and bluegrass).
While professor of hydrologic sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Ed spent Friday nights at local coffee houses listening to and being inspired by numerous local musicians. After becoming friends with them, he joined the local songwriters group and tried his hand at songwriting. Ed released his first CD of original music, “Stories Seldom Told” in 2015 edharveymusic.com.
In 2013, Ed took a new job with the U.S. National Park Service and moved to Fort Collins, Colorado. In the years that followed he befriended and performed with bandmates Tim Gauthier and Ray and Marty Coniglio at a bluegrass camp they all attended annually in Grand Lake, Colorado. Ed was thrilled when they asked him to join their group as their upright bass player and to later form the band.
Tim Gauthier
guitar, vocals
Tim has been playing guitar since he was a teenager in Lincoln, Nebraska. One of his earliest gigs was at a No Nukes concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He got to open for some big names like Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Jesse Colin Young. He performed an original song, and it marked a significant beginning to performing in public. A few years later, Tim relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado, and joined a band called the Touch Monkeys as their bassist. They toured regionally and even got to open for the Neville Brothers. Talk about a cool experience! Tim's taste in music is very eclectic. He's into all sorts of stuff, from bluegrass to bebop, and straight up blues. He is a former Rockygrass Bluegrass guitar champion. While always having a place for music in his life, Tim also did some studying. He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in music education, and went on to get his master's in elementary education from the University of Northern Colorado. For a good chunk of his life, Tim was teaching in the Poudre School District. In 2019, he put together his first recording project as a leader. Teaming up with buddies, Chuck Landgraf and Jo Asker, they made a CD called "Cry Last." It's a collection of jazz standards and some of Tim's own compositions. These days, you can catch Tim performing with different groups around Northern Colorado. Whether he's playing with the Nebraska Boys Bluegrass Band or the Tim Gauthier Jazz Trio, he's always up for some good tunes.
Marty Coniglio
mandolin, octave mandolin, mandola, guitar, vocals.
Marty’s start in music was in 5th grade school band playing trumpet. He moved to the low brass section (baritone) a couple years later for high school marching band and concert band.
While in high school Marty self-taught himself electric bass for the school swing band, guitar, and mandolin for home jam sessions with his musical older brothers.
In college Marty was a member of “Cold Spring” a regional Bluegrass band in the Lincoln, NE area playing mandolin and doing lead and backing vocals. Despite a professional career that took him away from directly playing music Marty remained active on his own listening to many types of music and playing guitar, mandolin, and adding octave mandolin to his stable of instruments in 2017.
Currently Marty plays a wide variety of musical styles in the Denver Mandolin Orchestra and is a member of the “Nebraska Boys” Bluegrass band.