Tag: AJ Lee & Blue Summit

MIXTAPE: AJ Lee & Blue Summit’s Songs That Stick With You

Posted on by Editor

Hi, we’re AJ Lee & Blue Summit! We’ve spent our ten years as a band playing for people all across the country (and occasionally the world) and these are some songs we’ve picked up along the way. We love a cover song, it’s the start to everyone’s musical journey. From day one picking up a guitar, every song you learn teaches you something in return. Many will stick with you throughout your life, songs that become a part of you. And for us, to perform them is to share that part of ourselves with you, and give you the songs back as we see them.

Some of these songs transport us back to childhood, listening to the radio from a carseat, some to our teen years wringing every second out of the too-short nighttime at a bluegrass festival, and some are recent additions, songs that grabbed us in one way or another and inspired us. These songs are probably familiar to you, listeners, from your own musical memories. They’re not all deep cuts. What they are, though, are songs that have shaped us, and songs that have been part of our live show, some for many years. They’ve become favorites of ours and I hope soon, of yours. — Cheers, AJLBS

“Meet Me in the Morning” – Bob Dylan

I’m a huge Dylan fan and this is my favorite album of his. His songwriting is a little more serious than it was on some of his ’60s stuff and his voice hit its all time peak in my opinion. I’ve covered most of the songs on Blood on the Tracks at various different times but after playing this one with the band for a few years it felt like we’d really found our own groove. – Sully

“Matterhorn” – The Country Gentlemen

This is a song I grew up listening to. My dad would put on bluegrass in the living room in the background and I usually didn’t know the names of the bands or songs but this one stuck out to me and I’d often request it. It’s always been one of my favorite bluegrass songs and brings back a lot of childhood memories. – Sully

“Who Walks In When I Walk Out” – Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys

I heard this song for the first time a few years ago while listening to a bunch of Bob Wills. His recording, played fast and energetic, made me want to do a version with the band sort of like his but with a bit of Django Reinhardt influence thrown in as well. – Sully

“Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin” – Rhonda Vincent

“Drivin’ Nails In My Coffin” was written by Jerry Irby, who originally recorded and released the song in 1945. I was inspired by Rhonda Vincent’s bluegrass version from her 2001 album, The Storm Still Rages. Rhonda was one of my first inspirations as a female singer. – AJ

“Red Dirt Girl” – Emmylou Harris

“Red Dirt Girl” was written by Emmylou Harris and released in 2000. I first came across a version on her 2001 album, Hickory Wind, and fell in love with it. The story of a girl named Lilian who’s dreams were never achieved tug at my heartstrings every time! The weight of the lyrics and emotion in Emmylou’s voice attest to her superior songwriting and musicianship. When we recorded our version I was a little under the weather, but I believed it worked out for the better. I had to execute a more gentle approach than planned and I was actually happy to have some airy notes. – AJ

“Glendale Train” – New Riders of the Purple Sage

“Glendale Train” was written by John Dawson, lead singer and songwriter of the band New Riders of the Purple Sage. A few years ago we were practicing and a bandmate had the funny idea to stretch out the middle section into a funky psychedelic jam (which isn’t typical in traditional bluegrass music). For fun, we’ve kept that section of the song open for improvisation. – AJ

“Wish I Could Say I Was Drinking” – Cadillac Sky

“Wish I Could Say I Was Drinking” was written by Ashley Gorley and Cadillac Sky’s Bryan Simpson. Their album, Blind Man Walking, was released in 2007 – a very influential year for 10-year-old AJ. This band has been the most inspirational to me throughout my musical career. They had so many unique arrangements. I was sad when the group disbanded in 2011. – AJ

“Fishin’ in the Dark” – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

“Fishin’ in the Dark” was written by Jim Photoglo and Wendy Waldman. The song was first recorded by Ed Bruce in 1986, but was made famous by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1987. We decided to “bluegrassify” this country-rock classic by replacing the halftime feel with a more driving feel. Wherever you are, this song will make you feel like you’re out in the country laying where the “cool grass grows”. – AJ

“Tear My Stillhouse Down” – Gillian Welch

“Tear My Stillhouse Down” was written by Gillian Welch and first released by The Nashville Bluegrass band in 1995. Gillian followed up with her own version in 1996. Gillian is another of my most inspirational female singers/songwriters. – AJ

“It Takes One to Know One” – Jimmy Martin

“It Takes One to Know One” is a classic country song written by Harlan Howard and Freddie Hart. It’s one that I’ve heard sung in bluegrass jam circles all my life. To me, the theme of this song is giving trauma bonding. – AJ

“Soak Up the Sun” – Sheryl Crow

“Soak Up the Sun” was written in 2002 by Sheryl Crow and Jeff Trott. This song has been a longtime favorite of mine. It’s almost impossible to not sing along when the chorus comes around. I’ve listened through many rotations of the album C’mon C’mon, which features Sheryl’s iconic rock sound. – AJ

Photo Credit: Natia Cinco

30 Jamgrass Sitch Sessions

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

What do you mean this whole time we could have been the Jamgrass Situation!?

Ever since the earliest days of BGS we’ve been posting about bluegrass, hosting bluegrass shows, and shooting bluegrass Sitch Sessions. Our often-viral performance videos have been the bread and butter of the brand. Along the way, with our borderless and wide open “rootsy” purview, quite a bit of bluegrass “coloring outside the lines” has been celebrated on our site and jamgrass has permeated everything we’ve done. As the years went on, the influence of bluegrass’s current biggest phenomenon became more and more apparent on the site.

You can see this fact – obviously! – throughout our archive of Sitch Sessions. It’s quite the collection of first-rate jamgrass. Over more than 15 years we’ve had dozens of Sitch Sessions and YouTube videos feature some of the best and most beloved jamgrass acts around. One of our very first viral sensations was a now-retired clip of Billy Strings himself. But so many more have featured on our site and channels: Yonder Mountain String Band, The Lil Smokies, Elephant Revival, Front Country, Punch Brothers, Fruition, Greensky Bluegrass, Town Mountain, Mountain Grass Unit, Lindsay Lou, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, the Travelin’ McCourys, the Hillbenders – and many, many more.

From rooftops in downtown L.A. to Falkenberg, Sweden, to DelFest in Cumberland, Maryland, to the powdery slopes above Lake Tahoe to Telluride, Colorado, and back again. Across the trajectory of BGS over time, jamgrass has been an indelible through line of the work we do and the content we create. And we wouldn’t have it any other way!

To celebrate Jamgrass in July, enjoy exploring these 30 jamgrass Sitch Sessions. And dive into the archive here and here to see even more! Just for today, just for this month – let’s be the Jamgrass Situation.

“Take a Chance on Me” – Yonder Mountain String Band

We’ve gotten the chance to collaborate with Yonder Mountain String Band quite a bit over the years, but this Sitch Session has always been a highlight of our content together. YMSB have been carrying the jamgrass banner for a long time; they are stalwarts of the subgenre, for sure!

“Miss Marie” – The Lil Smokies

But why did the Lil Smokies have to retire!? We miss them so much already. If you miss them as much as we do, check out our final interview with the group posted in April 2025 on the heels of their excellent last album, Break Of The Tide.

“Cedarwood Pines” – The Brothers Comatose

Across the decades and generations you can always count on the Bay Area to produce excellent jamgrass. The Brothers Comatose certainly fit that descriptor! “Cedarwood Pines,” shot on a picturesque DTLA rooftop in 2017, features a classic lineup of the group and (gasp!) electric guitar!? (That’s how you know it’s jamgrass.)

“If Something Breaks” – Front Country

Speaking of Bay Area jamgrass – and bands we wish hadn’t retired! Front Country may be no more, but we’re glad we have our Sitch Session memories. And of course, the members of FroCo have gone on to do even more excellent things in roots music. For instance, have you heard BERTHA? Now there’s some jamgrass, too.

“Wasting Time” – Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

Sometimes a band that isn’t a jamgrass band is a jamgrass band, you know what we mean? Now, are Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats always a jamgrass band? Perhaps no. But here, in our Sitch Session, or in many of their live, all-skate jam or festival or collaboration set contexts? Could be jamgrass… It’s always in the ear of the beholder, after all.

“Winter to Pry” – The Deer

That time we shot sessions at Old Settler’s in Austin, Texas, was one of the best. Such a great range of acts, sounds, and styles. The Deer turned out a perennial favorite Sitch Session for us, which we returned to time and time again as winter would roll in. The outdoor Austin shoot and the Deer’s offering of the song would always warm us up.

“All Day All Night” – River Whyless

If you miss River Whyless, worry not, this band hasn’t retired, they’ve just slowed down a bit and re-intentionalized their performing and touring rhythms. We once featured the group on our stage at Bonnaroo and while their sound always defied perfect categorization, here on “All Day All Night” and on festival stages – and elsewhere, to be sure – they often fit the jamgrass bill perfectly.

“Hey Boys” – The HillBenders

Recently the HillBenders have slightly shuffled their lineup, but the Missouri-based band are still one of the most party-ready groups on the bluegrass and jamgrass scenes. Their work with Keller Williams and Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry are the jammiest of their offerings, but the threads and vibes of jams and jamgrass are woven throughout their work.

“Home In Your Heart” – Elephant Revival

One of our coolest Sitch Session locations ever! Out in the desert in Pioneertown, California, with Elephant Revival. This has always been such a memorable one. Here’s another group we greatly miss.

“Dance You Hippy Dance” – Tim O’Brien

What do you call a forefather who’s also a currentfather? That’s what Tim O’Brien is to jamgrass, a foundational figure who’s also active in the music and in moving it forward. And what would jamgrass be without dancing hippies? Nothing! It would be nothing!

“Burn Them” – Greensky Bluegrass

One of our most-viewed Sitch Sessions of all time, and it’s no wonder. Greensky Bluegrass epitomize the ethos of jamgrass – community, longevity, collaboration, and of course, jams. Every time we collaborated with Mason Jar Music, who produced this session, the results would be stellar. With 1.5 million views and counting… jamgrass is where it’s at.

“Death Comes Knockin’” – Fruition

When bands and performers would route through Los Angeles, we often jumped at the chance to link up and capture some content. In 2016, we met up with Fruition in Echo Park to shoot “Death Comes Knockin’” a rocking, macabre song that’s as old-timey as it is jammy. Fruition have always been good at infusing the traditional into their progressive sounds. An essential band of the modern jamgrass movement.

“My Oh My / Boll Weevil” – Punch Brothers

Okay, now just because they can also play classical doesn’t mean Punch Brothers aren’t a jamgrass band! It’s bluegrass, it’s jam band, it’s jamgrass. I mean, you can’t be a string band playing that many Radiohead covers and not be considered jamgrass, right? Right.

“Coming Back To You” – Town Mountain

North Carolina has birthed some high-quality jamgrass over the years. Another band we’d wish out of retirement if we could, Town Mountain combined jam band appeal with country twang and bluegrass drive (and silliness, too). They were jamgrass even before they added a drum kit and a pedal steel, but towards the end of their tenure there they seemed to creep ever closer to the jammy center.

“One Horse Town” – Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper Featuring Charlie Starr

Fiddling phenom Michael Cleveland is as traditional as they get, but whether in his work with Jason Carter or his many jaw-dropping features – with Béla Fleck, or Billy Strings, or Tommy Emmanuel, or whomever – he’s known to shred his way through some jamgrass, too. Partnering here with Charlie Starr of Southern rock group Blackberry Smoke, Cleveland and his band Flamekeeper are remarkably jamgrass.

“Billy in the Lowground” – Kenny G, Ed Helms, Bryan Sutton, and Gabe Witcher

A virtual jam for pandemic times creates virtual jamgrass of the highest – and most random – sort! One of our crowning achievements across the history of BGS will be getting Kenny G in on a COVID benefit bluegrass jam. For Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, our pandemic-era virtual variety show, the sensational wind specialist performed “Billy in the Lowground” with Bryan Sutton, Gabe Witcher, and our co-founder Ed Helms. ICONIC. If Kenny G is playing bluegrass, it’s gotta be jamgrass.

“Turn Around” – Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams

Calling Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams “jamgrass artists” would be woefully reductive and simplistic. Still, it wouldn’t be right to exclude them from this list. Across their varied and diverse careers they’ve collaborated, recorded, and performed with some absolutely seminal figures in Americana, jam band, and bluegrass. Here, we caught up with the duo while sailing aboard our favorite roots music cruise, Cayamo.

“How Many Times” – Rainbow Girls

Something about Rainbow Girls is just a perfect fit for a jamgrass playlist – and we don’t just mean the rainbows. Also captured aboard a Cayamo voyage, this Bob Marley cover by the Bay Area-bwased folk group encapsulates so many of the facets that we love about jamgrass, from the material to the joy they bring forth in the music to their humor and community mindset.

“House of the Rising Sun” – Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, and Friends

There wouldn’t be no jamgrass without these fellas! At MerleFest last year Sam Bush hosted the iconic Late Night Jam and there were quite a few Late Night-jamgrassy moments. Whenever jamgrass gets to the point of having its own canon of recognizable material, like bluegrass, old-time, jazz, and others, “House of the Rising Sun” will surely be found among those songs. Absolutely nonnegotiable.

“Takes So Long, Goes So Fast” – Lindsay Lou

Decked out in snow gear, in a gondola above Lake Tahoe, with a bunch of hippies and wooks and music fans at WinterWonderGrass? Yep, that might be jamgrass. Lindsay Lou has become a stalwart in the younger jamgrass generations, and certainly not just because of her many connections to Billy Strings. As a performer herself or a collaborator or artist at large, she’s a favorite at jamgrass festivals and events.

“Fishin’ in the Dark” – AJ Lee & Blue Summit

Jamgrass filtering down through the generations! A fantastic up-and-coming bluegrass band, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, offer their rendition of a jamgrass classic first recorded by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Who are Nitty Gritty if not a jamgrass outfit? While AJ Lee and band are much more than “just” jamgrass, they fit that moniker oh so well. This Sierragrass Sitch Session has been a fan favorite.

“Lonesome Dove” – Mountain Grass Unit

Shouldering the jamgrass mantle for Gen Z, Mountain Grass Unit have jammed with everyone from Billy Strings to Kesha to Shania Twain. These fellas are making a name for themselves right at the very center of the jamgrass universe, but while still carving out their own sound and their own identity. An exciting act to be watching and following along with at this juncture, their new album is set for release in late August.

“The Missing Stair” – Big Richard

You know what’s a prerequisite for being or becoming a jamgrass band? Big Richard energy. This group of supremely talented women have got it. We’d love to see them on more jam band and jamgrass festival lineups – a welcome palate cleanser, indeed.

“Fiery Gizzard” – the Travelin’ McCourys

Del McCoury Band have been known to dip a toe in the jamgrass waters regularly, but when the boys are “released” from their duties with their father and bandleader and go out as the Travelin’ McCourys is when they really lean into the jams. Their live shows are some of the highest quality jamgrass out there, the most elite bluegrass virtuosity lent to the jammiest, rip-roaringest tunes and songs.

“The Road Is a River” – Jim Lauderdale

Country’s modern renaissance man Jim Lauderdale is oh-so-many things – and jamgrass is one of them. With Lillie Mae and Frank Rische at his side, that seems especially true in this Rootsy Summer Session shot in Sweden. With as much tai chi as Lauderdale does, of course he belongs on this list!

“High Country” – Leftover Salmon

Leftover Salmon are one of THE most important and impactful artisan purveyors of jamgrass around. We were lucky to finally get a Sitch Session with the group a few years ago at WinterWonderGrass in Colorado. WWG is one of the best jamgrass assemblages around these days, and the festival just announced BajaWonderGrass in Mexico for April 2027.

“Weight of the World” – Clay Street Unit

Another group on the cutting edge of jamgrass and actively building its future is Clay Street Unit. Born out of the fertile jamgrass territories surrounding Denver, Colorado, the band just released their debut album earlier this year. So there’s still ample opportunity to get in on the “ground floor” of a group that is certainly going places.

“These Chickens Eat Fascists” – Pixie & the Partygrass Boys

We’d like to thank Pixie & the Partygrass Boys for representing anti-fascism in jamgrass. It’s an important beat and we need more folks giving us such a hilarious point of solidarity as “These Chickens Eat Fascists.” Two things jamgrass is always going to be: open and accepting of everyone, and a goddamn party!

“Not Quite Spring” – Kyle Tuttle

A premier banjoist in jamgrass, Kyle Tuttle has performed with so many greats in the subgenre, from Jeff Austin and Molly Tuttle to Lindsay Lou to Leftover Salmon – and many, many more. His own solo albums and solo shows (which are, gratefully, becoming more and more frequent) are jamgrassy top-to-bottom. If you’re lucky, catch him at Bluegrass Mondays at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge in Nashville these days, where he’s often holding court with impeccable bands backing him up.

“Islands In the Stream” – Love Canon

A jamgrass tributary in the mighty jamgrass river coursing towards the roiling jamgrass sea is cover songs from outside of bluegrass and roots music altogether. Ever since the Earl Scruggs Revue, New Grass Revival, and others in the earliest days, this has been an important plank in the jamgrass platform. Love Canon are one of the bands who did it best, offering bluegrassified versions of absolute bangers – like “Islands In the Stream,” here featuring Lauren Balthrop on vocals.

Lead Image: AJ Lee & Blue Summit

You Gotta Hear This: New Music From AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Jack Van Cleaf, and More

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Our second round-up of new music and premieres for the month of May is here already!

Starting us off, California bluegrass outfit AJ Lee & Blue Summit have dropped a new track, their excellent cover of a Gillian Welch classic, “Tear My Stillhouse Down,” with Lindsay Lou joining in on harmonies. Kyle Ray takes us to the beautiful, contemplative riverbanks in Kentucky with an early listen to his ripping bluegrass-y track, “River Song,” which will arrive right in time for wading season.

For a bit of old-time, the Lonesome Ace Stringband have a delightfully quirky tune, “Carpet Beetle,” with a funky visualizer video to match. Danceable, poppy, and soulful, it’s old-time that’s modern and timeless, both. Plus, you can catch a music video for “Hikikomori,” a song about emotions and isolation from country/neo-folk phenomenon Jack Van Cleaf’s new album, JVC, which is out today.

It’s all right here on BGS! You know what you gotta do? You Gotta Hear This.

AJ Lee & Blue Summit, “Tear My Stillhouse Down”

Artist: AJ Lee & Blue Summit
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Song: “Tear My Stillhouse Down”
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Label: Signature Sounds

In Their Words: “My mom showed this song to me when I was really young and I’ve loved it ever since. I’m a lifelong fan of Gillian Welch and this has always been one of my favorite songs of hers. We’ve covered this song for years in the band and have found that audiences from coast to coast love it when we play it live. It’s a popular jam song in the campgrounds at our favorite festivals. I think of this song as Appalachian rock and roll!” – AJ Lee

“Gillian adds to the best of authentic stories from history with this song. Country music, traditional American music, bluegrass, folk – it all pulls from and sings about every real aspect of life. Death, addiction, love, poverty, fun, murder. This song is about falling prey to a cycle of creation, consumption, and distribution of a potent poison that you know only really has one way of ending. Popcorn Sutton would love this one, without a doubt.”  – Scott Gates

Track Credits:
AJ Lee – Mandolin, vocals
Lindsay Lou – vocals
Scott Gates – Guitar, vocals
Jan Purat – Fiddle, vocals
Sully Tuttle – Guitar, vocals
Sean Newman – Bass, vocals

The Lonesome Ace Stringband, “Carpet Beetle”

Artist: The Lonesome Ace Stringband
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Song: “Carpet Beetle”
Release Date: May 9, 2025

In Their Words: “John and I wrote this tune last year. I showed up with a two-part tune that was sort of like the A/B of ‘Carpet Beetle,’ but was way more note-y and pretty. Once we started playing it, it felt too ‘precious,’ at least for the mood we were in that day. We deconstructed the melody significantly, removing about half the notes in the A part, and added a bit of ugly drama. We did the same with the B part, but left the ‘prettiness’ of the melody intact. Then, we came up with a really evil chord progression for the C part. Soon, we were in paradise. Someone told us that the A part makes you feel icky, the B part makes you want to dance, and the C part makes you want to break things – I tried to reflect that in the video. We were thrilled to have Alan Mackie (bass) on this session and you can see real footage of us all recording the track live in the studio at the end of the video. The title comes from a household pest that John and I were both struggling with at the time of the composition, but that we now have under control.” – Chris Coole

Track Credits:
Chris Coole – Banjo
John Showman – Fiddle
Alan Mackie – Bass

Video Credit: Editing by Chris Coole

Kyle Ray, “River Song”

Artist: Kyle Ray
Hometown: Barren County, Kentucky
Song: “River Song”
Release Date: May 16, 2025

In Their Words: “‘River Song’ came to me in a quiet moment of reflection – looking back on my life, looking ahead, and doing my best to find peace in the present. Anyone who grew up in the South knows there’s always that one place you go to think. For me, it was the river. I tried to capture those thoughts and emotions in this song – what it felt like to sit by the water, surrounded by silence, and make peace with everything in my life. Just me, that river, and the Lord.” – Kyle Ray

Track Credits:
Kyle Ray – Lead vocals, songwriter
Alan Hester – Background vocals, producer
Malcolm Lyon – Banjo
Simon Holden-Schrock – Mandolin

Jack Van Cleaf, “Hikikomori”

Artist: Jack Van Cleaf
Hometown: Encinitas, California
Song: “Hikikomori”
Album: JVC
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Label: Dualtone Records

In Their Words: “I first came across the word ‘Hikikomori’ on a visit to my mom’s house.  She had something called ‘The Box of Emotions,’ a deck of cards featuring colorful, abstract images alongside definitions of obscure emotional states.  ‘Hikikomori,’ written on a black card, described a particular kind of social isolation that felt consistent with the depressive slump I had fallen into after graduating from college, which is what a lot of the record was born out of.” – Jack Van Cleaf

Track Credits:
Jack Van Cleaf – Lead vocals, songwriter
Aaron Krak – Drums
Shaker Hunt Pennington – Bass
Ethan Fortenberry – Acoustic guitar, baritone guitars, electric guitar
Austin Burns – Electric guitar
Annika Bennett – Background vocals

Video Credit: Directed by Joey Brodnax.

Photo Credit: AJ Lee & Blue Summit by Trinity Maxon; Jack Van Cleaf by Joseph Wasilewski.

ANNOUNCING: The Full Lineup for Bourbon & Beyond 2025 is Here

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Today, Bourbon & Beyond, the world’s largest music and bourbon festival, announced its lineup for their 2025 event, occurring September 11 through 14, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky once again held at the Kentucky Expo Center. Last year, the festival attracted more than 200,000 attendees over its four days, setting a record as the largest music festival in the state’s history with its singular and wildly attractive roots-meets-mainstream lineup.

This year, main stage headliners include The Lumineers, Alabama Shakes, Phish, Sturgill Simpson (as Johnny Blue Skies), Jack White, Noah Kahan, Megan Moroney, and more. Plus, BGS returns to Bourbon & Beyond for our seventh consecutive year, programming The Bluegrass Situation stage in the Kroger Big Bourbon Bar. Attendees can enjoy delicious Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from dozens of distilleries while hearing the best bluegrass, country, and Americana from across the country. Don’t miss line dancing between sets while you enjoy the sounds of BGS – from new discoveries to living legends – and one of the shadiest spots on the festival grounds.

Our headliners gracing the BGS stage will be some of our biggest gets yet for the event, including AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Rhonda Vincent, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Leftover Salmon. Plus, you can catch Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland – who just announced their upcoming debut duo album – young mandolin phenom Wyatt Ellis, the impressively big-voiced Jett Holden, GRAMMY nominee Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, and many more. (Find our full BGS stage lineup below.)

While there’s always plenty of bluegrass and old-time, folk and Americana to be found on our own stage, B&B boasts an incredibly diverse array of artists, bands, and musicians each year across all of its stages. Elsewhere during the event we’ll be running around, too catching sets by Bonny Light Horseman, Kelsey Waldon, Flatland Cavalry, Jade Bird, Julien Baker & TORRES, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lake Street Dive, Trampled by Turtles, and so many more.

“Bourbon & Beyond is the best lineup of the year – bringing together the biggest names in rock, Americana, and alt, alongside country icons and breakout artists,” says Danny Wimmer of Danny Wimmer Productions, who produces the event. “It’s a festival that doesn’t just celebrate one sound, but the best of all of them, paired with world-class bourbon, incredible food, and that unmistakable Kentucky vibe.”

We couldn’t agree more. Bourbon & Beyond remains one of the highest quality events we’ve ever partnered with, bringing together world class food and beverage, unique experiences and activities, so many genres and sounds, and the buzziest talents alongside sparkling fresh discoveries and legacy acts with household names. All set in the heart of roots music country in beautiful Kentucky.

Tickets for Bourbon & Beyond are on sale now. We hope you’ll join us for yet another year in Louisville – you won’t want to miss our BGS stage lineup or any of the limitless fun B&B has on offer.

BGS Stage Lineup:

AJ Lee & Blue Summit
Rhonda Vincent
Steep Canyon Rangers
Leftover Salmon
Caleb Caudle & the Sweet Critters
Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland
Chatham Rabbits
Wyatt Ellis
Fruition
Jett Holden
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Danny Paisley & Southern Grass
Steep Canyon Rangers
Thunder & Rain
TopHouse
Wonder Women of Country

Graphics courtesy of DWP.

One To Watch: With Connecticut Origins, On the Trail Find Their Way in Bluegrass

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

While Boston may claim its title as the bluegrass capital of the Northeast, acoustic quartet On the Trail is living proof that the Connecticut bluegrass scene is not only alive and well, it is thriving. Composed of four impeccable musicians who each attended Western Connecticut State University to earn vastly varying degrees, On the Trail weaves together an uncommon collection of backgrounds to deliver a unique sound.

Drawing inspiration from opera to the Beatles to jazz, these four achieve a sonic richness that will leave listeners edified and enamored. True to their band’s name, they trailblaze full force with the release of their first full-length album, Where Do We Go from Here.

BGS recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Tom Polizzi (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Matt Curley (bass, vocals), Charlie Widmer (guitar, vocals), and Austin Scelzo (fiddle, vocals) to discuss all things On the Trail.

Congrats on the new album! Will you tell me a little bit about how you all ended up in a bluegrass band together?

Tom Polizzi: Well for me, I was a really, really serious jazz guitar player for a number of years – it was my whole life. Then around the end of high school I started to get a little more disillusioned with what jazz was about and where that could take me in life. I knew about Chris Thile, though weirdly I didn’t know about mandolin’s association with bluegrass, but I knew I was really interested in mandolin, the tone and potential of the instrument. I got a little $400 scholarship from the music department at my high school and bought myself a mandolin as a graduation gift for myself.

I learned to play walking around a camp that I worked at that summer with the thing on my back, playing while I walked anywhere around the camp. I remember standing somewhere at that camp with the mandolin and someone asked, “Do you want to play a bluegrass tune?” I was like, “A what?” And then they taught me “Cherokee Shuffle.” From there, I just started learning fiddle tunes and while in college I pretty much gave up on jazz aspirations. Even though I got my scholarship to school with jazz, I just kind of started playing Doc Watson and bluegrass tunes and the rest is history.

Austin Scelzo: My background was in classical violin. I learned to read [music] growing up in school orchestra and then went on to study it in college. But in the summers of my later high school years, I got sent to those iconic fiddle camps that get so many people in the door and that opened up my whole world to non-classical playing, which eventually propelled me into spending my summers in college exploring different music camps and festivals. My freshman year of college I went to Grey Fox, my first bluegrass festival. And throughout college, I started playing in a bluegrass country group locally. I would play classical music in school systems and then spend summers floating from festival to festival, living out of my car and really digging into the bluegrass stuff, which over time grew to become my primary musical expressive tool. So between the classical/arranging mindset and my investment in traditional bluegrass, that’s kind of where my musical tastes lend themselves to this group.

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Charlie Widmer: Austin and I met when I was 19 years old – he’s actually the one that married my wife and me; he got ordained for it. We’ve known each other for such a long time. I had auditioned on a whim for a musical at 16. Didn’t know I could sing. They were doing Grease and I had a crush on a girl at the time. I went into that room and I met my now-wife, that same day at the audition, and I ended up getting the lead role. And then that kind of spiraled into more musical theater and trying to get into music school.

When Austin and I met, I was in school for classical singing and we were both interns at a church in Ridgefield [Connecticut], where we were both paid section leaders in the choir. After about a year of working together, somehow we ended up sitting next to each other. You know, we were in an a cappella group together, lots of different choirs, all these classes, but we just hadn’t connected. But as soon as we sat next to each other it was clear that we were getting along.

And so, fast forward five years, I was in the middle of a gig with my hip-hop soul band. I’d been doing stuff as a front man for a hip-hop soul group and it was awesome. I’m drenched in sweat, and Austin and I are talking in the break and I say to him, “Hey, man, I’ve been listening to Chris Thile and his group, Punch Brothers, and they’re sick, man. If that’s, like, a possibility in bluegrass, I’d love to do something where I’m playing guitar – let me know if a gig pops up.” We kind of agreed that he needed another year to finish school and get settled into being a teacher and everything. And a year later, almost to the day, he said, “I got us something if you want to drive.” It was perfect timing. My other group was falling apart. When this started, it just kept working and going. I don’t think any of us ever thought at that point, six years later we’d be here with an album.

Matt Curley: I was the last member to join On the Trail and I’ve been in the group for about three-and-a-half, four years now. I started playing guitar when I was in middle school and in early high school, I was playing in punk rock bands. When I got to high school, I really wanted to play in the jazz band playing guitar, but the guitarist was very good, So I thought, “I’ll play bass. It’s easy, it’s four strings.” Then the band director points to the upright bass. I remember thinking, “No, no, not that one!” So during that rehearsal it was the first time I ever played upright, and I eventually came back to the bass.

I’m the kind of guy who’s switched instruments several times. I switched to percussion, joining the drum line. I ended up marching drum corps for a few years, which led me to majoring in percussion at WestConn and then to get my master’s degree in Tennessee, right outside of Nashville, in classical percussion performance. For a while I thought I was going to be in professional orchestras, as I was training and practicing to take auditions for triangles and cymbals. Glad I didn’t do that. Then I started teaching band down there in Tennessee and I ended up moving back up here. I was teaching and Austin was the orchestra teacher in the same school, so we started jamming. Up to this point, I knew nothing about bluegrass. Even living in Nashville for a while, I knew nothing about bluegrass. Then I just happened to own a bass, so that led to me showing up to an On the Trail rehearsal. Here we are, three and a half years later.

CW: We also had a banjo player with us for the first three years, Chet, who was from Mississippi and originally grew up in Nashville. Chet lent a hand on some of the songs, even on the album. He got a doctoral offer to go down to Florida and get his doctorate in philosophy. He’s a genius, really such a smart guy – we always hope that Chet will join us again. We just always have a lot of fun together. I think that can be rare in groups.

Absolutely. Y’all have amazing chemistry and it’s evident. You recently released the band’s first full length album, Where Do We Go from Here. What are you each proudest of on the album?

TP: I think the fact that I actually wrote songs with lyrics and they made it somewhere. After I finished school with an audio engineering degree, I did our whole first EP – all of the editing, mixing, mastering – myself. And with this record, I felt like that kind of stuff culminated in a different way, where I knew how to be on the other side of the booth, so to speak, in a way that was productive. I think I was able to help us keep the sessions thoughtful and productive throughout, from a perspective of final product.

I also love that I’ve got a couple of very sad or introspective songs on the album, one of which my fiancée didn’t know I had written. We were on the phone with her mom and she was talking about “Help Me” on the album. She said something along the lines of, “This is so devastating. Tom, you really wrote something beautiful.”  And Claire goes, “You wrote that devastating song about heartbreak and loss?!” I had all these things written years ago after I broke up with my ex-girlfriend. Claire had never heard it because I don’t sing it – Charlie sings it on the record and we don’t play it at shows very much. She didn’t know I was capable of even having such sad words in my brain.

AS: I love that this album captures three or four original songs from each of us. My three songs all have a really different feel than anything else I’ve put out and they all mean something really powerful to me. They each capture a timestamp of a part of my life. The title track, “Where Do We Go from Here,” was one of the last songs we recorded, and one of the last songs that we even talked about putting together. It almost didn’t make the album at all. But we’re so proud of that track. That’s the song I’m by far the most pleased with. I also really like the way that “Trouble in My Soul” captured a different side of my voice that I’ve never captured on a record. It’s a lot more gritty, which is kind of cool, and then “Can’t Get You Out of My Mind” has some really nice moments too.

CW: For me, honestly I think the whole album is the pride point. When we did our first record, we had no clue what we were doing. I was really green to bluegrass in so many ways. Those first couple years were trial by fire, where I had no clue about any artists or vernacular and I was constantly terrified of every gig and jam. It felt like everyone was speaking a language. This record feels very full circle – we’d been talking about it forever. It really captures who On the Trail is. As songwriters, I think all of us have gained some confidence, though so much of that has come from just performing these pieces and getting positive feedback from the audience the last six years. When we started we didn’t know we had something, but our friends and family and even strangers told us to keep going. It just kept fueling us, you know? So, yeah, when I think about the proudest thing, it’s that we have this collection.

Given the diversity of musical backgrounds you each come from, where do you feel like your aligned priorities are? Do you have through lines about what you all prioritize and value musically?

TP: I would say one of the biggest factors that held us together is just that joy of making music. One of our biggest frictions, probably, is that diversity of background – even now, in the background of this interview, I’m just wrapping up my marketing job, my day gig, Matt’s driving home from teaching school, and Charlie and Austin both freelance more and do more things that are full-time music. A lot of it has been about finding that balance that brings us all joy and keeps us believing in what we’re doing. But you know, on our toughest days, what drives us ahead is that we love making music together, we love making music on our own and sharing it with one another.

CW: Yeah, as any musician knows, we’re always just chasing that incredible moment. We all share a true appreciation of music, and we are all deeply aligned regarding what exciting music feels like. When something’s hot, we all can agree immediately – it’s not even so much of a discussion.

AS:  We’re all also pretty consistent with the vocal harmony, regardless of the song. No matter the arrangement, we value strong vocal harmony and strong vocal presence. So a big part of this group is understanding harmony to a point where we can get really good three-part and other types of arrangements.

TP: For probably the first year and a half, I didn’t sing a note in the band. Vocals have become such a big thing. I learned from these guys, who are and always will be better singers than I, but they coaxed it out of me.

MC: Same for me. I’ve never taken a voice lesson or anything and now I’m singing four or five songs. It’s incredible.

For our final question – you’re our One to Watch, but who are you watching right now? Any creatives, musical artists, or otherwise that are inspiring you right now? Could even be a TV show or a Tik Tok creator.

TP: I’m sure they’ve been featured here a lot, but someone who’s been talked about a lot in our band is AJ Lee & Blue Summit. We love them. We’ve played with them. We’re inspired by them. Lots of our friends just around here, you know, keep us moving. The Ruta Beggars are doing fantastic things. Cahaba Roots, High Horse – all of those guys have so much going on. And if you’re looking for a good TV show to watch, watch Shrinking, because it’ll just rip your heart out. Oh, and one sleeper album – if you love all the music that we’ve talked about, this is an album I’ve heard no one else talk about. Maybe I’m just not talking to the right people, but it’s an album called Passages by Ethan Sherman. It’s got Wes Corbett on the banjo, and Thomas Cassell plays amazing mandolin on that album. I found it very inspiring.

CW: For me, a constant, big influence in songwriting and sticking to your vision and making it work has been Theo Katzman, who’s one of the guys from Vulfpeck. His last record especially resonated incredibly. All of his records have, but that one was during the process of making my album, as well as On the Trail’s album, and it empowered just feeling brave enough to do what we felt was right for the music. He was a big inspiration.

Allen Stone is also a huge inspiration for me as a singer and as a songwriter and he just dropped a new project. I always come back to Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers. Nickel Creek’s last album, I thought, was stunningly brilliant and beautiful.

MC: It’s really a great time for bluegrass, country, and folk music, even in the Northeast, not just down south [or] in Nashville. There are a lot of groups that are getting really big here. I mean, we have a Connecticut group, North County Band, that is doing some good things. Another group that I played with this summer, Raquel and the Wildflowers, from the Poughkeepsie area, are also doing great things. Shout out to the Rock Hearts, the other group Austin fiddles with. They’re great too.

AS: I mean, I would definitely have to reiterate the bands that Tom mentioned. We’re so steeped in the New England scene, we play so many shows, and my best friends are in so many of these bands. We’ve been friends with the Ruta Beggars forever. I mean, they were my earliest experience seeing young people play bluegrass music at Grey Fox. I just love those guys – they are so hardworking. They just got signed this year and are doing awesome stuff.

I go to IBMA every year with the Rock Hearts and I see some of the upcoming bands, and every once in a while one will really strike me, and the one that struck me this year was Never Come Down. I got to hang out with them in Colorado and I was hanging with the Stillhouse Junkies, who have a new player from New England that just joined them this year, so they’re a quartet now. They’re doing some really cool new stuff. Another band is Della Mae, and they’ve been around for a really long time, but they’re still producing amazing new songs. I mean, some of the songwriting that comes out of the group has absolutely made me weep, multiple times. Some of the songs are unrecorded—they’re still building a repertoire that’s really meaningful and really powerful.

I think we always have an eye on Twisted Pine, too, who just came out with a new album, and they have all these really fun videos, too. They’re doing something that I think we hope to do as well, which is kind of keep a foot in the bluegrass door, but also step into spaces that bluegrass music hasn’t been to. I think our music is suited for that, to get it outside of the traditional festival circuit, the traditional concert series, and preserve the tradition we’re so grateful for while also being innovative.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

BGS Class of 2024: Our Year-End Favorites

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Each year, when we begin the process of curating our year-end round-ups with our BGS and Good Country contributors, our prompt is never about superlatives or true “best of year” selections. We don’t strive to craft these lists based on “shoulds” – what record should be considered the best of the year? What should a list of the best bluegrass, old-time, Americana, and folk music include?

We perhaps couldn’t be less interested in such a list. Are they entertaining to read? Oh, yes. There’s almost no better year-end pastime than quickly scrolling through a “best of” list to find if you agree or disagree, or if your favorite album is included, or if your obvious choice is another’s glaring omission. But the beauty of music – especially these more traditional and folkway-adjacent forms – isn’t objectivity; it’s the intricately personal, particular, and subjective that’s hardest to capture.

Still, each year, as fall transitions to winter, we try our best to capture just that. In 2024, we tasked our BGS contributors with collecting their most favorite, most impactful, most resonant, and most persistent albums, songs, and performances. A quick Google search will reveal dozens of collections of the “most important” music of the year, but rather than wading into that very crowded space we hope our BGS Class of 2024 reflects the most ethereal, intangible, and fantastic music we encountered this year.

As such, our Class of 2024 has ended up with a lovely variety of albums and songs spanning the entire, expansive American roots music scene. You’ll hear picks like troubadours Willi Carlisle and Amythyst Kiah, there are straight-ahead grassers like Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, and Brenna MacMillan, and we’ve got buzzworthy acts like MJ Lenderman and Katie Gavin represented here, too. It’s not all bluegrass – it’s not any one thing, really! – but we hope you’ll find plenty to love and, hopefully, much exemplary roots music you might not have found anywhere else.

Scroll to find a playlist version of our BGS Class of 2024 below, plus stay tuned for more year-end collections coming your way, including our favorite musical moments, 2024 Good Country, our music book picks for the year, and more. – Justin Hiltner, editor, BGS and Good Country 

Willi Carlisle, Critterland

I didn’t catch on to Willi Carlisle until this year, which might be because he’s only just beginning to garner more broad commercial success – or, if I’m being honest, it could be because I mistakenly assumed he was just another white guy with an acoustic guitar and a microphone. But I was wrong.

Carlisle is a rare storyteller, a poet, an openly queer man from the South, and one of the most meticulous folk songwriters releasing music right now. This year, he dropped his third full-length album, Critterland, underlining his status as all of the above and proving he can masterfully weave old-time, country, folk, and honky-tonk influences into a cohesive style all his own. Whether he’s singing about spiritual existentialism, rural queer experiences, or his many meandering journeys across the U.S., Carlisle’s lyricism is captivating, rich, and alive. If you haven’t already listened to Critterland, don’t let the year roll over without doing it. – Dana Yewbank

Jake Xerxes Fussell, When I Am Called

Jake Xerxes Fussell’s version of the work song “Gone to Hilo” on his 2024 album, When I Am Called, is gorgeous. It reveals part of how he revitalizes and contextualizes new folk songs. Fussell is a man of great learning, but he wears it loosely and with pleasure. “Hilo,” the song, has a number of versions – some are about Hawaii and some are about Peru (a town called Ihru). Some are about a sailor named Tommy, others are about someone named Johnny. Usually it’s Johnny in Hawaii and Tommy in Peru; Elijah Wald’s 2024 book about Muddy Waters suggests that it might not be Hilo or Ihru, but “the Hollow,” and could originate from the vernacular of enslaved people.

Fussell, playing live in Toronto, didn’t interpolate the Hollow, but in a perfect three minutes, traded lines and verses, sometimes about one place, sometimes about the other, in a delicate blending of received wisdom. The smartest and most moving moment highlighting what it means to make music that I heard this year. – Steacy Easton

Katie Gavin, What A Relief

For years now I’ve been making an incredibly silly joke about how “MUNA are my favorite bluegrass band.” With her first solo album, the group’s lead singer and central songwriter, Katie Gavin, brings their resplendent and queer musical universe decidedly into our roots music realms. Producer Tony Berg (Nickel Creek, Molly Tuttle, Amythyst Kiah, Andrew Bird) in the control room and Sara & Sean Watkins as session players are just two of the inputs that make What A Relief delightfully folky, fiddley, and string band-infused. MUNA’s acoustic set at the iconic Newport Folk Festival this summer – and Gavin’s totally solo, side stage Newport performance of much of this material – further solidified the dancey, club-ready group as a true folk ensemble.

At first it was a joke, but I don’t think it’s a joke anymore! Like all of Gavin’s work, these songs are both fun and gutting, poignant while light and convivial. What A Relief is a standout for 2024. – Justin Hiltner

Liv Greene, Deep Feeler

Liv Greene is a huge cry baby – and a liar. She even comes right out and admits it on the first line of her new album Deep Feeler:

“I’m aware I’m a liar. Always lying to myself about my expectations/ I’m aware I’m a crier, and I know. All this crying doesn’t help the situation…”

Greene, who is the Deep Feeler in question, has grown tremendously on her sophomore album. She’s become one of the most promising young artists to create songs that tap right into the center of your heart. This is enormously true on her 2024 album through songs like “Wild Geese,” “Flowers,” and “Made it Mine Too.” She attributes that growth to honestly writing about being queer for the first time. Deep Feeler crawls in and stays with you. Who knew honesty could feel this good? – Cindy Howes

Brittany Haas & Lena Jonsson, The Snake

On their second duo album of fiddle tunes (their first, self-titled collab dropped in 2015), Brittany Haas of Nashville and Lena Jonsson of Stockholm went even deeper into what’s possible in the blending of their native countries’ fiddle traditions. This time, they leaned far more on the Swedish end of the collaboration, emphasizing harmony over chord progressions, exploring the possibilities inherent in “second voice” dueting. They also tried their hand at writing a suite in the style of J.S. Bach – no small feat. The result is an utter delight for music geeks and casual fans alike, as folks can appreciate the languid lines and danceable moments they weave together throughout. – Kim Ruehl

Humbird, Right On

I remember where I was the first time I heard Siri Undlin sing, “There is an old barn on a ghost farm / Hollowed out and filled with stars…” the opening couplet of Humbird’s take-no-prisoners roots rocker “Cornfields and Roadkill.” I will reluctantly admit to some initial resentment that a songwriter who wasn’t me had written a song of such poetic efficiency and political potency. Undlin’s songwriting shines throughout the nine tracks of 2024’s Right On: the quiet earnestness of “Quickest Way” would have been at home on an early Kacey Musgraves album, and “Song for the Seeds” lays out both practical and spiritual methods for liberation, Farmer’s Almanac-style. But the palpable chemistry between musicians playing in a room together is the star of the show here. Humbird is an essential band to listen to as we watch the American empire crumble in real time. – Lizzie No

Katelyn Ingardia, “Silence”

This year, Katelyn Ingardia’s “Silence” got me feeling some type of way. I don’t know what they injected into this song, but I’m quite literally addicted to it. Bad day? I’m playing “Silence.” In a long line for coffee? I’m playing “Silence.” Cooking up girl dinner? I’m playing “Silence.” I scream a little on the inside every time I hear the fiddle kickoff.

The timbre of the song is so nostalgic of an early Union Station or Sierra Hull record, but Ingardia’s performance sets herself apart as something completely fresh and original. The writing, delivery, and production are all impeccable and her voice is like honey. And if all that wasn’t enough for ya, Ingardia just dropped her debut record, entitled Getaway. Some of my favorite tracks are “Lost Love” and “Talk to Me.” Y’all keep an eye on this gal as she continues to blossom into her career so we can all say we were here at the beginning. – Bluegrass Barbie

Cris Jacobs, One of These Days

Within the rock and jam realms, the name Cris Jacobs has been well-regarded and sought-out for many years, especially with his early project The Bridge, a vastly popular Baltimore-based rock ‘n’ soul ensemble up and down the Eastern Seaboard in the early 2000s, only to disband in 2011.

But, for the guitar wizard himself, it was Jacobs’ 2024 release, One of These Days, that really catapulted him into the national scene, especially in the Americana, bluegrass, and folk arenas. Produced by Jerry Douglas and featuring the Infamous Stringdusters as its backing band, the album includes appearances by Billy Strings, Lee Ann Womack, Sam Bush, and Lindsay Lou. At its core, One of These Days circles back to Jacobs’ early bluegrass, folk, and blues influences. But, more so, the record finally tells the rest of the world what a lot of us have already known for some time now – Cris Jacobs is one hell of a talented singer, songwriter, and musician. – Garret K. Woodward

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, I Built A World

The longtime fiddler for Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway shows off captivating songwriting alongside her impeccable playing skills and impressive vocals on I Built A World, her first album in nearly four years. Featuring the likes of Tuttle, Sam Bush, Dierks Bentley, Brit Taylor, and her husband Jason Carter, the 11-song adventure from Keith-Hynes – up for Best Bluegrass Album at the 67th Annual GRAMMYs – follows her journey from being homeschooled to making a living as an independent musician on her own terms.

Standouts range from the frenetic, longing “Will You Ever Be Mine” to the waltz-like, Dobro-heavy “The Last Whippoorwill,” proving that Keith-Hynes is poised to be a power player in bluegrass and country music for years to come. – Matt Wickstrom

Amythyst Kiah, Still + Bright

The sparkling singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah sought a different direction this year for her third solo LP. She’d previously shown her ability to deliver emotionally powerful, socially relevant, and poignant material. But she wanted her music to reflect other aspects of her personality in her latest work, both her warm and humorous side, plus her interest in Eastern philosophy and spirituality. All these things are nicely balanced in Still + Bright, with Butch Walker’s production touches incorporating unexpected musical contributions like nifty pedal steel licks or fuzztone guitar riffs, plus Kiah’s own supportive and inspired banjo colorations and edgy lead vocals.

It was a tour de force that was even more impressive in live performance, and Kiah got rave reviews throughout her tour that included highly appreciative responses from the crowds who saw her performances during Americanafest in Nashville. In addition, Kiah’s been part of Our Native Daughters (an all-women-of-color supergroup also featuring Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell). She extended her collaborative outreach on Still + Bright, working with such co-writers and features as punk legend Tim Armstrong, Sadler Vaden (a guitarist-vocalist for Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit), former Pentatonix member Avi Kaplan, and Sean McConnell (a singer-songwriter who’s also written with Brittney Spencer and Bethany Cosentino). All this reveals a dynamic artist willing to continue exploring new areas, while making some of the year’s most intriguing and exciting music. – Ron Wynn

AJ Lee & Blue Summit, City of Glass

In case you have any doubts about the absolute magnitude of AJ Lee & Blue Summit, I will personally fund your one-way ticket to this transparent metropolis. City of Glass presents precisely what its title suggests – an entire ecosphere generated from its contents. The 12 tracks on this album cultivate a moving array of sensibilities, from tender love ballads to humorous narratives to honeyed poetics to grade-A yodeling. Brimming with multi-hyphenate talents, AJ Lee, Sullivan Tuttle, and Scott Gates all contribute lead vocals and songwriting credits to the compilation. Jan Purat’s fiddling serves as a raconteur, always perfectly delivering each narrative. Tuttle’s sister, Molly, even makes the trip from her City of Gold to join in for a tune. All in all, this album is a wondrous sonic journey that anyone would be remiss not to make! – Oriana Mack

MJ Lenderman, Manning Fireworks

From Hurricane Helene-ravaged Asheville, North Carolina, singer-songwriter MJ Lenderman has always been more than solid in the field of twangy indie-rock. Nevertheless, he took a quantum leap forward this year with the spectacular Manning Fireworks album, especially the song that falls in the exact middle of the track list. “She’s Leaving You” is the heart of Manning Fireworks, with verses that sketch out a tawdry Las Vegas hookup. But the part that resonates is the chorus, sung by Lenderman in a raw voice that falls somewhere between deadpan and shellshocked: “It falls apart, we all got work to do/ It gets dark, we all got work to do…” Lenderman repeats the line a half-dozen times and you would, too. If ever a chorus summed up the exhausted anguish of a moment in time, it’s this one. – David Menconi

Brenna MacMillan, Dear Life

Bluegrass, as an industry, operates about a decade behind the curve. As such, it feels more than remarkable when you find a straight-ahead bluegrass artist who’s not only on the cutting edge, but may be the actual blade. Brenna MacMillan’s debut solo album, Dear Life, displays all of the ways this picker, songwriter, singer, content creator, and online personality is pushing the trad envelope and establishing new models for success in the genre. Bluegrass has always felt like a direct-to-consumer business, but never with this level of intention – or with such ease on new media and social media.

Dear Life is a gorgeous collection, filled with MacMillan’s Nashville community and several legends, too – like Ronnie McCoury, Peter Rowan, and Sarah Jarosz. It’s down-the-middle bluegrass, but it’s entirely fresh and unique, with engaging songwriting and often surprising contours and melodies. There are many exciting things about MacMillan’s artistry, but the music is the most entrancing of all. – Justin Hiltner

Andrew Marlin, Phthalo Blue

This quietly-released full-length instrumental album from Watchhouse’s Andrew Marlin was far and away the record I found myself returning to over and over again in 2024.

The name Phthalo Blue refers to the family of blue and green pigments most often used in painting (I had to look this up). At first I wondered why Andrew might choose a title so obscure and hard to pronounce, but the more time I spent digging into both the music and the color family, the more they took me to the same calming, centered place.

I have loved all of Andrew’s non-Watchhouse endeavors over the last few years – from his multiple 2021 releases to Mighty Poplar to his recent release, Wild Rose of Morning with Jordan Tice and Christian Sedelmyer. Hopefully he continues to deliver more of this prolific, purely creative output, seemingly unfettered by commercial expectations; simultaneously reverential to the instrumental traditions it pulls from and inherently perfect for our modern age. – Amy Reitnouer Jacobs

Middle Sattre, Tendencies

Middle Sattre are part of a movement of queer artists brewing down in Austin. Their brand of indie folk is as devastating as it is finely crafted. Tendencies is a painful autobiographical work, presenting vignettes of growing up queer and Mormon. The collective navigate these stories with care and delicate musicianship, building a portrait of sorrow – and a determination to survive. This kind of documentation, of people who stay true to themselves no matter the cost, are essential now more than ever. There is a deep and serious artistry in Tendencies, haunting, beautiful, and impossible to forget. – Rachel Cholst

Aoife O’Donovan, All My Friends

It was difficult to imagine what would follow Aoife O’Donovan’s Age of Apathy, her reflection on living through the pandemic. However, with All My Friends, O’Donovan shows how well her creativity and artistic style can thrive in new musical and lyrical territory. I love how this album includes guest artist, orchestral, and choral collaboration, making the music itself feel as grand and complex as the album’s themes: the women’s suffrage movement and one of its leading figures, Carrie Chapman Catt. O’Donovan’s wordplay is as sharp as ever and she doesn’t shy away from historical details or present-day truths, whether celebratory or sobering. The production and arrangements do everything possible to complement and enhance the impact of the songs, even if that means turning everything down to let the implications of O’Donovan’s words sink in. Be prepared to feel so much, but then want to start it all over again. – Kira Grunenberg

Katie Pruitt, Mantras

Katie Pruitt possesses a voice for the ages. In 2020, the powerhouse made an incredible splash with her debut album, Expectations, a raw and cosmic set that drowned out all others. Her songwriting pen proved to be as potent and razor-sharp as her vocal cords. Four years later, Pruitt still defines the soul-crushing Americana genre on her own terms. With Mantras, she expands her musical sensibilities and stretches her creative muscles in impressive ways. Such moments as “Jealous of the Boys” and “Blood Related” serve as needle-prick moments of sheer vulnerability, woven together with her signature mountain-rattling peaks (“All My Friends”). Pruitt pieces together a tattered photo book, one that gives a glimpse into her very soul. – Bee Delores

Photo Credit: Amythyst Kiah by Photography by Kevin & King; Katie Gavin by Alexa Viscius; Bronwyn Keith-Hynes by Alexa King Stone.

PHOTOS: North Carolina’s Earl Scruggs Music Festival is One-of-a-Kind

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

The 3rd Annual Earl Scruggs Music Festival was a smash hit! Held over Labor Day weekend at the stunning, luxurious grounds of the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina – a short drive from Scruggs’ hometown of Shelby and the small crossroads of Flint Hill, where he was born and raised – the event featured bluegrass, old-time, country, and Americana made at the highest levels on three stages. Featuring brick-and-mortar restaurants, a shaded grandstand, dozens of vendors and boutiques, a large campground, posh tiny home cabin stays, and so much more, this is not your standard flatbed-trailer-in-a-hay-field festival. It’s so much more.

BGS was on hand at this year’s event to once again co-present a special tribute set, renamed The Scruggs Sessions and paying tribute to Flatt & Scruggs’ iconic live album, At Carnegie Hall! Festival hosts Jerry Douglas and the Earls of Leicester helmed the special show on the Foggy Mountain Stage, a crowd favorite in years past that formerly highlighted the Earl Scruggs Revue. This year, artists and bands like Shadowgrass, Wyatt Ellis, Lindsay Lou, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, Twisted Pine, the Faux Paws, Old Crow Medicine Show, and more played selections from Flatt & Scruggs’ legendary performance at Carnegie Hall in 1962. The ESMF crowd delighted in note-for-note replications alongside brand new reimaginations of the album’s essential songs and tunes – complete with a rendering of “Martha White” that elicited plenty of raucous singing along.

Horse jumping demonstrations were held nearby the Legend’s Workshop Stage, where artists from the lineup told stories, shared songwriting pointers, talked about banjo techniques, and so much more. Fine spirits and wines were available for sale at the Spirits of Bluegrass stands and the Earl Scruggs Center – a fantastic museum focused on Scruggs that calls the former courthouse in Shelby its home – sold their Scruggs-ian wares and passed out hand fans to festival goers throughout the weekend.

It was a perfect festival to mark the 100th year since Scruggs’ birth, with artists, bands, and musicians from across the musical spectrum demonstrating the wide scope of the innovative banjo picker’s impact and legacy. On the Flint Hill Stage, headliners like Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives – featuring Chris Scruggs, who received multiple standing ovations from the audience – Mighty Poplar, Yonder Mountain String Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Tanya Tucker illustrated that bluegrass is certainly not a monolith. And, that traditional-leaning festivals such as ESMF can be just as expansive and broad as their more Americana-geared or rootsy competitors.

Though Friday and Saturday were blisteringly hot and Sunday saw more than one weather delay while lightning storms rolled out of the Appalachians and over the foothills, the crowds were resilient and energized and the festival showed, yet again, that this event is being built for the long haul. Conveniently located a short drive from Greenville, SC, Asheville and Charlotte, NC and a mere five hour drive from Nashville, ESMF is a must-visit destination festival where everything you could ever need – from banjos to horse jumping to wood-fired pizza to glamorous camping to high-quality interviews and workshops to international superstars – are all combined in one convenient, luxurious location.

Below, check out select photos from the 2024 edition of the Earl Scruggs Music Festival – and make plans to join us next year over Labor Day weekend in 2025! Tickets are on sale now.

Tickets for Earl Scruggs Music Festival 2025 are on sale now.

All photos courtesy of Earl Scruggs Music Festival and shot by Cora Wagoner and Jess Maples, as marked.
Lead Image: Tanya Tucker performs on the Flint Hill Stage, photo by Jess Maples. 

What to Do, See, and Hear at Earl Scruggs Music Festival 2024

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

From August 30 to September 1, the legacy of banjo innovator and bluegrass forebear Earl Scruggs will be celebrated once again at the 3rd Annual Earl Scruggs Music Festival. Held at Tryon International Equestrian Center in the western North Carolina foothills – just beyond where the Bluegrass and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee was born and raised – the festival will see Jerry Douglas and the Earls of Leicester return as hosts and will include performances by roots superstars like Tanya Tucker, Old Crow Medicine Show, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Yonder Mountain String Band, and many more. (Full lineup below.)

BGS is excited to be returning to ESMF for the third year in a row, this time presenting the Scruggs Sessions with the Earls of Leicester. On Saturday, August 31, from 3 to 4:30p.m. on the Foggy Mountain Stage – nearest the festival gates – the Earls of L will pay tribute to Flatt & Scruggs’ seminal live album, Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall!, with special guests and appearances from across the festival lineup. This is a brand new iteration of our fan favorite tribute sets from the past two years that highlighted albums by the Earl Scruggs Revue. Last year’s performance was hosted by Tony Trischka and included guests such as Della Mae, Tray Wellington, members of Greensky Bluegrass, and more. We cannot wait for you to see what’s in store for this year’s Scruggs Session.

Below, find a few of our tips and insider tricks for attending ESMF, plus we’ll highlight a few of the acts, artists, and bands we’re most excited to catch at this year’s festival. From the posh grounds to engaging workshops and sessions, horse jumping demonstrations to excellent brick-and-mortar restaurants and local food trucks, up-and-coming groups and world-class talents, Earl Scruggs Music Festival truly has something for everyone.

The Grounds: Tryon International Equestrian Center

The Earl Scruggs Music Festival entrance. Photo by Eli Johnson.

Your first impression of the Earl Scruggs Music Festival grounds – the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina – might be that this is a very fancy locale for a bluegrass festival. But after your first day, or even your first few hours, you’ll see how perfect a setting this state-of-the-art equestrian park is for a music festival. It can be very hot in late August in Mill Spring, but the permanent amenities, ample shade, high quality air-conditioned restaurants, and relatively compact footprint make the usual pitfalls and inconveniences of a hot summer festival fade to the background.

A horse jumping demonstration held during the festival. Photo by Eli Johnson.

Catch a horse jumping demonstration or one of the center’s mini-horse ambassadors doing a meet and greet to get the full equestrian experience. VIP ticket holders can enjoy the shady grandstand with perfect views of the main stage. There’s plenty of space in the sandy arena grounds for folding chairs, too. The General Store, near to the festival entrance, sells drinks, ice cream, snacks, and treats and has many festival essentials you may need – whether you’re camping on site or just visiting for the day.

Definitely don’t miss the delicious Italian restaurant, Campagna, on the grounds, as well. Pro tip: order their delicious wood-fired pizzas to go and enjoy while watching your favorite bluegrass bands take the stage. Or, dine in and cool off – whether lunch or dinner, we loved always having Campagna nearby. Other brick-and-mortar options on site include Blue Ginger Sushi, Legends Grille, Roger’s Diner, and more. Plus, plenty of delicious fair foods are on sale with carnival-style vendors and food trucks coming out in force for the fest.

Campagna Italian Cuisine raises the bar for bluegrass festival food. Photo by Eli Johnson.

The Area

L: Nina Simone’s childhood home. R: Earl Scruggs’ childhood home.

Sure, there’s not much to mention directly surrounding the oasis that is the Tryon International Equestrian Center, but there is so much to explore just beyond the festival grounds. Whether you head up towards the mountains and Tryon proper (hometown of Nina Simone, where you can visit her historic home place) or head down the road to Shelby (Scruggs’ home turf), this area of North Carolina holds so many treasures. A visit to the Earl Scruggs Center, which calls the former Shelby county courthouse home and is located just up the road from Scruggs’ homeplace(s) in Flint Hill, is essential. The museum tells the story of Scruggs, his banjo, and his music within and outside of Shelby county and includes plenty of local history, too. If you’re not able to make it the short drive to Shelby to see the Center, don’t worry! They have a great booth set up at the festival for the entire weekend.

There are a few excellent trails and hikes nearby, like Alexander’s Ford Trail at Bradley Nature Preserve pretty near to Mill Spring, and there are so many mountain-y treks and water fall hikes just a short drive west – we recommend Little Bradley Falls. If you like cute little railroad towns, Saluda, North Carolina is worth a stop. Just up the mountainside, it used to be the home of the steepest standard gauge railway line in the United States. As you drive back down the interstate east, down the titular Saluda grade toward Tryon and Mill Spring, it’s a stunning view of North and South Carolina beneath you, with the Appalachians at your back. It’s lovely country!

The Music

ESMF does an excellent job demonstrating the sheer depth, width, and breadth of Earl Scruggs’ impact on American roots music. The lineup boasts country, Americana, singer-songwriter, old-time, and endless bluegrass. It’s curated thoughtfully and intentionally and there’s always someone new to discover and someone legendary to nerd out over. Here are a few of the sets we’re most excited for, below. Plus you can peruse the entire announced lineup and find links to the full schedule of events. We hope we see you this year at Earl Scruggs Music Festival!

Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe Stringjam (Sunday)

Fiddler Casey Driessen has turned his infamous and beloved Red Shoe Stringjam into a traveling roots music festival variety hour! We can’t wait to see what he cooks up at ESMF with this superlative lineup. His recent appearance at Grey Fox earlier this summer boasted and incredible roster of guests and collaborators.

AJ Lee & Blue Summit (Saturday)

We can’t wait to catch up with our pals AJ Lee & Blue Summit, fresh off their Grand Ole Opry debut and the release of their critically-acclaimed new album, City of Glass. Our recent feature on that new record has been a reader favorite ever since it published – check it out here. Don’t miss their main stage (Flint Hill Stage) performance and their Foggy Late Night set (Foggy Mountain Stage), which will surely be a raucous and rowdy end to day two of the festival.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives (Saturday)

If you’re a true fan of Marty Stuart, you know just how intimately his own story in music is woven into the stories of Flatt & Scruggs. What a perfect addition to the lineup. From psychedelic country to surf rock to driving bluegrass to shredding the mandolin – like he did with F&S as a kid all those years ago – Marty and His Fabulous Superlatives epitomize so many distinct facets of Earl’s music and legacy. This is especially noticeable with Stuart carrying on the bluegrass tradition of mentorship bestowed on him by Flatt & Scruggs – like with young mandolinist, Wyatt Ellis, who is also on the festival roster this year.

Miko Marks (Sunday)

Bay Area-based country singer, songwriter, and recording artist Miko Marks is a “must-see” on our list! She’ll be playing the Foggy Mountain Stage on Sunday evening, bringing her thoughtful, engaging, fun, and polished post-genre country to western North Carolina. Marks is a musical activist, a truth teller, and a community builder who has blazed a trail – nationally, in Nashville, and in the Bay Area, as well – in country and roots music.

Darrell Scott’s String Band (Friday)

Even though Darrell Scott’s solo shows are just as engaging and jaw-dropping as when he tours with a band, we’re certainly pleased that his recent string band album, Old Cane Back Rocker, included Shad Cobb, Bryn Davies, and Matt Flinner – and doubly pleased to still be able to catch this crack ensemble on the road! Darrell will also play a set on the Foggy Mountain Stage in the evening Friday, after the band’s afternoon appearance on the Flint Hill Stage.

The Scruggs Sessions with the Earls of Leicester (Saturday)

There is no one better to tribute a classic and iconic bluegrass album like Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall! than the Earls of Leicester. We’re tickled to be presenting the Scruggs Sessions, where the Earls and many special guests will perform songs from Flatt & Scruggs’ appearance at Carnegie Hall, a set and an album that have become keystones in the bluegrass canon. We’ll see you at the Foggy Mountain Stage on Saturday at 3p.m.!

Twisted Pine (Saturday)

Twisted Pine blew us away last year at Earl Scruggs Music Festival, so we were especially excited to see them set to return to the event this year, too. They’ll be doing double duty, again, playing both stages at different points on Saturday – catch them at 12p.m. on the Flint Hill Stage and at 5p.m. on the Foggy Mountain Stage.

The Wilder Flower (Friday)

A local string band trio based in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina – making them essentially festival neighbors! – the Wilder Flower are a group to look out for. Made up of Danielle Yother (guitar), Madeline Dierauf (fiddle), and Molly Johnson (banjo), we’re looking forward to catching the band’s set on the Foggy Mountain Stage on Friday at 3p.m. Especially given their debut album, If I Wait Anymore, will be released in September. Keep your eyes and ears on this trio!

Explore the full Earl Scruggs Music Festival schedule and purchase tickets here.

The Full Lineup:

Hosted By:
Jerry Douglas
The Earls of Leicester

Featuring:
Tanya Tucker
Old Crow Medicine Show
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives
Yonder Mountain String Band
The Steeldrivers
Peter Rowan & Sam Grisman Project
Mighty Poplar
Lindsay Lou
Pony Bradshaw
Darrell Scott’s String Band
Miko Marks
Shawn Camp
The Grascals
Darin & Brooke Aldridge
AJ Lee & Blue Summit
Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Travis Book Band
Shadowgrass
The Scruggs Sessions, Hosted by The Earls of Leicester
Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe Stringjam
Twisted Pine
Wyatt Ellis
Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light
Carley Arrowood
The Faux Paws
Larry & Joe
Martha Spencer & The Wonderland Country Band
Tanasi
The Wilder Flower
The Well Drinkers
Warren Wilson College Bluegrass Band
Ryn Riley and Appalachian Roots
PacJAM Ramblers
The Biscuit Eaters
Creekwater Collective
Fine Tuned Sessions Presented by Rare Bird Farm & Blue Ridge Music Trails

All photos courtesy of Earl Scruggs Music Festival. Photo credits as marked. Lead photo by Eli Johnson. 

AJ Lee & Blue Summit’s ‘City of Glass’ is Funny, Sexy, and Empowered

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

At 26, the prodigy phase of AJ Lee’s music career has passed. It might take a little more time for the tendency to confuse her with a professional wrestler using the same name to fade away.

“I think I could take her!” Lee — the singing one — gamely pronounces at the conclusion of an interview on the third album by AJ Lee & Blue Summit, City of Glass (out July 19 on Signature Sounds), prompting laughter from the band’s Scott Gates, who asserts himself on the new album writing three songs on which he sings lead.

Rounding out Santa Cruz, California-based Blue Summit are fiddler Jan Purat and guitarist Sullivan Tuttle, one of the children of educator-musician Jack Tuttle and brother of breakout star Molly Tuttle. Lee also got her start with “The Tuttles with AJ Lee.”

A keen sense of humor dots City of Glass, which was produced by Lech Wierzynski of “retro-soul” band The California Honeydrops. It was Wierzynski who suggested Harlan Howard’s “He Called Me Baby,” on which Lee delivers a notably sultry lead vocal. The reference point for her version of “He Called Me Baby” is soul singer Candi Stanton, rather than Patsy Cline or Charlie Rich.

“I was raised to sing pretty straightforward. I wanted to remove as much ego as I could, because I just wanted to sing and have fun,” Lee said. “I’ve learned to put a little bit more of my personality into it and that, I think, is making me a better singer overall, which is why we wanted to work with Lech in the first place, because he’s such a powerful singer.

“That really resonated with me and I’m trying to move more in that direction.”

Gates pipes up at this point: “AJ’s not going to say this, but Lech brought ‘He Called Me Baby’ to the table because he had the foresight, coming from that soul world, he recognizes in AJ’s voice the ability to do this kind of thing.

“The cross-pollination of these American roots, is a smart move from Lech, I think,” he said.

BGS caught up with Lee and Gates as they rehearsed in Nashville, Tennessee, and prepared to do some lip synching for a video. As a seasoned bandleader, Lee takes pains to spread the credit for her success around and steers some questions toward Gates to try and ensure she doesn’t dominate the conversation.

City of Glass is AJ Lee & Blue Summit’s third album. How do you view the progression that got you to this point?

AJ Lee: The first album, [Like I Used To], we were looking for what kind of sound we wanted as a band. Because at that time, it was only four members without a fiddle player. So on that one, we had some more electric instruments and more drums. The second album, [I’ll Come Back], we went more acoustic roots, because we just wanted to play more bluegrass, because that’s what we grew up on and that’s what we do best. For this third album, we’re confident doing bluegrass, roots, and country, sticking with more stringed instruments, but also branching out. With Lech’s involvement, we’re leaning a little bit towards soul, R&B, and keeping it interesting, but still showcasing ourselves and what we like to play and what we like to do.

Several songs on City of Glass are funny. There’s one, “Toys,” making fun of a men who act like boys, another about getting “Sick on a Plane” and a humorous take on busking, “Solicitor Man.” Why so lighthearted this time around?

Scott Gates: I grew up playing bluegrass with a lot of silly guys. There’s a bouncy kind of lighthearted feel in a lot of traditional stuff. … I noticed that a lot of songs that I had written were kind of getting down into my feelings and whatnot, and I wanted to write one that I knew would be fun for my friends to play.

Are there models in bluegrass you’re following with the humor?

SG: There is a history of fun stuff like The Louvin Brothers. I’m also influenced by Jimmy Martin. Jimmy Martin is one of the pillars of bluegrass music, and he’s hilarious.

“Toys” is about a young guy or maybe an immature man. Is it about yourself, Scott?

SG: A little bit, yeah, probably as a teenager noticing the involuntary methods by which young, dumb boys go about thinking of themselves. It was mostly born out of that phrase, “The man who dies with the most toys wins.”

The title cut, “City of Glass,” is about leaving an artistic legacy. Aren’t you guys a little young to be concerned about that?

AJ: Yeah, I’m pretty young. I’m 26 now, but I have been doing music since I was really young. Collectively, we figured out that the band has about 90 years worth of experience. I’ve been playing on stage since I was about four or five years old. So I’m young, but I have been doing it for a long time. Legacy is having something that you’ve made be around even when you’re not doing it anymore. That’s a big theme of “City of Glass.”

As you say, you got started very young as musicians and Jack Tuttle was a common mentor. How did that develop?

SG: I met AJ when she was four. I knew her older sister Molly, ‘cause she’s my age. So I knew her more. But [Sullivan Tuttle] was around, and Sully and AJ had known each other since back then. I was probably about seven or eight when I first started going to the Father’s Day Festival and the music camp. So I got an opportunity to learn and play from people like John Reischman and Mike Compton and see musicians like The Osborne Brothers and Earl Scruggs. The picking scene is incredibly high quality.

AJ, you were the only non-Tuttle in the Tuttle family band when you were very young. What was that like?

AJ: I loved it. As a young kid, it’s kind of hard to be in the moment and really appreciate what you’re doing. As a seven-year-old to fifteen-year-old, I went about it as like, “OK, we’re playing a gig, I’m going to practice here and I’m going to sing my song. I’m hanging out with my friends, and that’s it.” But being in that band was definitely instrumental in my progress as a bluegrass musician, because I got to work directly with Jack Tuttle. Everyone loves Jack because he’s such a renowned teacher in the community and obviously all of his kids are talented beyond measure. So I was able to play with people who were better than me and also equal to me. My mom, growing up, she always said, “You always want to play with people who are better than you, because that’s how you’re going to get better.” And so I got to have that opportunity for many years.

Is there any competition now between yourself, Molly Tuttle and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes now that you all are competing musicians in the marketplace?

SG: Absolutely! [Laughs]

AJ: No, no, no, definitely not. For me and Molly, we’re branching off and doing our own thing. We were in a band for however many years, and now we’re off doing our own projects. And Bronwyn is branching off and doing her own projects in a similar way.

So, it’s the same in any community or genre of music, you played together and now you’re doing your own thing. Molly’s singing on our album as well, on a song [“I Can’t Find You at All”] that her dad wrote.

AJ, you could pursue a solo career, why do you prefer a band situation?

AJ: It makes me happy. I like playing with other people. I don’t really like performing by myself. I feel like I have a lot to offer, but I also like playing with people who also have a lot to offer and are amazing talents. And, you know, people compliment our band on how many singers there are. I always think that the more singers the better, the more talent you can showcase the better.

Pretty much anyone in the band could peel off and do a solo career. But I think what makes us really unique and strong as a band is that we all can be individual musicians, but we choose to play together, because it just makes the creative juices flow more and it makes us want to even continue on more than I would as a solo musician.

SG: At some point, I’ll probably do my own project. But right now, all I care about is playing music with AJ and the boys and see where this goes. I try not to plan too much. I don’t really scheme. I probably should scheme a little bit more, but I just don’t.

How does the California bluegrass scene differ from the South?

SG: A lot of people think of California as the jammy stuff, the Deadhead stuff that comes out of there. But even to this day, the California Bluegrass Association is very traditional. It’s one of the most traditional associations out there and there’s also a huge focus on singing. The singers that come out of a place like Tennessee are extremely good at blending. There’s a school of singing, and a lot of them sound very similar. Their harmonies are incredibly perfect. But California tends to reward individuality and uniqueness. The unique voices are kind of put on a pedestal.

AJ, your singing style is more subtle than showy. Why?

AJ: I agree with you. I’ve always really appreciated the subtlety of singing to where it’s not, “Look at me. Look at how well I can sing.”

“Hillside” uses the metaphor of a hill that aspires to be a mountain. What does the metaphor represent?

AJ: “Hillside” is about women empowerment. The metaphor is that you are this hill that is bombarded by all these outside elements trying to knock you down. But your foundation has become so strong and nothing’s really going to topple you over.

Have you experienced a lot of sexism in your career?

AJ: I’ve experienced some, of course. Especially after shows, you know a lot of older gentleman say things to me that obviously they mean well, but it just turns out to be very sexist. I get a lot of the, “If I was 20-years, 30-years younger” sort of statements, and it’s just like, “Ooh, gosh.”

How about general discrimination?

AJ: Yeah, especially jamming in the bluegrass community, as a woman sometimes you’ll just get into those circles that have that male energy so present and it’s really hard for women to join a jam sometimes. But I’ve learned to try to just get myself in there over the years with support from my mom and other strong women who are also in the community.

Are you on the record on where the “Blue Summit” band name originates?

AJ: Our first festival we played was a Kate Wolf festival. We actually didn’t really have a band name yet that we were happy with. The original name we hated. Our original bass player at the time, Isaac Cornelius, came up with The Highway 17 Savages, which doesn’t really resonate with our band at all. We totally needed to change this name. So we made these recordings to send in to Kate Wolf at Isaac’s house, which he grew up on the summit in Santa Cruz. So we were like bluegrass on the summit. So we became Blue Summit.

Photo Credit: Natia Cinco

BGS Bytes: Your Roots Music Social Media Round Up

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Welcome back to BGS Bytes, our monthly column designed to spare you the scroll and key you into the most notable roots-related social media posts! From birthdays to tributes to the dawning of festie season, we’ve got something for everyone. Check out these buzzworthy and viral internet moments from Randy Travis, Molly Tuttle, Chris Eldridge, the Brothers Osborne, and more.

AI Gives Randy Travis’ Voice A Second Chance

@randy.travis Randy’s fans and their desire to hear his voice again inspired Randy to make “Where That Came From” a reality with the help of his team. We are blessed to share this moment with you. Your love inspires Randy to keep on going! Thank you for singing along, always. – Team RT #CountryMusic #NewMusic ♬ Where That Came From – Randy Travis

In 2013, Randy Travis suffered a major stroke following his hospitalization for cardiovascular issues, resulting in aphasia that severely diminished his capacity to speak and sing. Devastated, the world thought Travis might never sing again — until just a couple of weeks ago.

Working alongside Cris Lacy, a co-producer from Warner Music Nashville who previously produced Travis’ music, and Travis’ longtime producer Kyle Lehning, a small team of songwriters, musicians, and computer programers put together a new song for Travis, “Where That Came From.”

The track uses scratch vocals laid down by singer James Dupre, which were then filtered through an AI system informed by dozens of sound bytes from Travis’ catalog. Through trial and error, Lehning and engineers worked to ensure that the song seamlessly evoked Travis’ essence. Travis and his wife, Mary, are absolutely elated by the results, calling the experience “magical,” “beautiful,” and “overwhelming.”

Stevie Wonder Celebrates His 74th Birthday by Becoming a Citizen of Ghana

On May 13th, the legendary Stevie Wonder celebrated his 74th birthday while attending a ceremony that granted him Ghanaian citizenship. The first African country to become independent in 1954, Ghana has historically been an epicenter for many African Americans disenchanted with rampant anti-Blackness in the states. In 1975, Wonder began to dream about moving to Ghana to reconnect with his ancestral roots. Though he reconsidered, remaining in the U.S. to record his lauded Songs in the Key of Life, his 50-year dream came full circle this month.

He spoke on the monumental nature of this moment in his speech at the ceremony, stating, “Now, as a Ghanaian citizen, I am committed to fulfilling the dream we’ve cherished for so long — uniting people of African descent and the diaspora.”

Chris Eldridge Pays Homage To His Father, Ben Eldridge

Throughout its history, bluegrass has been well known as an intergenerational genre, passed down through familial, social, and geographical lineages. One glowing example is Chris “Critter” Eldridge (widely known for his role as a vocalist and guitarist with Punch Brothers) and his father, Ben Eldridge, who sadly passed away on April 14th of this year.

In a beautifully written tribute, Chris speaks about Ben’s incandescent banjo playing, the cultural significance of his band the Seldom Scene within the bluegrass and folk landscapes, Ben’s uncanny knack for mathematics, and his beautiful heart. A legend of his time, Ben will be missed greatly and forever revered.

DelFest Turned into Adelefest

Memorial Day weekend was a legendary one at the 16th annual DelFest, a four-day bluegrass festival taking place alongside the verdant mountains and flowing Potomac river of Cumberland, Maryland.

Listeners were in for a treat when the ethereal Sierra Ferrell came out to join Lukas Nelson’s set with the Travelin’ McCourys for a few songs. Among them was a cover of Adele’s hit, “Someone Like You,” infused with all the melancholy that a little country twang can offer. During a backstage pre-festival rehearsal, Lucas posted a Reel to warn Adele, “You’re going country whether you like it or not!”

Molly Tuttle Pays a Visit to Her First Martin

 

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A post shared by Molly Tuttle (@mollytuttle)

In this sweet and heartwrenching post, Molly Tuttle, queen of flatpicking, tells the sweet story of her first Martin guitar. Penny by penny, she saved up enough at the ripe age of 12 to purchase her very own Martin. It is now on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, alongside instruments from musical giants like John Hartford, Elizabeth Cotten, Earl Scruggs, Mississippi John Hurt, and more.

AJ Lee & Blue Summit Release New Single, “He Called Me Baby”

A song that has lived many lives, AJ Lee & Blue Summit put their own spin on the classic, “He Called Me Baby.” Written by Harlan Howard, the song was most commonly sung as “She Called Me Baby” until Patsy Cline covered it in 1963. Throughout its history, it’s shifted through many genres and forms, perhaps most notably becoming a Top Ten R&B hit in 1971 with Candi Stanton’s recording.

The Brothers Osborne Guest Judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race

@brothersosborne Temporarily trading in our guitars 🎸 for the judge’s panel on @RuPaul’s Drag Race #AllStars9 ♬ original sound – Brothers Osborne

And, being that we’re a few days into June, we simply must include a quick Pride Month teaser! This past week, brothers TJ and John Osborne, most commonly known for their country duo The Brothers Osborne, were featured as guest panelists in Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. This iconic crossover is the perfect kickoff to a month sure to be filled with reminders of the inextricable weavings of queer culture and roots music.

Photo Credit: Randy Travis by Marisa Taylor; RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars production still courtesy of QPrime.