Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

Alt-country trio The Bundys return to Miami for Homecoming performance

Uptown Park bustled with students, alumni and Oxford families as the Homecoming Huddle began. This new evolution of the traditional Homecoming Parade appeared to be a success among Miami fans.

The Homecoming court took the stage first, sharing favorite Miami memories and advice for freshmen. Many thanked the city of Oxford for partnering seamlessly with the university for not only this event, but many others they had enjoyed during their time at Miami. The Bundys would be taking the stage next.

The scene Uptown was like something out of an admissions brochure. Groups of students sat on the lawn talking and laughing as they ate Skipper's fries and Insomnia cookies, waiting for the concert to begin. Children danced and played tag, families and alumni greeted each other as they set up lawn chairs on the border of the park.

When the Bundys took the stage and began to play, their cheerful and laid-back style perfectly complemented the atmosphere of the Homecoming celebration.

The Bundys are musical siblings from Wyoming, Ohio, all three of whom graduated from Miami (Megan in 2009, Katy in 2012 and Ryan in 2015). The siblings started out recording music individually before competing together on "The X Factor" in 2013. Eventually, they moved down to Nashville where they experimented with country before finding their own sound.

Their sound has been described as alternative country, or occasionally Americana, and is akin to the music of The Civil Wars or Kacey Musgraves. The Bundys' music has a twangy, almost eerie quality to it, but is ultimately homey and down-to-earth.

The siblings each have a strong voice that fits their chosen genre beautifully, and they harmonize well together. The majority of the songs they played were from their debut album, Louisiana Avenue, released in 2015, but they also performed some covers, including Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and The Civil Wars' "From This Valley."

The Bundys previewed some songs from their new EP as well, which will be released in the next few weeks. One such song was "King," a charming play on the "love story" between King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Ryan described it as "one of our favorite songs to play live," most likely because its upbeat tempo is a subtle diversion from the rest of the siblings' songs.

The trio shared their own Miami memories between songs and frequently professed how glad they were to be back in Oxford.

"Oxford is a magical place, as you all know," Ryan remarked.

Katey, a Miami merger, told the crowd that she wished her husband could have joined them for the trip back to campus.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

"Tell them where you met," Ryan interjected.

"I wish I could say we met at the library, like at King, but we met at The Woods," Katey said, laughing.

The siblings' playful attitudes and obvious common ground with current students and alumni alike gave them a fun rapport with the crowd.

The Bundys finished their performance with a song called "Home."

"Because we are home," Ryan concluded.

glynnee@miamioh.edu