GET ON BOARD

BY GRAMMY-WINNING BLUEGRASS STAR

words by mckenna scherer

EAU CLAIRE’S ELI BREMER IS A LOVER OF ALL THINGS MUSICAL AND ARTISTIC and has combined the two in a vibrant, playful way with Meet Me At The Creek, a family-friendly board game that will be easy to pick up if you’ve played similar ones like Parcheesi, but with a completely unique vibe.

Described as “an exciting game of chase, race, and capture,” the game is fit for those ages 8+, requires two-four players, and takes anywhere from about 25-45 minutes to finish. Though playtime might feel like other classic board games, MMATC has an incredibly unique backstory linked to Grammy Awardwinning musician, Billy Strings.

“I am always thinking about music and art, so why not find one of the best artists and team up with him on this special project involving a fusion of music, art, and good old-fashioned fun,” Bremer wrote on the game’s Kickstarter page.

Billy “MF” Strings, whose fanbase calls themselves Billy Goats, is a guitarist and bluegrass artist from Michigan who‘s hit quite a stride over the past few years. Strings’ fourth studio album, Home, was released in 2019 and peaked at number one on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart – his first album to do so – earning him his first Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 2021 and his first performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Rolling Stone called him the “Bluegrass Star You Can’t Miss” in 2019, and he’s garnered nearly a million monthly Spotify listeners.

His Billy Goats are dearly devoted – evident by MMATC’s references back to Strings, including the company that is creating it, Goatful Games, and the game’s board pieces, called “Goaties.” Bremer said Goatful Games has received the OK for its usage of Strings references and has even gotten a prototype of the game signed by one of the band members. The artwork for the board and box were created by Nashvillebased artist Brandon Trammel. To win the game, players must get their Goaties to the end of the board’s pathways by rolling either a 3 or 33 (33 earning a “BILLY BONUS”), and along the way, can create blockades while winding around Red Daisy Way, Hide & Seek Rd., Ice Bridge

Ave., and Hellbender Dr., to end up Meeting At The Creek. (As you may have guessed, these game elements are named after Billy Strings songs.)

To get Meet Me At The Creek up and running, a Kickstarter was launched with a goal of raising $25,000 by Sept. 10. Kickstarter is an “all or nothing” fundraising website, so if the game does not hit its goal, none of the pledges will be collected. As of Aug. 5, $10,931 had been pledged by 98 backers.

MMATC is also offering incentives in 12 levels of support.

Spanning between $5-$5,000, incentive prizes include free game stickers, T-shirts, posters, Kickstarteronly items, limited edition Goatie pieces, a meet-and-greet with Strings, tickets to a Strings show, and more.

Bremer said the team is on track for its Kickstarter deadline, especially after a July 27 Strings concert that Bremer and a group of buddies went to where Strings himself gave them a shoutout.

Read the full article at volumeone. org, and visit @GoatfulGames on Facebook to keep up with them.