The five-string banjo is often associated with Appalachian music, but its reach has always extended beyond one place. In Ireland, the banjo is traditionally heard as the four-string tenor banjo, a cornerstone of Irish folk music. This playlist celebrates the banjo in Ireland and Northern Ireland, but focuses instead on five-string banjo players, highlighting Irish and Northern Irish artists who are bringing bluegrass banjo into folk, Americana, and contemporary acoustic settings. The tracks here feature musicians working across traditions and genres, using the banjo as a bridge rather than a boundary.
For us, The Foreign Landers, this playlist is closely tied to our own story. Our songs, woven throughout the playlist, reflect life lived between Northern Ireland and the U.S., and the relationships, faith, and sense of distance that shape that experience. In a small way, that mirrors the five-string banjo’s own journey across time and place. Our new album, Made to Wonder, is our expression of these ideas; including our music alongside these other innovative artists helps frame our transatlantic sound within a much larger conversation.
Alongside our music, you’ll hear boundary-pushing banjo work from artists like Flook, JigJam, Damien O’Kane, Ron Block, I Draw Slow, Brian Finnegan, and NÁVA, each offering a different answer to the same question: What does bluegrass banjo become when it’s rooted in Irish soil?
The result is a playlist that honors tradition while continuing to move forward. We hope you enjoy. – The Foreign Landers
“Made to Wonder” – The Foreign Landers
The title track from our new album, this banjo-centric song is about stepping away from noise and busy-ness to find true rest and belonging in Christ, whose yoke is easy and burden light. Featuring Tristan Clarridge (Crooked Still) on cello, adding depth and resonance.
“Road to Errogie” – Flook
There’s something infectious about Flook’s craftsmanship and energy – especially when five-string banjo enters the mix, played by the incredible Leon Hunt of the UK. A major influence on our sound.
“Gold Mine” – I Draw Slow
Irish-based and deeply rooted in both Appalachian and Irish traditions, this clawhammer-driven track blends heritage with heart.
“Johnny’s Peacock / The Red-Tailed Hawk” – The Foreign Landers
Two original tunes deeply informed by Tabitha’s heritage, joined by John Doyle, Brian Finnegan, and Cathal Murphy, bringing Irish tradition and bluegrass energy together.
“John D. McGurk’s (The Heartbeat of St. Louis)” – JigJam
JigJam seamlessly bridge U.S. and Irish folk scenes. Irish banjoist Daithí Melia delivers powerful five-string work on this fun, high-energy track.
“Mario Kart Rides Again” – Ron Block & Damien O’Kane
Two banjos – five-string and four-string – done right. Ron Block of Alison Krauss & Union Station and Damien O’Kane of the Kate Rusby band make for an unxpected delightful pairing. Here is a playful, virtuosic track from their album Banjovial that’s near to Mario Kart-loving hearts.
“Pictures” – The Foreign Landers
Led vocally by David with Tabitha on banjo, this original song draws on our own experience of long-distance dating. “Pictures” captures the quiet weight of distance – and how old photographs can briefly collapse time and place. The unconventional role of banjo on this track is one of our favorite sounds on the new album.
“Marga’s” – Brian Finnegan
A must-include from the County Armagh master himself, featuring Crooked Still with Greg Lizst on five-string banjo. Both four-string and five-string banjo shine in this expansive, genre-blurring piece.
“The Thrifty Wife” – Ron Block & Damien O’Kane
Another Ron and Damien double-banjo banger. Their three collaboration albums are essential listening when talking about banjo in Irish music. Bonus mando moments from Sierra Hull seal the deal.
“Traveler”–The Foreign Landers
Narrated from the perspective of Tabitha’s parents back in Northern Ireland, “Traveler” reflects on growing older, separation, and the tenderness of loving someone from afar. Another unconventional banjo track that we loved making.
“Magic Box” – Nava
Irish Americana and folk meet Persian influences, led by Ireland’s Paddy Kiernan on five-string banjo. A rich example of cross-cultural musical exploration.
“Hope” – Cup O’Joe
Featuring Tabitha’s two brothers (alongside David and Tabitha), this title track from Why Live Without blends Northern Irish roots with progressive Americana.
For a week of wintry weather over much of the U.S., here’s some brand new music to keep you warm.
To kick us off, singer-songwriter Karen Dahlstrom calls on the Milk Carton Kids’ Kenneth Pattengale for a new single, “The Last of My Line.” Finger-picked acoustic guitar scores a contemplative and devastating “hobo song” about lineage, family, and circumstance – and the existential feelings surrounding being the last in your family line. Ohioan alt-Americana trio Oliver Hazard have a new song out today, as well. “Hold On” is infused with folk-rock sounds of the ’70s and built around a catchy guitar riff brought to the band by picker Devin East. It’s one of those songs that just “poured out.”
In bluegrass, country-grass superstars Dailey & Vincent return to their roots as only they could, with a rip-roaring and stratospheric rendition of a classic, “Ruby.” With an all-star cast of players behind them, the duo blazes through the iconic old-time song made popular in bluegrass by the Osborne Brothers. The D&V rendition is spotless; we hope it’s a harbinger of more bluegrass to come from their camp. Plus, Ashby Frank gives the bluegrass treatment to Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters with “The Pretender.” Out today, it combines style points from both bluegrass and grunge in a deep and lush sonic swirl. Whatever your opinion about what is or is not “no part a nothin’,” the energies of both rock and string band are surprisingly well-matched.
You won’t want to miss Lily Meola’s new song, e8ther. Born in Hawaii, Meola makes modern, crisp country music that’s still rich in rootsy tradition and outlaw textures. “Never Kissed a Cowboy” celebrates that, as she puts it, “chivalry ain’t dead, I guess,” and the fun that can be found when doing a romantic dance with a gentleman instead of, well, a loser. It’s a dreamy country waltz that, while contemporary, seems like it could’ve been plucked from just about any decade in the genre’s history.
There’s certainly plenty to love and enjoy this week! You Gotta Hear This…
Karen Dahlstrom, “The Last of My Line” (featuring Kenneth Pattengale)
Artist:Karen Dahlstrom Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Song: “The Last of My Line” featuring Kenneth Pattengale Album:Love These Days Release Date: January 29, 2026 (single); March 27, 2026 (album)
In Their Words: “I’d never really thought about having children – I just assumed I would have them someday. But as the years went on, biology and circumstance made the decision for me. In working through my feelings about being – literally – the last of my family line (my dad was an only child, neither I nor my sisters have biological children), this song started to form. In the back of my mind, I held this idea of a simple, Woody Guthrie-style hobo song with a dash of Lyle Lovett’s ‘Family Reserve.’ I wrote the song I needed when I needed it, without any idea of whether it would resonate with anyone else. To my surprise, it’s one of the songs people say they connect with most.” – Karen Dahlstrom
Dailey & Vincent, “Ruby”
Artist:Dailey & Vincent Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Ruby” Release Date: January 30, 2026
In Their Words: “We’ve never believed bluegrass had to live in a box, but with ‘Ruby,’ we felt a strong pull to strip things back. It’s a reminder that even as you grow and experiment, you never forget your roots. This song reconnects us with that energy and joy that made us want to do this in the first place.” – Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent
Track Credits: Bryan Sutton – Acoustic guitar Darrin Vincent – Bass Russell Carson – Banjo Andy Leftwich – Fiddle Dominick Leslie – Mandolin Jamie Dailey – Vocals
Ashby Frank, “The Pretender”
Artist:Ashby Frank Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “The Pretender” Release Date: January 30, 2026 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “Bluegrass and hard rock often have a similar feeling of ‘drive’ to them; I guess it’s no surprise that many pickers that grew up listening to the shredding instrumentals of bluegrass also have a deep appreciation for great rock musicians. I’ve been a fan of Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters since I was a teenager. I decided to take a giant leap that I’m not sure anyone’s ever made before and cover one of their most iconic songs with a bluegrass-meets-grunge treatment. I really had no idea what the final product would be when I made the decision to record ‘The Pretender,’ but I couldn’t be more proud of what we came up with.” – Ashby Frank
Track Credits: Ashby Frank – Mandolin, lead vocal, harmony vocal Seth Taylor – Acoustic guitar Travis Anderson – Bass Matt Menefee – Banjo Tony Creasman – Drums
Oliver Hazard, “Hold On”
Artist:Oliver Hazard Hometown: Waterville, Ohio Song: “Hold On” Release Date: January 30, 2026 Label: Nettwerk Music Group
In Their Words: “‘Hold On’ sounds like home to us. Devin came over one afternoon with a guitar riff he’d just written, and we sat down at the piano and the song just kind of poured out. It felt like the old ’70s records we loved listening to. It felt like growing up where we did – feeling the change of seasons, spending time in the local dives, that urge to leave town, but not wanting to let it go.” – Oliver Hazard
Lily Meola, “Never Kissed a Cowboy”
Artist:Lily Meola Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Never Kissed A Cowboy” Release Date: January 30, 2026 Label: Nettwerk Music Group
In Their Words: “My picker really did me dirty for a while, so when I experienced good ol’ fashioned gentleman behavior for the first time, it honestly threw me for a loop. I didn’t know how to receive it. I was like, ‘I can open my own door!?’ Then I started to see it from another perspective: having someone treat you like that is honestly really sweet. It might not be the most logical or efficient way of doing things, but damn, being treated like a princess is kinda fun, and being a gentleman is hot. So this is a love song honoring the men who go the extra mile.” – Lily Meola
Photo Credit: Dailey & Vincent by Greg Roth; Lily Meola by Jo Anna Edmison.
Fifteen years ago, bluegrass band Della Mae’s vocalist Celia Woodsmith wrote her future self a letter. She was 25 years old, burned out on trying to make it in Boston’s rock scene, and reeling from the loss of her father.
“If you can just die, why would you be doing something that you didn’t love to do?” she asked.
Her answer – and her hopes for her future self, which Woodsmith wrote into that letter – inspired the title track and underlying message of the band’s new album, Magic Accident, which marvels at the improbability of existence. As Woodsmith sings on “Magic Accident”:
We all start with something No one comes from nothing It took a millennia to get you here You’re a magic accident, the way that fate bent With a little carbon and gravity Carbon and gravity
“Our life is just a series of these little accidents – my parents meeting, their parents meeting. And it’s a beautiful and magical thing that we’re all here right now. It’s a beautiful and magical thing that Della Mae is here,” Woodsmith says. “That’s the basis behind that song, and it’s the basis behind how I think about a lot of my life. It’s just a beautiful accident that I’m here at all. So I might as well enjoy it and do the best thing, the best that I can, while I can.”
Magic Accident, as an album, a song, a concept, and a band ethos, celebrates following one’s own path. All four members of Della Mae – Woodsmith, founder and fiddler Kimber Ludiker, guitarist Avril Smith, and bassist Vickie Vaughn – lost their fathers prematurely, which bonds them as a band and altered how each woman sees the world. And making it as one of the few all-women bluegrass bands inherently required the Dellas to push boundaries and carve out space for their lives and stories.
“If I could talk to the little girl inside of me/ I’d let her know the world ain’t what it seems/ And if she would listen/ Could I keep her safe from making my mistakes?” the band wonders on “My Own Highway,” the album’s second track. Later, they remind the next generation of the same sentiment in “Out Run ‘Em,” written by Smith (co-written with Caroline Spence) for her pre-teen daughter, advising, “If you go with the crowd, you can’t out run ‘em.”
Indeed, all of Magic Accident listens like a set of love and advice letters to the band’s younger and current selves.
“I don’t think we could have written this album as young women. This is an older, wiser woman sort of thing,” Woodsmith says.
Elsewhere on Magic Accident, the band appreciates life’s small, sweet, desperately important moments. “Nothing at All,” which Woodsmith wrote with Spence, is a gentle appreciation of love that’s aged comfortably, while “Little Bird,” which the pair also wrote, relishes slow days and simple life joys.
“What do they say? One of the biggest forms of revolution is having joy in spite of what’s going on around you,” says Vaughn, about including these kinds of emotional interludes on the album. “And sometimes, the little things are all we have right now, whenever all this bullshit is happening.”
These songs would not be confused with light subject fare, though. The weight and wisdom of lived experience grounds Magic Accident in conviction and clarity, even when it may appear uncomfortable. “Family Tree,” a furious track driven by producer Alison Brown’s banjo picking and Ludiker’s fiddle, explores what it takes to break harmful generational cycles. “What You’re Looking For” ends a relationship that no longer serves the narrator. On the album’s only cover, Bruce Robison’s “Lifeline,” Vaughn on vocals (with Mary Bragg on harmony), reaches a hand down to anyone struggling to find their footing in the buffeting of life.
“The weight has become unbearable,” Woodsmith says. “We speak our minds and we fight for the things that we think are right; we all feel strongly about a lot of the same things, like women’s rights. But that can be a heavy load to bear and to sing constantly night after night.
“Sometimes we choose not to sing some of these songs that we believe so strongly, just because it’s become hard to bear that weight. I think this album lets us see the light a little bit.”
Though it’s full of interpersonal songs, on the final track of Magic Accident Della Mae zooms out to consider the state of the world. Sonically bluegrass and lyrically a protest, “Takes All Kinds” – co-written by Vaughn and singer/songwriter Melody Walker – asks the world to consider its future, as well:
Oh, the politicians who write the laws (Oh, lord it takes all kinds) They say they stand for the underdog (Oh, lord it takes all kinds)
But then they take my rights away (Oh, lord it takes all kinds) For a greenback dollar at the end of the day (Oh, lord it takes all kinds)
Ludiker started Della Mae in part out of frustration with how few women she saw on concert bills and in bluegrass bands. “After talking with a lot of people, it was pretty clear that maybe those bands also wouldn’t hire women for various reasons; I eventually got the idea to start my own band,” she says.
“My brain just wouldn’t accept the fact that [otherwise] maybe I wouldn’t have some of the [same] opportunities that I would have if I was a boy.”
To that end, Della Mae has been part of building a more inclusive, supportive community in bluegrass. Indeed, Woodsmith joined the band soon after writing herself the letter that inspired “Magic Accident.” At the time, she planned to quit music and join the Peace Corps. Instead, 15 years on, Della Mae has produced six studio albums (including their GRAMMY-nominated This World Oft Can Be on Rounder Records) and toured over 30 countries with the U.S. State Department music diplomacy program.
Della Mae is, by their own estimation, the longest-touring all-woman bluegrass band. Which would prove, as they put it on their website, “once and for all, that a band of all women is not, nor has ever been, a mere novelty.”
“Hopefully we can inspire other little magic accidents,” Woodsmith says. “Like other women or other young people who want to play, who see us at the right time in their lives to push them forward to playing music, and to step outside of their comfort zones and do something they thought might be impossible.”
You know what would be the perfect way to end the week? A bevy of new roots songs and videos! Well, we have just the thing – and You Gotta Hear This.
To start us off, South Carolina-based husband-and-wife duo Benson – Wayne and Kristin Scott Benson – deliver a brand new instrumental, “Slayton Court.” Inspired by Wayne’s first address when he moved to Nashville 30+ years ago, and their young adult son’s similar journey in the present, it’s a thoughtful and tender tune that’s lyrical and evocative. Their labelmates, Unspoken Tradition, who hail from just up the mountains from Benson, also debuted a new single today, “Rhythm of the Ridge.” Written by North Carolina native Milan Miller, it’s an excellent song built on regionality, community, and the importance of the cultures that birth roots music.
Keep scrolling, though, as there’s plenty to explore. Singer-songwriter Cuchulain offers an adorable, painstaking stop-motion video for his new single, “Flip Turns.” As he puts it, it’s a song for swimmers and/or folks trying to keep their head above water wrapped in smooth and jazzy, alt-Americana sonics. New Jersey singer-songwriter Sean Kiely kicked off 2026 with a brand new track featuring his friend and hero, Kaia Kater. We’re pleased to share a live performance video of “This Is The Year,” a perfect song for starting the new calendar year on the correct foot.
Los Angeles stalwart Jonny Fritz returns to his most recent album, Debbie Downers, to offer all of us a woodwinds version of that critically acclaimed LP coming in April. Today he unveils the first delightful woodwinds version from the reimagined collection, “Tea Man,” featuring clarinets, bass clarinet, flute, and Fritz holding it all together himself. For a dose of old-time, check out “Cheeky F” by George Jackson’s Local Trio. Stemming from the tradition of Texas-style old-time fiddling and melodies, Jackson, his trio-mates, and guest guitarist (and producer) Stash Wyslouch pick through the swinging and acrobatic pizzicato head with “Flight of the Bumblebee” aplomb.
To round out our roundup this week, we get a healthy dose of alliterative outlaw country from Ameripolitan crooner Dale Watson. “Willie, Waylon and Whiskey” brings alt-country, the Bakersfield sound, and psychedelic surf rock together as only Watson could. The track is driving and frenetic, leaning forward in the beat and referencing so many classic lines, melodic hooks, and tracks from his fellow outlaws. Would country be country without self-referential songs? It’s hard to imagine.
From bluegrass and old-time to folk and outlaw, there’s plenty to enjoy this week on BGS. You Gotta Hear This!
Benson, “Slayton Court”
Artist:Benson Hometown: Boiling Springs, South Carolina Song: “Slayton Court” Release Date: January 23, 2026 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “‘Slayton Court’ was the first address that I had when I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, around 1993 with my good buddy Greg Luck. This instrumental is inspired by kind of reflecting on that time when you first gain your independence. For me, I was a young working musician for the first time playing with IIIrd Tyme Out. And you fast forward all these years and now I have a 19-year-old son going through a similar season. We were going to make a slideshow to document those years, especially with his activity as a young angler and going into the world of college fishing. As we made that slideshow it felt like this same melody would serve as great background for that, as well. I hope you guys enjoy ‘Slayton Court.'” – Wayne Benson
Track Credits: Wayne Benson – Mandolin Kristin Scott Benson – Banjo Cody Kilby – Acoustic guitar Kevin McKinnon – Bass
Cuchulain, “Flip Turns”
Artist:Cuchulain Hometown: Rock Hill, South Carolina, but currently live in Ithaca, New York. This was recorded in Eugene, Oregon, though, which was our hometown for the past five years. Song: “Flip Turns” Album:It’s Always Something Release Date: January 23, 2026 (single); April 3, 2026 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Flip Turns’ is a song for swimmers, for folks keeping their head above water. Written between swim breaks on summer tour 2024 and recorded live last January 2025, this song was our Tiny Desk Contest submission last year. I’ll be touring East Coast listening rooms in April 2026 to support It’s Always Something, the live in-studio album for which this is the lead single. A stop-motion music video accompanies the single release. The video took me most of fall 2025: I hand-felted the figures, constructed sets, and filmed frame by frame on my phone during my newborn daughter’s nap breaks. Equally at home on a coffee shop playlist or swimming workout playlist, the songs on this album are meant to be photographs of what my Oregon band sounded like at our peak, and love letters to hopeless romantics trying to make sense of this wild world.” – Cuchulain
Video Credits: Video by Cuchulain, color by Ashley Barry.
Jonny Fritz, “Tea Man”
Artist:Jonny Fritz Hometown: Los Angeles, California Song: “Tea Man” Album:Debbie Downers – Woodwinds Release Date: January 20, 2026 (single); April 3, 2026 (album) Label: Gar Hole Records
In Their Words: “I love woodwinds and have wanted to make this type of record for as long as I can remember. I’ve had this vision of clarinets playing chicken pickin’-style telecaster solos. Just imagine a Jerry Reed covers album played with clarinets and piccolos. There’s something about the staccato tonguing of a reed instrument that seems to me as enjoyable as playing roadhouse country solos. I’ve never played one, so I don’t know, but I do think about it all the time. I couldn’t be happier to finally hear it out loud and share it with the world.
“The version of this record I brought to Andrew Conrad was very different from what it became. My version was ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and he made it into ‘The Star Wars Theme’ (or something like that). He was so clearly overqualified for the job and it made me appreciate him even more.” – Jonny Fritz
Track Credits: Jonny Fritz – Vocals, songwriter Christine Tavolacci – Flute Andrew Conrad – Clarinets Michael Mull – Clarinets Brian Walsh – Bass clarinet
George Jackson’s Local Trio, “Cheeky F”
Artist:George Jackson’s Local Trio Hometown: Originally, Christchurch, New Zealand. Now, Madison, Tennessee Song: “Cheeky F” Album:Center Of The Universe Release Date: January 26, 2026 (single); February 13, 2026 (album) Label: Adhyâropa Records
In Their Words: “I was inspired by the way Texas-style old-time fiddlers hide all sorts of weird notes on upbeats, so this was a bit of a riff on a Texas-style tune and seeing how many non-chord notes I could hide around the melody on weak beats. Stash took a break from producing in the control room to join us with some driving rhythm guitar, which really helped channel the Texas-style energy. I’m really happy with some of the spontaneous energy that we were able to capture in this take, a real edge-of-your-seat, improvised, studio take.” – George Jackson
Track Credits: George Jackson – Fiddle Frank Evans – Banjo Eli Broxham – Double bass Stash Wyslouch – Guitar
Sean Kiely, “This Is The Year” Featuring Kaia Kater
Artist:Sean Kiely Hometown: Jersey City, New Jersey Song: “This Is the Year” featuring Kaia Kater Release Date: January 1, 2026 Label: Multiple Logo
In Their Words: “I’ve been working on a new record since the fall and I was thrilled that Kaia Kater joined us on ‘This Is the Year’ singing and playing banjo. She elevated the tune so much, both in the vocal and in the groove of the banjo with the band. It came together really naturally and quickly, so we decided to release it on New Year’s Day, even as the rest of the album is still taking shape.
“I have a long list of favorite things about my friend and hero Kaia, but two in particular are her songwriting and her posture as a performer – the self-possession and power that’s just so right-there in everything she sings. They’re qualities I’m reaching for, so having her bring that craft to something I wrote was so rad.
“This video from the afternoon of New Year’s Eve is actually the first time we ever played the tune just as a duo and I gotta say it was no less exciting (and fun) to sit and pick ‘This Is the Year’ on Kaia’s couch just the two of us.” – Sean Kiely
Unspoken Tradition, “Rhythm of the Ridge”
Artist:Unspoken Tradition Hometown: Western North Carolina Song: “Rhythm of the Ridge” Release Date: January 23, 2026 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “The first time I heard the demo of ‘Rhythm of the Ridge,’ I realized it was as deeply meaningful for me as it was for Milan [Miller]. I grew up in an immigrant family and straddling two worlds. The mountains of Appalachia are where I found the inspiration to write my American story. It feels timely to tell a story of grounding ideals and identity in a time where external forces attempt to rend us further away from each other. Just as the culture of my family’s home is written on their hearts long after they left it, so too is the ‘Rhythm of the Ridge’ on my own.” – Sav Sankaran
“Although it wasn’t my original intention when I began writing ‘Rhythm of the Ridge,’ the song quickly took on a deeply personal narrative as the lines started falling into place. I left the mountains of North Carolina for Nashville almost 30 years ago, yet home is a melody that follows you long after you leave it – a rhythm in your bones and blood that quietly keeps time. This isn’t a song about longing or looking back; it leans into a sense of place that steadies you and guides you through new endeavors and experiences. Fully adept at honoring the traditions of bluegrass while championing material that feels fresh and forward-thinking, Unspoken Tradition has become one of my favorite bands to emerge in the genre over the past decade, and I am beyond thrilled that they’re adding ‘Rhythm of the Ridge’ to their stellar catalog.” – Milan Miller, songwriter
Track Credits: Audie McGinnis – Acoustic guitar, harmony vocal Sav Sankaran – Upright bass, lead vocal Tim Gardner – Fiddle, harmony vocal Ty Gilpin – Mandolin Zane McGinnis – Banjo
Dale Watson, “Willie, Waylon and Whiskey”
Artist:Dale Watson Hometown: Austin, Texas Song: “Willie, Waylon and Whiskey” Album:Unwanted Release Date: January 23, 2026 (single); April 24, 2026 (album) Label: 40 Below Records
In Their Words: “This song was written on stage in San Antonio at the Lonesome Rose Bar. Inspired by a large man standing in front of me all night because he was wearing a shirt that simply said ‘Willie Waylon and Whiskey.’ I asked if it was a band name or a song name and he just said, ‘No, I just saw it in Walmart and liked it.’ Well, I liked it, too, so I wrote the song on the spot. I knew it would be a keeper when by the second time the chorus came around the entire crowd was singing it with me.” – Dale Watson
Aotearoa (New Zealand) doesn’t have a strong history of bluegrass bands – except one. If you mention bluegrass to New Zealanders, some will have at least heard of the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band. New Zealand has produced some great players, notably fiddle player George Jackson, banjo player BB Bowness, guitarist/singer Cy Winstanley, and bassist/singer Vanessa McGowan. (Now that we write this, these four would make a great NZ bluegrass band!) But while these names are well known in American bluegrass circles, it is fair to say they aren’t known (outside of folk circles) in Aotearoa.
Many of the songs on our new album, Midnight (out January 30, 2026), are situated within a day, or feature characters who are sitting at the cusp of who they have been before delving into something new. That sense of “in-between” also reflects our place within Aotearoa’s musical landscape, where bluegrass arrives without a long local history, but can be shaped in ways that feel natural to how we live and create here.
“Our Kiwi fans know bluegrass from traditional songs and contemporary artists such as Alison Krauss & Union Station, and Billy Strings. But they are more familiar with the other genres that bluegrass sits alongside. We’re also collectively members of the New Zealand folk, country, and jazz communities,” says our bassist, Rob Henderson.
Midnight starts with bluegrass at its core, but gently widens scope, bringing in different genres with their rhythms, broader chord progressions, and influences drawn from our own environment and lives lived in Aotearoa.
Here are the songs and tunes that anchor us in tradition and inspire us to find our own path as the clock strikes twelve. – You, Me, Everybody
“Ain’t No Grave” – Crooked Still
I love groove and the forward motion in all music, so when I heard this tune for the first time I was naturally inspired by the push of the cello part. This feel was a factor in my own bass playing across the album, especially for up-tempo tunes such as “Misdirection.” – Rob Henderson
“Dorrigo” – George Jackson
George Jackson’s tune “Dorrigo” feels friendly and familiar. It’s one of those tunes that will just keep going around and around the jam circle. When the Dorrigo Challenge did the rounds on the internet a couple years ago, it was a reminder of how a tune can bring people together. I had this in mind while writing “Sam’s Tune” on our album. – Sam Frangos-Rhodes
“Wildfire” – Watchhouse
I find when I sit down to write a song, I usually follow the same template or theme. Of course, there is variation in a lot of my songwriting, but I find rhythmically it’s always much of the same thing. A while back I wanted to break that cycle and try to write a more chilled out, slower tempo song, so I wrote “Heart of Stone,” which leads to “Wildfire” by Watchhouse. I enjoy this song because I think it has a very similar vibe to “Heart of Stone.” For me, it captures the same emotion and feeling I was looking for. I find it’s always nice to find what I was looking for in other people’s writing and relate that back to my own music. – LaurenceFrangos-Rhodes
“Heart of Stone” – You, Me, Everybody
Laurence originally wrote this while we were producing our previous album, Southern Sky. I love the backbeat to it, but he also writes great chord progressions; they feel natural and authentic to the song and surprising at the same time. I’ve known Sam and Laurence since they were in their early teens and while our audience love our instrumentation, singing harmonies with them feels like home to me. “Heart of Stone” gives us an opportunity to showcase our vocal blend and milk those beautiful chords Laurence gifts to his songs. – Kim Bonnington
“Railroad” – Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
When I try to serve the song with three-finger banjo, I frequently look to Béla Fleck’s work with Abigail Washburn. He plays parts and the two of them fill out the texture of a song so well! Ironically, when we arranged “Silver Spoon,” I was hearing Abigail-like clawhammer behind it, so I did my best to provide that kind of sound with three fingers. – Nat Torkington
“A Hundred and Sixty Acres” – Marty Robbins
Our track, “The Ballad of Bubs and Beautiful,” started when I overheard a conversation between two women shearers in a camp ground in Waipukarau. I knew that I wanted to capture their relationship to each other and their working life, all framed within a day. My Dad’s vinyl collection is 50% Marty Robbins and I remembered the picture that “A Hundred and Sixty Acres” colored of a life well lived. That’s why the first line in “Bubs and Beautiful” is, “Up ‘fore dawn to greet the sun.” There’s a tendency for NZ songwriters to still write about American experiences and places due to an inability to describe ourselves that has been labelled “cultural cringe.” But I knew the description of the women was genuine when I heard someone go, “Oh” as we played the last line live for the first time. – KB
“Orphan Annie” – Tony Rice
As a guitarist, I’ve been heavily influenced by Tony Rice – who hasn’t!? Whenever I listen to the Church Street Blues album it leaves me feeling creative and inspired. I love the minimalism; stripped back to one guitar and vocals telling a story. A lot of the songs on Midnight started in this exact same way, guitar and vocals alone. So it only feels appropriate to give credit to Church Street Blues where credit is due. I cannot pick one track from the album as a favorite because they are all great, but here is “Orphan Annie.” – LFR
“Was It You” – Joy Kills Sorrow
“Was It You” is a song I love for how it drives. That rapid mando chop over a fast rolling banjo held down by a thumping bass is a sure way to make a foot stomper. I took a lot of inspiration from Jacob Jolliff’s mandolin playing in “Was It You” when I put together my part for our song, “Busy Without Me.” – SFR
“Busy Without Me” – You, Me, Everybody
Kim writes wonderful slice-of-life songs. The Midnight album has everything from the plight of an unwed mother to mother/daughter sheep-shearers. “Busy Without Me” is perhaps more #relatable, though: we have a short life with ample temptation for busyness, it says, but it’s important to take moments to “sit and breathe and let the breeze wash over me with nothing in my way.” I love the way the busy-ness of the music reflects the lyrics. – NT
“Caleb Meyer” – Gillian Welch
Country/folk/bluegrass songwriters have always done a great job of writing songs about things we won’t talk about, but make us happy to sing about them. Our song “Silver Spoon” was initially written to an Irish jig. But the joyfulness didn’t eclipse the bleakness of the lyrics. At different times when we were arranging it, different band members would say, “What would Caleb Meyer do?” and our producer Rachel Baiman asked exactly the same question when she arrived for our sessions before we recorded. It’s become the quintessential modern murder ballad. – KB
“Distant Sun” – Crowded House
I grew up in ’90s New Zealand with parents who would play in a country band at the local barn dance while my brother was DJing at the rugby club rooms. So while Marty and Merle would be in one ear, Crowded House was in the other. If you think of great bridges in songwriting, “Distant Sun” has one of them. It also has my favorite line ever in a song: “I don’t pretend to know what you want, but I offer love.” The melody lines in our own track, “The Rest of Us,” hark back to years of admiring Neil Finn as a songwriter. – KB
“The Rest of Us” – You, Me, Everybody
When Kim first brought the concept of “The Rest of Us” to the band I was immediately a fan, and thought it would a great fit on the album. Before we went into the studio we all spent some time together to arrange the new material. As a band I feel like we work uniquely well when it comes to putting a song together and it’s one of our biggest strengths. I think “The Rest of Us” is a great example of Kim’s songwriting and a great example of how we function as a band. – LFR
“Natchez Trace” – Béla Fleck
In my mind, this is the classic G minor banjo instrumental, from Béla Fleck’s landmark album, Drive. Recorded with his B string tuned down to B flat, Fleck often plays it live out without the re-tuning. That was the inspiration for me to write my own Gm instrumental for a banjo tuned to open G major. – NT
“What a Fool Believes” – The Doobie Brothers
I wrote “She’s Alright With Me” a few years ago before I joined You, Me, Everybody. At the time, I had been deep diving into a lot of Doobie Brothers music and the moving parts within their songs. When “She’s Alright With Me” was born, it was originally a heavy keyboard driving tune – having written it on an old 1960s Wurlitizer Piano and styled it on some of the Doobies’ keyboard parts. It’s safe to say it’s transitioned a lot as we don’t have a keyboard part, but you can hear the rhythm now being driven in the same way by Laurence’s guitar. – RH
“Old Train” – Tony Rice Unit
Laurence’s epic album-opening “Misdirection” is a straight-ahead driving bluegrass song, which nonetheless has a few surprise chords in it. For some reason that reminds me of this epic Tony Rice track. – NT
“Misdirection” – You, Me, Everybody
“Misdirection” fits nicely as the opener on our album. It’s a fun example of progressive bluegrass while still staying true to its roots. “Misdirection” is my favorite track on the album and I would like to think the amount of fun we had recording this song is reflected in the final result. – SFR
Speaking to Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductee and IBMA Award winner Larry Sparks over the phone, you might never guess you’re conversing with a living legend. He’s remarkably humble, down to earth, and plainspoken. And his approach to making bluegrass – as he has professionally for more than 60 years – is surprisingly zen.
His latest album, Way Back When, was released in late October 2025 and the project finds Sparks in exactly the same sonic space as any of his excellent LPs from the last six decades. If you were to take a short audio sample of Way Back When, it would be genuinely difficult to identify from which era of his lauded career it came. The project is warm, lively, and resonant, sounding like you’ve been dropped into a cozy living room with perfect acoustics and a superlative bluegrass string band.
The songs, as well, are timeless and classic, whether fresh tracks, iconic covers, or an old-timey instrumental fiddle tune with familial origins. Like his vocal style, guitar picking, and production preferences, Sparks’ song curation also feels like an intuitive extension of his personality. When he describes how he accomplishes this consistency across eras and executes the timelessness of his albums, it seems as though he becomes a sort of bluegrass guru.
“When songs touch me, they touch my feelings,” he explained to BGS . “When the song touches me, it’s saying something. I’ll take that and see what I can work with, and make it my song.
“The song’s me and I’m the song. And that’s the way that they did it back in the day. They become that song – the older singers, they became those songs. That’s the way that I do it, I try to make that song me and me the song.”
It’s a secret ingredient lacking from too many bluegrass records out there today. Not just his inhabitation of songs so that they can inhabit him, but also treating bluegrass like the forebears of this music did. As a living, breathing, cutting-edge thing that doesn’t need to be built on a foundation of regurgitation and emulation and litmus testing. Like Sparks puts it so simply – and eloquently – in our conversation, bluegrass has mainstream appeal. It requires heart, soul, and being present – becoming the music and becoming each song.
That right there is exactly how Sparks became a Bluegrass Music Hall of Famer and a hero to many – Alison Krauss, Billy Strings, and this writer included. It’s also how he’s maintained a consistent (never boring, stale, or regressive) sound over the course of his 62-year career. And, it’s what keeps him motivated to continue looking forward while inspiring all of us and reaching new audiences.
Let’s start by talking about your excellent new album, Way Back When. When I first listened to it in the fall, when it was released, I was struck by how old-school it sounds. The production style sounds so timeless, it sounds so warm and live – like real bluegrass. It also feels like it could have been pulled from almost any era of your career. with the way that it’s produced and the way that it stands out sonically. I wondered how you accomplished that?
Larry Sparks: I try to do things normal and just go for it. And all of the band– you just feel what you’re doing. You make it real. It’s hard to explain. It’s just, I sing and play from my heart, soul, and mind. Some songs you don’t have to do that, you just – like the old saying – rear back and let it go.
But some songs need attention, and you have to become that song and the song becomes you. That’s the way that I think probably all these songs are, everything I sing is pretty much that way. But, I don’t know, the feel just comes out natural. It’s more of an older feel, the real feel. That’s the way I like things. So much [that’s] added in today’s recording and music and everything, it’s okay – I’m not saying anything about it! But myself, I’d rather keep it pretty real, just like it used to be.
Are you tracking in isolation booths? Or are y’all tracking in the same room and live? It doesn’t sound like you’re putting the music under the microscope, as it were.
No, I don’t like that. You have to [sometimes], but I’d rather [not]. It’s [an] all in the same room deal. Sometimes you’ve gotta do an overdub break or something. You miss your hot lick, you gotta do it over again. Overdubs are good to use, but I don’t like to depend on them. I’d rather do it straight down the line, and if you make a mistake you do it over, you can overdub a spot or something.
Something else that stood out to me listening to the album is how consistent your sound has been over the decades. You have your own way of singing, you have a style that’s really consistent – as well how you pick the songs that go on your recordings. And you certainly have your own guitar-picking style. Almost no one picks like you these days. How do you think it is true, across 60 years in music, that when you listen to Larry Sparks, you know you’re hearing Larry Sparks and Larry Sparks alone?
It’s a natural style for me. I respect the older songs an awful lot. The older music and the older singers, that came along before I did, in the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. I was a kid, but I remember the music mighty, mighty well in the ‘60s. All the older country singers were embedded in me, too. Some of the people just stayed in me. They were good singers and their music, their singing was real. It embedded in me.
I still had my own way of singing and playing. I never did wanna copy someone else. And although I respected what they did very much, the older music and the older country and bluegrass [artists] and whatever else – there is other music, too. It just became natural for me to have my own style of singing and playing, and I never really worked on it to do that. It’s just me, and the band pretty well feels what I’m doing.
The whole thing, you gotta keep it natural, real, and feel what you’re doing, from your heart and soul. That’s the way I do it. It’s nothing I plan to do. It just comes out that way.
I think that’s why it works and is so consistent across your entire career, because it’s not a costume that you put on, it’s not affectation, it’s not a target that you’re trying to hit. It’s just you being you.
People can feel that, too. The audience can feel what you feel. Most of ’em, they can feel exactly what you feel, what you do.
Larry Sparks (far left) performs with the Stanley Brothers before Carter Stanley’s death. Circa 1964. Image courtesy of Rebel Records.
I so appreciate that you bring up heart and soul, because I think people make the assumption that bluegrass is not a music that’s based on heart and based on soul. Especially when you listen to some barn burning, shredding bluegrass or jamgrass.
But for me, this music has always been as much about the stories, the heart, and the soul – and the feeling of it. And that’s clearly such an important part of it for you, too, and the storytelling. I think a lot of people don’t realize heart and soul are an important part of the tradition of bluegrass.
Yeah, sure it is. I’ve worked under the bluegrass name for years. Bluegrass is about 80 years old now, and I have been into it 62 of those years.
Wow.
I can’t believe I’ve been into it that long under the bluegrass name. My music is considered bluegrass, but actually a lot of my stuff could go either way. I’m considered bluegrass and that’s fine. I appreciate it. I’m honored, but a lot of my stuff can go into country or some other direction, too.
I just hold to what I’m doing and [what has] been a good business for me over the years. But you have to make it work and look ahead. The music is music, but you gotta make a business out of it. If you don’t, it’s not gonna work. And that’s what I did. It’s worked out for me. A lot of the bluegrass [industry] is not easy. It’s not one of the easiest forms of music to “make it” in.
And, it’s always been set behind [other] forms of music. I’d really like to see it be possible for bluegrass to be played on all stations. To play it [alongside] new country, modern country, rock and roll. Whatever it is, mix it up. But get bluegrass to program directors. If it ever could get played on other stations, with the right songs and the right artist – put in with everything else they’re doing – it would work. I don’t know if it’ll ever come to that or not, but that’s what it’s always been. We’ve always – like the old saying – took the backseat to the other forms of music.
But we got enough fans and that keeps it [going]. … I’m honored and I’m thankful for it. But it takes a lot of years, a lot of hard work. It’s not easy. I’ve done it all myself. I’ve done my own management, my own booking, my own phone calls, my own writing. This, that, this, that, this, that. I’ve done it all. Like I said, I’m gonna keep doing it, it’s working. It’s fine.
Like you mention, these songs really could go both ways. I love how much country is on this album, and you do such a great job of illustrating that bluegrass and country will always be related and that they cross-pollinate.
And I totally agree, bluegrass has mainstream appeal. And always has! I don’t know why we pretend like it doesn’t.
Yeah, we need more promotion on bluegrass. I wanna keep doing everything I can for it, because I respect it very much. Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, and Flatt & Scruggs – these three names put [bluegrass] on the path and all that played bluegrass come after those three names.
Those three names are in you. I never did want to actually copy any one of those three names, but you take those three names – just to give you an idea. Take those three names I said and you put the Osborne Brothers with ‘em. Put Jim & Jesse with ‘em. Put Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman and others – and Larry Sparks – all those names. Every one of ’em are different sounds, different style. But they’re still on the same path. That’s what you gotta have. That’s what I knew, “I better stick to that and not be a copy.”
Let’s talk a little bit about your guitar playing style, because I think you’re carrying on a tradition of a particular kind of guitar picking in bluegrass that is rarer and rarer today. So few people who still make records and perform shows pick like you do. I love how front-and-center your guitar is on this album. Could you talk a little bit about your picking style and maybe who your influences were or how you came up in that type of picking?
Other guitar players are really good and there are a few players out there that can. But the way I do things, my playing is like my singing. I play the melody. And I don’t play over the melody. There’s less notes than normal guitar, it’s more of a feel. It’s hard to explain, but I just play the feel of the song and the melody. I try not to overdo it. I play it and when I hit a note or a slide or a backward– or whatever I do, a pull-off, I want it to come from me. I want it to be me and I wanna feel that note I’m doing, feel that slide I’m doing, whatever I’m doing. And [I want to] keep it that way and not overplay the song.
I also wanted to talk about the instrumental on the album, “Sleepin’ Lula.” Speaking of things that are rarer and rarer in bluegrass, having the clawhammer banjo on it is excellent. It feels like no one flogs the banjo anymore. There’s a lot of old-time players, a lot of clawhammer players, but it doesn’t really seem like anybody’s flogging it anymore. Hearing the instrumental, when the clawhammer kicks in, it was reminding me of that era of early bluegrass when you were just as likely to hear frailing banjo as a three-finger in a bluegrass band.
That’s great. Yeah, I thought it turned out pretty good. I was pleased with it. That’s an old tune. My grandpa, I got a recording of him playing that in 1953. Him and some guys, and he’s from Jackson County, Kentucky. Very good fiddle player. Very good. He was one of the best, he could’ve done something with his talent. He was born in 1877. Back in those days, up to the turn of the century, ‘20s, ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, he just played square dances around locally and stuff. He never did really go out. Stringbean asked him to go out with him some, but he never wanted to leave or go ‘round traveling and stuff. But he could have filled the bill for anything. He was that good.
I heard the tune from him. And I had never heard it before. “Sleepin’ Lula” – that was my grandma’s name, his wife’s name. She died in 1910 in childbirth and I never got to see her, of course. But her name was Lula, and so he recorded that “Sleepin’ Lula.” And I don’t know, I’m not going to say for sure if he wrote it. There’s a couple other fiddle players I heard play that from back in the ‘20s or ‘30s. But all respect to him. There wasn’t a player like my grandpa.
I don’t know who it came from. I don’t know if it came from my grandpa and he put it together because his wife’s name is Lula. Or if “Sleepin’ Lula” was the name [he gave another tune.] Someday I may try to trace that out a little further.
The other fiddlers that you know played it, did they use the same title for it, too?
Yeah!
Interesting. That’s so cool!
Yeah, it’s something else.
You’re a famous bluegrasser. You’ve been famous to me, for instance, my whole life. I was honestly nervous and a little starstruck to have this conversation. [Laughs] But you’re also becoming more famous at this moment, because two of the biggest bluegrass names to ever come out of the genre – Alison Krauss and Billy Strings – they’re such big fans of yours. I feel like both Alison and Billy see your legacy, they see how important it is, and they are translating that importance to people that maybe don’t know who you are or are just learning about you for the first time.
So I’ve just been curious to ask you, how do you feel about having these prominent “fans” – and it’s not just Alison and Billy, obviously. What does it mean to you to be part of that constellation of people that they look to as influences? And, what does it mean to you to see your music reach new audiences thanks to them and others?
It’s a new world. It’s a different world than what I’m used to. Which, there’s nothing wrong with it. I’m very honored that they stand behind what I do and my music. And, for the music, I’m very honored and thankful that they like it and that they maybe have it in their shows sometime or whatever.
But yeah, the new crowds in bluegrass – we have a very good crowd, but it’s bigger than it ever has been, now, bluegrass music is. But we still have that limited crowd [coming] from other forms of music. And that’s why I said, if it ever got to play on the big stations, give us a little room and respect for the bluegrass. It’s very important music and if the big country stations would give us some respect and get bluegrass to their program directors…
Don’t just [throw it out there]. You gotta be careful. Give it the right thing, the right artists, the right songs, and it would really help our music. It really would help.
But if it never happens, we still got a good crowd and we get more people all the time coming in. It’s a kind of a new crowd coming in, a new age group coming in. We still have a lot of the older people, but the younger people are coming into it. Teens to 20 years old, I’m seeing that happen more. That’s good. Bluegrass, it needs more push, it needs more promotion.
Do you see what Billy Strings is doing as that push or as that promotion? Can you tell, with younger fans coming in, that they started as Billy Strings fans and found you that way? I wonder, is there any way you’re measuring the impact of people talking about you and pushing your music?
I can’t really tell on that, for sure. I can’t. I’m just seeing people that’s young – teenagers and stuff – that wants to learn to play the music and are trying to play. And then that age group I was telling you about is. It’s coming in stronger all the time.
I’ll be honest with you. I don’t listen to other music. I don’t listen to anything hardly, music-wise. You gotta keep yourself fresh. But I respect other music. I respect it. All forms of music. I don’t have anything against the big bands and all the new names. But I like that old stuff. Of course, bluegrass and old country. And other things, blues, I like a lot of that.
You seem remarkably humble and so down to earth. You follow the songs, you put heart and soul into ‘em. But you’re literally a Hall of Famer and you’re one of the last of the first big generation of bluegrass makers that are still doing it today. You’re a legend to all of us. Does it feel like you’re a legend? To you, on the inside? Or no?
I would be to a lot of people, a legend, and to a lot of people I would be famous, I would be a star. But when I went into this business, went into music in my teens, I never looked at it as wanting to be a star or to be famous. I never looked at those two things. I wanted to take what talent I had. I knew I had something to offer. I had to put it together and see what I could do [to] make it work.
I don’t know if I’m a star or famous to people. I hope so, because that’d be nice. I’m pretty honored.
Photo Credit: Images courtesy of Rebel Records. Lead image by Michael Wilson.
Your weekly dose of new music is here! You Gotta Hear This.
We’ve got a couple of brand new music videos, leading off with Big Richard absolutely smashing a David Olney song, “Millionaire.” To say the track is apropos for this moment in time would be a laughable understatement. The string band/bluegrass supergroup give it their signature impassioned treatment, with energy, conviction, and musicality. Their new music video for the just-released single was shot in and around Salt Lake City. Plus, Boston-based alt-folk duo Sweet Petunia bring us a new music video, as well. Their new, stark indie folk track “Grub” is set to a delightful animated, stop-motion, hand-drawn music video. The song explores identity, embodiment, beauty, and pain, and holds space for solidarity for trans and gender-nonconforming folks.
You’ll also find a music video for Michael Haney’s new cover of a Bruce Springsteen song, “Brilliant Disguise,” rich in Americana rock ‘n’ roll. Haney knew he wanted to record the number because of how it “speaks directly to the heart of the human condition.” Singer-songwriter Kirby Lyle picks up the same mantle on the title track for his brand new EP, Change Is Hard. It’s also a song of solidarity and community, because who is going to save us if we don’t save us? But we are going to save us.
It’s a lovely collection of tracks this week highlighting community, togetherness, and how roots music is built upon both. We hope you enjoy, cause we think You Gotta Hear This!
Big Richard, “Millionaire”
Artist:Big Richard Hometown: Denver, Colorado Song: “Millionaire” Album:Pet Release Date: January 13, 2026 (single); February 6, 2026 (album) Label: Signature Sounds
In Their Words: “‘Millionaire’ is a song about the greed and corruption of the rich written by David Olney, originally released in 1991. It is still wildly topical nearly 35 years later, although it might be time to change ‘millionaire’ to ‘billionaire’ at this point.
“We added this song to our setlist just after the inauguration last year and it has become one of the most emotionally charged moments in our sets. For us, this song is a unifying message, because regardless of which side of the line you voted on, we are all on the same side in the great class war. All of us are at the mercy of a very few, who only have their own best interests in mind, and who would never dismantle the systems that hold them in their places of power. It’s up to us to join with our neighbors and tear it down, from the joke that is the insurance industry to the politicians that are openly bought and controlled by corporations.
“We filmed the music video in Salt Lake City, where local fans will recognize many of the landmarks, which include the state capitol building, the offices of the LDS (who currently own more real estate than any other entity in the world), and the fuel refineries that choke the air of that beautiful city.
“We sing this old song with a lot of hope in dark days like these. Our species is brilliant, and more than capable of solving the problems that we have, if we would put the money in the right pockets and put limits on the folks that choose to hoard it.” – Dr. Joy Adams
Video Credit: Wonderstone Films
Michael Haney, “Brilliant Disguise”
Artist:Michael Haney Hometown: Originally from Columbia, South Carolina; now living in Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Brilliant Disguise” Release Date: January 23, 2026 Label: Rock Ridge Music
In Their Words: “I chose to record ‘Brilliant Disguise’ by Bruce Springsteen as an up-tempo rock version, because I’ve always been drawn to the tension and truth in that song. It’s one of his most well-known pieces from a transitional period in his life, and I think it speaks directly to the heart of the human condition — that universal experience of hiding parts of ourselves, even from those we love most. The more you sit with it, the more you realize the song captures something even deeper: how often we don’t truly know who we are in the first place. We walk through life trying to piece together our identities, yet we still build masks on top of that uncertainty — sometimes to protect ourselves, sometimes because we’re afraid of being seen, and sometimes for reasons we don’t fully understand.
“I liked the idea of doing late-’80s Springsteen as if mid-to-late-’70s Springsteen had taken it on, with that raw, energetic edge that defined his early sound. Reimagining it that way let me lean into the emotional conflict at the center of the song — the push and pull between authenticity and self-deception — while giving it the kind of drive that felt truer to my own voice. It’s not a song that’s been covered often, which made it feel like the perfect addition to my catalog: both as a tribute to his songwriting and as a reflection of where I am personally right now, navigating my own questions about identity, honesty, and the parts of ourselves we choose — or struggle — to reveal.” – Michael Haney
Track Credits: Michael Haney – Vocals Ben Jackson – Drums, percussion, keys, Hammond B3 organ Luis Espaillat – Bass Brian Fechino – Acoustic guitar, electric guitar Brad Sample – Electric guitar Kaleb Thomas Jones – BGVs
Kirby Lyle, “Change Is Hard”
Artist:Kirby Lyle Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Change Is Hard” Album:Change Is Hard (EP) Release Date: January 16, 2026
In Their Words: “‘Who’s gonna save us if we don’t save us?’ That’s the line. We are. Us. You and me. Right here in the moment. Every time I play ‘Change Is Hard,’ my soul activates! I’m so full of gratitude that the heart has an infinite capacity when it’s shared, because I can’t express this feeling alone. The music commands a full choir and joyful ruckus of players to lift it up to megaphone level. When the audience engages, our positive energy is ubiquitous! The hope is simple: inspiration toward progress – personal and societal. It’s on us. Be moved. Get better. Make each other better. Together.” – Kirby Lyle
Track Credits: Kirby Lyle – Lead vocals, guitar, auxiliary percussion, songwriter, background vocals Kyle Tuttle – Banjo Keyboard – Jacob Merlin Erika Nalow – Saxophones Jordan Perlson – Drums Background Vocalists: Maya de Vitry, Kyle Tuttle, Ethan Jodziewicz, Anthony Saddic, Brenna, Dana Baker, Emory Major, Noelle McFarland, Rachel Isabella, Sean Donovan, Kimberly Albertson, Laura Stack
In Their Words: “‘Grub’ is a song about my experience of being trans and the beauty and the pain that come with it. The song came to me almost completely at once. Most of the first verse came out in one fell swoop as you hear it today, but the second verse was inspired by a video of beautiful baby birds crowded into a small nest. I was so jealous of how close and happy they looked — a perfect opposite to reflect the isolation and sense of otherness that I explore in the first half of the song. Maddy and I then spent two hours just playing it over and over and over again until we finally found the perfect duet of banjo and vocals to support the song.
“I feel so lucky to have been able to share this song with so many other trans people through years of performing it live and hear how they connect to it within the context of their own experiences. It feels particularly special to be putting ‘Grub’ out in a time where our rights and lives as trans people are being put in harm’s way in a much more visible way than in the past few years.” – Mairead Guy
Video Credit: Riley Halliday
Photo Credit: Sweet Petunia by JJ Gonson; Big Richard by Rett Rogers.
Happy New Year! We’re so excited to bring you our first collection of new music and videos for 2026. We’ve missed you over the past few weeks and, well, You Gotta Hear This…
Kicking us off, our old friend Joshua Britt returns with a new artist project, The Boy The Earth Sings To, and an official video for an original song, “Eyes Of God.” Falling on the continuum between gospel, sacred, and contemporary Christian roots music, the lush alt-folk track is built around the inspiration of a new mandola, tying the tone wood used to build the instrument to the forested visuals of the video. Meanwhile, Western North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Aaron Burdett unveils a new single, “Arthur’s Last Dance,” which pays tribute to folk dancer Arthur Grimes and his final performances at MerleFest before his retirement. It’s driving modern bluegrass appropriately perfect for flatfooting, clogging, and polishing those floorboards.
Then, from just up the mountains, Lonesome River Band also bring their first new single of 2026, “Bernadette,” written by Bob and Ginger Minner. Below, Bob offers his perspective on writing the tune, which he and his wife immediately imagined LRB recording, as soon as they had finished writing it. If you like crooked contemporary bluegrass that’s steeped in old-time mountain music – with a slightly dark, modal tinge – you’ll love this one.
Let’s continue up the mountains now, across Virginia and West Virginia to southeastern Ohio, where we’ll find the music of singer-songwriter Trey Hedrick and this new track, “Shoestring,” which features Tim O’Brien. It’s a testament to Hedrick’s grandpa, his relocation of the family to Ohio, and the way life, love, work, and place are passed down generation to generation.
Rounding out our collection this week, it’s a premiere we published elsewhere on the site this morning, as well. Celebrating his upcoming collaborative album, guitarist Bryan Sutton launches a hilarious and entertaining animated music video for “The Devil Went Down to Deep Gap” featuring Billy Strings, Del McCoury, and more. It’s a delightful reimagining of Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” that tells a fantastic version of Doc Watson’s origin story, pitting Doc’s style of picking against shredding metal electric guitars played by Sutton and Strings. You won’t want to miss this masterpiece of country, bluegrass, and flatpicking storytelling.
What a great way to kick off the year, right? There’s plenty to hear, love, and enjoy below. You Gotta Hear This!
The Boy The Earth Sings To, “Eyes of God”
Artist:The Boy The Earth Sings To Hometown: Franklin, Kentucky Song: “Eyes Of God” Album:The Quiet Voice Of God Release Date: November 7, 2025
In Their Words: “Years ago, my band played a show with Sierra Hull in Montana and that’s where she introduced me to mandolin builder Bruce Weber. Visiting his shop was unforgettable – an old schoolhouse where one room was filled with raw, uncarved slabs of wood that he would walk across, knocking on each piece, saying, ‘They all sound different, but some of them sing.’ It felt like he was listening for the mandolin already inside the wood, the way Michelangelo spoke about finding David inside the marble. Bruce built an octave mandolin for me that became the backbone of this album and while I was writing it I came across another Weber mandola. The first night I brought it home, I picked it up and wrote ‘Eyes Of God’ in one pass, as if the words and melody were already waiting inside that piece of wood. My favorite art has always felt more like discovery than invention.
“For the video I was inspired by time I spent in Bolzano, Italy, reading about the singing trees in the high altitude mountain forest – God placing the best wood high in the mountains, starved for air instead of down in the village. A reminder to me that making something great always requires adventure.” – Joshua Britt
Track Credits: Joshua Britt – Vocals, mandola, other instruments, songwriter Matt Menefee – Banjo Neilson Hubbard – Drums Colter Britt – Harmony vocals Sarah Drake – Harmony vocals
Video Credits: Filmed on location in the Colorado Rockies. Directed by Joshua Britt and Quincy Britt.
Aaron Burdett, “Arthur’s Last Dance”
Artist:Aaron Burdett Hometown: Saluda, North Carolina Song: “Arthur’s Last Dance” Release Date: January 9, 2026 Label: Organic Records
In Their Words: “I was first introduced to Arthur Grimes when I lived in Boone, NC, in the ’90s. He’d materialize now and then at many shows I was playing or attending over the years. So when I played a set at MerleFest 2024 with Steep Canyon Rangers and heard that Arthur was going to be there with Old Crow Medicine Show – to do his last dance before largely retiring – my interest was piqued. After our set, I was checking out other performances and, sure enough, got to see Arthur doing his thing on the Watson stage one last time. It was an event that deserved a few songwriting notes. Those notes I took that night are what turned into this song commemorating Arthur’s long career dancing with any and every band or performer who came through the High Country of NC over the past 50 years or so.” – Aaron Burdett
Track Credits: Aaron Burdett – Lead vocal, acoustic guitar Kristin Scott Benson – Banjo Carley Arrowood – Fiddle Tristan Scroggins – Mandolin Jon Weisberger – Upright bass Wendy Hickman – Harmony vocal Travis Book – Harmony vocal
Trey Hedrick, “Shoestring” (featuring Tim O’Brien)
Artist:Trey Hedrick Hometown: Wilkesville, Ohio Song: “Shoestring” featuring Tim O’Brien Album:Sing, Appalachia Release Date: January 7, 2026 (single); February 18, 2026 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Shoestring’ is a song about my Papaw, who was an incredible singer and multi-instrumentalist and the engine to the musical life of my immediate and extended family. Through him I came to the writers and songs that I still call on frequently in my own writings. Pap grew up in Parsons, West Virginia, and when work dried up or, more likely, after a need to move on after his brother Skip died in a mining accident, he moved north to southern Ohio. A move that anchored the geography of our family to southern Ohio after many generations in West Virginia and Kentucky. I didn’t try and likely couldn’t have written ‘Shoestring’ from any perspective other than reverent grandson, intentionally setting aside any precise detail. ‘Shoestring’ is about place, love, work, and life passed down, intentionally or not. I was honored to have Tim O’Brien sing and play fiddle on the track – Tim’s music has been an inspiration and has long meant a great deal to me.” – Trey Hedrick
Track Credits: Trey Hedrick – Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, songwriter Tim O’Brien – Lead and background vocals, fiddle Maya de Vitry – Background vocals John Mailander – Fiddle Ethan Ballinger – Mandolin Frank Evans – Banjo Phillipe Bronchtein – Pedal steel Jamie Dick – Drums Rhees Williams – Bass
Lonesome River Band, “Bernadette”
Artist:Lonesome River Band Hometown: Floyd, Virginia Song: “Bernadette” Release Date: January 9, 2026 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “My wife Ginger and I write a lot of songs together and sometimes the ideas come from the strangest of places. ‘Bernadette’ came from when one of Ginger’s favorite authors, Shawn Inmon, who asked his fans to offer up unique women’s names to be used in his next novel. We were driving around and joking about names like Ethel, Maude, Calry, etc., and I just blurted out ‘How ’bout Bernadette?’ And out of nowhere I sang that name and first line. We got home and sat down and we wrote it in no time. It just fell out, so to speak. Plus, I always wanted to use the word ‘trifling’ in a song, so it seemed fitting for a woman like Bernadette in the story. We did a guitar and vocal demo of it and I sent it right to my buddy Jesse Smathers, because LRB was who we heard in our heads doing it as we wrote it. Thanks to LRB for cutting this one, we’re honored.” – Bob Minner, songwriter
Track Credits: Sammy Shelor – Banjo Jesse Smathers – Acoustic guitar, lead vocal, harmony vocal Mike Hartgrove – Fiddle Adam Miller – Mandolin Kameron Keller – Upright bass Rod Riley – Electric guitar Bob & Ginger Minner – Songwriters
Bryan Sutton, “Devil Went Down to Deep Gap” with Billy Strings
Artist:Bryan Sutton with Billy Strings Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “The Devil Went Down to Deep Gap” Album:From Roots to Branches Release Date: January 9, 2026 (single/video) Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “It was listening to Charlie Daniels’ original ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ with my youngest daughter, Lily. She has very eclectic and broad musical tastes. I’ve loved sharing music with her and checking out what she has discovered. We found some other covers of the original and one that stuck with me was Jerry Reed’s interpretation, where he makes Johnny a guitarist instead of a fiddler. I have been working on a duets record for some time, collecting recordings here and there with my pals, and knew I wanted to do something different with Billy, as he and I have a whole record of duet playing.
“Billy and I also share a love for heavy metal. I was trying to think of a way he and I could do something connected to this duets project that would allow us to play acoustic and electric. It all kind of came together when I realized this song would allow for that. The Doc [Watson] origin story came about thinking how to make this not just a cover, but more personal and fun. It’s also another subtle tribute to Doc, who would oftentimes change or add lyrics to a song in order to make it fit for him. I fashioned the story, made a little demo, and sent it to Billy. He was into it and we were off.” – Bryan Sutton
Artist:Bryan Sutton with Billy Strings Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “The Devil Went Down to Deep Gap” Album:From Roots to Branches Release Date: January 9, 2026 (single/video) Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: How do you see Doc’s playing influencing both yours and Billy’s?
“I think beyond the specific influence of Doc’s guitar playing that informs most every note Billy or I may play, I know that we both are students of Doc’s complete artistry. To say Doc is just the most influential flatpicker ever is limiting. He brought so much to the table in his honest and emotional singing, his song choices and writing, banjo and harmonica playing, and Travis-style fingerpicking. He was not comfortable being labeled or limited within a specific genre. His onstage persona was true to him. Without being a ‘showman,’ he was informational when the song needed it and willing to share whatever emotion he might be experiencing. It’s also important to note that Doc and Merle’s duo playing has been a huge part of the overall focus for things Billy and I have done together. I know for both Billy and I, Doc provides a lifetime of inspiration, influence, and learning.”
How do you pay tribute to that in this song and video?
“First and foremost, this is kind of a silly or fun thing, along with being a somewhat serious tribute to Doc Watson. I wanted to use the song to have fun with the guitar shredding and good versus evil battle, but also imagine an origin story of how Arthel Watson could have become the ‘Doc’ we all have loved. Maybe it’s a gospel song in the way that Doc, even and especially in his blindness, can ‘see’ through the Devil’s lies. Ultimately, Doc carries his triumphant message to the world, and influences us all with wonderful and heartfelt music.”
It sounds like you had this concept before talking with Billy about it. How did the concept and song come to be, from start to finish?
“It was listening to Charlie Daniels’ original ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ with my youngest daughter, Lily. She has very eclectic and broad musical tastes. I’ve loved sharing music with her and checking out what she has discovered. We found some other covers of the original and one that stuck with me was Jerry Reed’s interpretation, where he makes Johnny a guitarist instead of a fiddler. I have been working on a duets record for some time, collecting recordings here and there with my pals, and knew I wanted to do something different with Billy, as he and I have a whole record of duet playing.
“Billy and I also share a love for heavy metal. I was trying to think of a way he and I could do something connected to this duets project that would allow us to play acoustic and electric. It all kind of came together when I realized this song would allow for that. The Doc origin story came about thinking how to make this not just a cover, but more personal and fun. It’s also another subtle tribute to Doc, who would oftentimes change or add lyrics to a song in order to make it fit for him. I fashioned the story, made a little demo, and sent it to Billy. He was into it and we were off.
“I feel fortunate that Del was into playing the Devil. I also am so happy to have T. Michael Coleman and Sam Bush on the track, who played many years on the road and studio with Doc. My pal Jerry Roe, who is Jerry Reed’s grandson, plays the drums, connecting to the Reed version that inspired me. Once I had the concept and demo for the song, I knew it had to be an animated video and discovered Pat Bradley of Springshoe Animation. It was wonderful working with him to take what had been in my head and be able to visualize it. Ultimately, all this came about a little piece at a time, and I’m so happy to share it with the world.” – Bryan Sutton
Track Credits: Bryan Sutton – Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocal Billy Strings – Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocal Del McCoury – Vocal T. Michael Coleman – Electric bass, harmony vocal Sam Bush – Mandolin Jerry Roe – Drums
Video Credits: Animation by Pat Bradley, Springshoe Animation.
Although he lives in New York now, Michael Daves’ Southern roots permeate his music. That characteristic goes further than ever before on the newly released Fables, a six-song EP that reconstructs songs from fellow Georgia band R.E.M.’s 1985 album Fables of the Reconstruction.
In celebration of the record’s 40-year anniversary, Daves enlisted his longtime quartet bandmates – fiddler Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings), mandolinist Jacob Jolliff (Béla Fleck, Yonder Mountain String Band) and Erik Alvar (Nefesh Mountain, Billy Strings) – and others to reinvent songs like “Green Grow The Rushes,” “Wendell Gee,” and of course, “Driver 8.” Together, they turn each track on its head, fully leaning into their bluegrass prowess while continuing to hold each song and their original formats in high regard. It’s something that Daves has plenty of experience with, having released the dual acoustic and electric bluegrass covers compilation Orchids and Violence in 2016 and Early Morning Sun – an EP of bluegrass and country standards from Ola Belle Reed, Dolly Parton and others – in August 2025.
“It was really important for me to try to make something that would stand on its own, even if people didn’t have any connection with R.E.M. or don’t even like them,” explains Daves. “I tried to make something that just works by its own logic as much as it’s paying homage to the original.”
During a Zoom call with BGS on release day in December, Daves spoke about his motivation for doing this cover EP, how he decided which songs to include on it, the plans for his label Wild Geranium Records, and more.
What motivated you to not only make an EP of R.E.M. covers, but to do it with songs from Fables of the Reconstruction?
Michael Daves: It’s an album I grew up with. R.E.M. was one of my first musical obsessions. I first discovered them in the late ‘80s at summer camp in Toccoa, Georgia, not too far from Athens where R.E.M. was from. All my camp counselors were [University of Georgia] kids, so I fully downloaded their musical tastes, which fortunately were pretty good.
As far as taking on the Fables thing now, there were a couple inspirations. For one, it’s the 40th anniversary of that record and it’s one that I don’t feel like a lot of younger people have heard or appreciated. People seem to know more of R.E.M.’s pop stuff from the ‘90s and beyond, but that ‘80s stuff was so good and weird. I also have this quartet I’ve led since about 2019 with Alex Hargreaves, Jacob Jolliff, and Erik Alvar in New York. They’re all incredible musicians who are very well versed in traditional bluegrass but also very adept at adapting music from outside the fold. We’d done some other projects over the years – like we did a whole mini set of Jimmy Webb songs one time including “MacArthur Park,” “Wichita Lineman,” and “Galveston” – and they learned that stuff in one rehearsal and just rendered it so beautifully. It made me realize that this is a quartet that really can handle a challenge.
The Fables idea came up because of the anniversary, but also because in August I had done a tribute along with Peter Rowan to the 1973 Muleskinner record that he was a part of. Initially he united with Bill Keith, Clarence White, David Grisman, Richard Greene, and Stuart Schulman to share a TV show with Bill Monroe, but Monroe never showed up. His bus broke down, so they ended up having the whole show to themselves and wound up getting an album deal out of it. Then they made this record that didn’t go anywhere because Clarence White died before it came out.
I taught a class about Clarence’s guitar playing on that record and through that became inspired to do a tribute to it with Peter at Vermont’s Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots Festival this past August. When studying that Muleskinner record I discovered it had the same producer as R.E.M.’s Fables, Joe Boyd, who’s also worked with everyone from Nick Drake to Fairport Convention and Pink Floyd. That strange coincidence led to a Fables tribute show, which is then where the idea for this EP really came to life.
How’d you go about dwindling the original Fables of the Reconstruction down to the six tracks that are on this EP?
It was an interesting process choosing which songs to do. It was a combination of practical considerations, because when the quartet and I worked up this music for that one-off show in Brooklyn I initially picked songs that I thought were achievable on our tight constraints and would translate well to a bluegrass ensemble. There were definitely other songs on the original record that would have worked, but I’m feeling good about the song choices we made because the original record is sort of sprawling with a lot of digressions. There’s a lot of dreamer logic and a Faulknerian non-linearity in the writing, so to pare that down into what I think works as a distillation of the original recording that probably is more of an interesting statement on the original than if I just recorded the whole thing, you know. As my wife put it, we took it from a sprawling Faulknerian epic to more of a Flannery O’Connor gut punch.
Do you have any specific favorites of the six songs making up this project?
As far as song selection, I kept the first and the last songs from the record in their normal position. The record opens with “Feeling Gravity’s Pull” and ends with “Wendell Gee” so I kept those because the beginning and end of the story just felt right.
There’s something about the song “Good Advices” that just always just gets me with its meditations on mortality. It’s classic R.E.M. in the sense that it can be hard to parse the lyrics because they’re based more in dream logic than confessional writing. However, they still carry a lot of emotional weight and a sense of meaning that’s oftentimes hidden. For some reason, that song is the one that just always gets stuck in my head and gives me all the feels.
Part of this is due to the structure of the song, which is repetitive and drony. The bridge is basically four measures of the G chord and then it’s out, which I think is just brilliant how that works in the song. It was those repeated drone lines that Alex played over while the rest of the band had these repeated melody things going on. For me it’s the quintessential song off of the record. I don’t think it was a hit or anything at the time – that goes to “Driver 8” – which I almost didn’t include because it was the best known song off of that record.
The opening track, “Feeling Gravity’s Pull,” is one that was never my favorite track from the original record, but in rendering it I started liking it a lot more. I particularly like what Duncan [Wickel] brought to it on cello as well as the background vocals on it, especially at the end. That’s Jefferson Hamer from The Murphy Beds and Sean Cahill from The Next Great American Novelist. The parts they added took the song in this almost metal-like direction, which felt really good and different from the original, especially considering we’re all acoustic musicians. The whole experience with that song felt really cathartic. There’s an intensity that I always want out of bluegrass but don’t always hear, so I ended up being really happy with how that one came out.
This is the second release on your own label, Wild Geranium Records. What are your plans with that?
This is the second release on Wild Geranium. The first was my EP Early Morning Sun, which came out in August and was just a solo recording. The third one is coming out in March and is a full-length duo record with me and Jacob Jolliff where we’re paying tribute to Jim & Jesse, [who] are part of the first generation bluegrass legends. But most of what I do under Wild Geranium will be EPs and other shorter recordings.
Do you plan to record other folks on the label, or just your own projects?
It’s intended as a platform for various collaborations that I’ve had as well. All of the releases I’ve put out so far have zero original material, but some of that will be coming soon, too.
You’re also releasing Fableson cassette? What’s behind that decision?
The cassettes were part of the concept of Wild Geranium from the beginning. Cassettes first came back within the indie rock world almost 10 years ago, but to my knowledge isn’t something that’s been done much in the bluegrass world. I’ve had people joke with me and say, “Oh gosh, I’ve got to dust off my ‘78 Dodge Charger to play this!” [Laughs] In the age of streaming, I think having a physical item that is a little more affordable, easier to produce and keep in stock than vinyl is more important than ever.
The idea was to also include at least one song on each cassette release that’s not available digitally. On Fables that’s actually two bonus tracks – a duo version of “Green Grow The Rushes” with me and Jacob Jolliff and the other’s a live version of “Can’t Get There From Here,” which was from a full-band show back in August where we debuted the material. I just wanted to offer something unique and special to the listeners who care. If you get the cassette, you’re gonna have something that no one else is gonna have. It’s not bouncing around the internet, you have to have the physical thing. From a production standpoint, it’s an opportunity to tell a slightly different story than the digital release.
Do you have any other cover EP/album ideas up your sleeves?
Aside from the Jim & Jesse project, I also have some original material on the back burner. It’s fully demoed and is all music connected to Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta where I grew up. It includes some stuff that I’ve written and co-written along with songs by family members and friends from that area and era. I’ve been performing music from that project for quite some time now, but haven’t made the record yet. So that’s something I’m hoping to make happen that would be another full-length, full band record.
What has bringing this R.E.M. covers EP to life taught you about yourself?
This R.E.M. stuff was among my first musical obsessions, so for years that’s just been baked into how I hear music in an uncritical way. So to actually get in there and break down what went into this record and think about how to render it in this other context was really interesting for me and fun to make a statement with that’s not based in nostalgia.
I also enjoyed getting to explore my feelings about how I want string band music to work. On my last full-length record Orchids and Violence I utilized a double-record concept where each disc had the same track list, but the first one was a very straightforward bluegrass record and the second disc is like all electric, experimental rock renderings of the thing. Fables was a little bit more like uniting both sides of Orchids and Violence into a string band expression, which is something I’d be open to doing more of in the future.
Photo Credit: Manish Gosalia
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