Bobtown was formed by NYC resident Katherine Etzel who was inspired by the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou" which brought back memories of working in the corn and bean fields while growing up as a kid in Iowa. She recruited several more songwriters, Fred Stesney, Jen McDearman and Karen Dahlstrom as an outlet to perform some original songs. The band name is a reference to a neighborhood along the Des Moines River in her hometown of Fort Dodge. Over several years, the group expanded to include Alan Lee Backer and wider use of instrumentation and genre experimentation. They have released four full-length albums (2010, 2012, 2014, 2019) which have received positive reviews and airplay both domestically and internationally, and the group has also been featured on NPR's All Songs Considered. In the words of the blog Americana UK, "If you're looking for acoustic gothic-folk-Americana kissed with gorgeous harmonies then look no further."