You Gotta Hear This: New Music From Mon Rovîa, Loose Cattle, and More

We’ve reached the end of the week and we’ve got your new music covered this Friday! Our premiere round-up is completely full with excellent new songs and videos from a variety of artists who work in a variety of roots styles.

Check out new music videos from folks like singer-songwriter Sadie Campbell performing “Getting Older,” a subtly spooky tune from High Horse entitled “Tombstone Territory,” country outfit Loose Cattle bring us “The Shoals,” on which they are joined by none other than Patterson Hood, and “Afro-Appalachian” artist Mon Rovîa’s lyric video for “Winter Wash 24” is colorful and engaging.

You’ll also find brand new music from folks like JD Clayton, who sings about being disappointed by a friend on “Let You Down,” Benny Sidelinger processes a difficult season of life on “Lilacs,” and roots rockers Clarence Tilton call on their pal Marty Stuart for their latest, “Fred’s Colt.”

To cap it all, we debuted our new video series, the AEA Sessions, with our partners at AEA Ribbon Mics earlier this week with an incredible performance by our longtime friend, Gaby Moreno. You can watch that debut session below, as well.

It’s all right here on BGS and, you know the routine – You Gotta Hear This!

Sadie Campbell, “Getting Older”

Artist: Sadie Campbell
Hometown: British Columbia-raised, Nashville-based
Song: “Getting Older”
Album: Metamorphosis
Release Date: October 11, 2024 (single); October 25, 2024 (album)
Label: Glory War Records

In Their Words: “In a sea of filters, fillers, and constant pressure to look young, ‘Getting Older’ is my reminder to embrace myself where I am, as I am, to be proud of every wrinkle on my face, that my body was well-earned through laughter and learning, and not everyone gets the privilege to grow older. This video is meant to symbolize the many different versions we can be throughout our lives — and that it’s really about perspective. The photo can be the same, but through a different lens, you see a different image. Just like how we see ourselves. If we can change the lens, and the way we perceive ourselves, the picture we see often changes, too.” – Sadie Campbell

Video Credits: Filmed and edited by Justin Alexis at That Good Graphic.


JD Clayton, “Let You Down”

Artist: JD Clayton
Hometown: Fort Smith, Arkansas
Song: “Let You Down”
Release Date: October 11, 2024
Label: Rounder Records

In Their Words: “‘Let You Down’ was born in a coffee shop in East Nashville called Cafe Roze. I sat next to a new friend who would later become my bass player. We had an itch to hit the town and get dinner at an unfamiliar restaurant, but to our surprise every establishment the waitress recommended was closed that day. After about the fourth restaurant it became a humorous bit. It immediately began pouring rain outside. Although the waitress meant nothing by it, I teased that she was letting us down. On my drive home that day I sang ‘sometimes people let you down’ in my voice memo. It immediately hit me and I was flooded with feelings of an old friend that had actually let me down and meant it. I then had my sweet little song. But it needed more. It wasn’t until the day of recording that I dreamed up a huge instrumental break to highlight all of my band members and bring their skills to life. On a Thursday at Sound Emporium studio on Belmont Boulevard, my band cut ‘Let You Down’ and it became in my own humble opinion a certified banger. I’m certainly biased, but I truly love the song and its flow of story to emotionally charged musical outrage.” – JD Clayton

Track Credits: 
Written by JD Clayton.
JD Clayton – Vocals, acoustic guitar, background vocals, harmonica
Bo Aleman – Electric guitar
Lee Williams – Bass guitar
Kirby Bland – Drums, percussion
Hank Long – Piano, Wurlitzer, organ


High Horse, “Tombstone Territory”

Artist: High Horse
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “Tombstone Territory”

In Their Words: “After coming off tour with the Jacob Jolliff Band, I had all this inspiration that I wanted to bring to a High Horse instrumental composition. The basic elements of ‘Tombstone’ come from some of the ideas in Jolliff’s music and influence from Grant Gordy/Mr. Sun recordings. And, from a practice of sending around a melodic part that I learned in an earlier Persian Music Ensemble at NEC to the band. Not only was this an academic sort of exploration for me, but it was also a great opportunity to show off some of the special skills everyone in the band has as instrumentalists. Some of my favorite solos on the record happen on this recording and it has some of our best band cohesion! After performing the piece for one of its first times in Hancock, New Hampshire we were still looking for a title when we happened upon a short dirt road named Tombstone Territory. Given the spooky vibe of the tune, that seemed to fit just perfectly!” – G Rockwell, composer, guitarist

Track Credits:
G Rockwell – Guitar
Carson McHaney – Fiddle
Karl Henry – Cello
Noah Harrington – Bass

Video Credits: Video, editing, recording, and mixing by Micah Nicol


Loose Cattle, “The Shoals” featuring Patterson Hood

Artist: Loose Cattle
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Song: “The Shoals”
Album: Someone’s Monster
Release Date: October 8, 2024 (single); November 1, 2024 (album)
Label: Single Lock Records

In Their Words:“‘The Shoals’ gives me faith good men are actually listening, since Michael pulled the lyrics from several years of my private ‘Mad As Hell/Not Gonna Take It Anymore’ rants. It’s a song about what happens when we stop twisting into pretzels trying to please everyone else and start speaking uncomfortable truths to power. Historically, there’s a long tradition of accusing women who speak uncomfortable truths aloud of possession or witchcraft, so it felt especially fitting to cast Patterson Hood as a river ‘demon’ egging on the narrator.” – Kimberly Kaye

“I started writing the song during my first stay in the Shoals some years ago, on a banged up old guitar I’d just bought there. Better writers than me have tried and failed to explain the mysterious way that stretch of the Tennessee River has sung so much unforgettable music into being. All I can say is the song kind of wrote itself there and I just tried to copy it down. And ever since, from having an original Swamper’s son tell me “hell yeah” that he wanted to sing the part of a River Demon for us, to finding the record the perfect home at Single Lock Records, has just seemed meant to be. After a hell of a lot of work, of course.” – Michael Cerveris

Track Credits:
Music and lyrics by Michael Cerveris.
Kimberly Kaye – Vocals
Michael Cerveris – Acoustic and electric guitars, harmonies
René Coman – Bass
Doug Garrison – Drums
Rurik Nunan – Fiddle, harmonies
Jay Gonzalez – Farfisa organ
Patterson Hood – Vocals, guitar


Mon Rovîa, “Winter Wash 24”

Artist: Mon Rovîa
Hometown: Liberia-born, Tennessee-based
Song: “Winter Wash 24”
Album: Act 4: Atonement
Release Date: October 11, 2024 (single); January 10, 2025 (EP)
Label: Nettwerk Music Group

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Winter Wash 24’ while touring with Josiah and the Bonnevilles in March ’24. The theme of cognitive dissonance weighed heavily on my mind amidst everything happening in the world. Outside Seattle, I saw tanks covered in tarps treated with winter wash and the image moved me to write. The song explores how we often distance ourselves from the struggles of others when they don’t directly affect us. My goal is to raise awareness of these shared struggles, because empathy is a crucial force for change. As a refugee, I’m deeply inspired by the work of the IRC (International Rescue Committee) and am donating the song’s proceeds to support their vital efforts.” – Mon Rovîa


Benny Sidelinger, “Lilacs”

Artist: Benny Sidelinger
Hometown: Wayne, Maine (famous for a bumper sticker that says “Where the hell is Wayne, ME?”)
Song: “Lilacs”
Album: Cherry Street
Release Date: October 25, 2024

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Lilacs’ during a particularly difficult period of my life. However, there were many joyous things happening at the time too. My then-fiancée was pregnant with our lovely daughter Tulsi and we were living in a gorgeous historical farmhouse on the Skagit River, yet I was dealing with the aftermath of a difficult divorce and was temporarily isolated from my two older kids. The juxtaposition of tragedy and joy during that time are the basis of the song. For a while, I thought I might lose my mind, but somehow I managed to hold on to a thread of sanity. Eventually I was reunited with my kids and moved on to much easier chapters of life. At the same time, we had a spring with an incredible amount of rain and there was concern that the river might overflow the dikes, which would have flooded our house. Yet, just as I managed to not go crazy, the dikes held and a catastrophic flood was avoided. So, as they say: ‘I wrote a song about it.'” – Benny Sidelinger

Track Credits:
Benny Sidelinger – Vocals, guitar, Dobro
Michael Thomas Connolly – Bass, telecaster, vocals
Aida Miller – Vocals
Jason Haugland – Drums


Clarence Tilton, “Fred’s Colt” featuring Marty Stuart

Artist: Clarence Tilton
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Song: “Fred’s Colt” featuring Marty Stuart
Album: Queen of the Brawl
Release Date: October 11, 2024 (single)

In Their Words: “We asked Marty to get involved with ‘Fred’s Colt’ as we had met and opened for him a couple times in our hometown, [Omaha]. Marty agreed and played his famous pull-string telecaster, the original guitar of Clarence White of the Byrds. It’s a guitar we were well acquainted with, as we are huge Clarence White fans. Marty’s voice seemed perfect for the second verse of this song, which recounts the potentially sordid history of a strange family heirloom – an old Civil War-era Colt pistol. Marty not only lent us his voice for a verse and his guitar wizardry for a solo, but even added parts throughout that we did not realize were missing. Marty Stuart is a national treasure, and we are so honored and excited that he spent a day with our tune and did what only he can do!”

Track Credits:
Words and music by Chris Weber.
Chris Weber – Rhythm electric guitar, acoustic guitar intro, vocals
Marty Stuart – Electric guitar (Telecaster), first solo, second verse vocals
Corey Weber – Electric guitar throughout, second solo
Paul Novak – Acoustic guitar
Craig Meier – Bass
Jarron Storm – Drums, percussion, vocals


AEA Sessions: Gaby Moreno, Live at AmericanaFest 2024

Artist: Gaby Moreno
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Songs: “New Dawn,” “Solid Ground,” and “Luna de Xelajú”

In Their Words: “It was a wonderful experience performing a few songs for AEA at Bell Tone during AmericanaFest. The sound quality and the energy in the room were unforgettable.” – Gaby Moreno

“Gaby is charismatic and energetic. She lights up a room when she walks in and when she performs, it’s electrifying.”
Julie Tan, AEA Ribbon Mics

Read more here.


Photo Credit: Mon Rovîa by Glenn Ross; Loose Cattle by Joseph Vidrine.

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

Are you excited for new music Friday? With our slate of premieres this week, we certainly are! AJ Lee & Blue Summit bring us the first track from their just-announced album, City of Glass (coming in July), old-time, folk, and Americana supergroup New Dangerfield have released their very first music together, and banjoist Tray Wellington (also of New Dangerfield) is dropping a new instrumental today, as well!

Plus, don’t miss Australian-via-Nashville country artist Wesley Dean and his new video for “Mercy” and you’ll also find Jacob Jolliff Band’s new number, “Los Angeles County Breakdown,” which premiered on BGS yesterday.

It’s all right here and to be totally honest, You Gotta Hear This!

AJ Lee & Blue Summit, “Hillside”

Artist: AJ Lee & Blue Summit
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Song: “Hillside”
Album: City of Glass
Release Date: July 19, 2024
Label: Signature Sounds

In Their Words: “The song ‘Hillside’ is sung from the perspective of a hill that is being eroded by weather and chipped by the tools of man. Still, the hill aspires to become a mountain and refuses to give in to the bombardment of forces. The last line in the chorus is, ‘… A thousand years don’t mean a thing to the stone cold hill that you call me,’ which I wrote with the idea that I will have confidence in myself no matter who tries to tear me down. I feel like I am becoming an immovable mountain that has been birthed out of proving my resilience. This song represents women empowerment, resilience, and strength.” – AJ Lee 

Track Credits:

Written by AJ Lee
Produced by Lech Wierzynski
Mixed and engineered by Jacob LaCally
Mastered by Paul Blakemore


New Dangerfield, “Dangerfield Newby”

Artist: New Dangerfield (Jake Blount, Kaia Kater, Tray Wellington, and Nelson Williams)
Hometown: Providence, RI; New York City, NY; New Orleans, LA; Raleigh, NC
Song: “Dangerfield Newby”
Release Date: April 26, 2024
Label: Distributed by Free Dirt Records

In Their Words: “I learned the tune we call ‘Dangerfield Newby’ from Eddie Bond close to a decade ago. He called it by the name ‘Old Sport,’ but told us that it was alternatively named ‘Dangerfield’ after one of John Brown’s raiders. I performed on John Brown’s farm last summer and had the opportunity to visit the grave he shares with his sons and several of his raiders — including the Black ones. I learned that Dangerfield was Black from his gravestone. The string band tradition has been honoring a Black freedom fighter all this time – who knew? I brought the tune to the band, since these are the stories we want to tell.

“Inspired by Dangerfield’s dedication to his family and community and his drive for freedom, we decided to put his full name on the tune. Thus, ‘Dangerfield Newby’ was born! We chose our band name, New Dangerfield, as an homage just a few days later.” – Jake Blount


Tray Wellington, “Blue Collared Dog and His Green Eyed Friend”

Artist: Tray Wellington
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Song: “Blue Collared Dog and His Green Eyed Friend”
Release Date: April 26, 2024
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “One late night while doing some paintings, we ended the night with two different ones. One featured a dog with a blue collar, and one featured a cat with bright green eyes. I thought about how, if I was still a kid, I would’ve created a whole story within these paintings of how these two were friends and journeyed the world together. Shortly after this thought, I picked up my banjo and just did some improv which ended up being the start of the tune. I just kept going and finished the tune in that improv session, remembered what I could, and recorded it right away. I was amazed at how such a simple thought could help me create a piece of music I’m so proud of.” – Tray Wellington

Track Credits:
Tray Wellington – Banjo
Drew Matulich – Guitar
Katelynn Bohn – Bass
Josiah Nelson – Mandolin, fiddle


Wesley Dean, “Mercy”

Artist: Wesley Dean
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee (by way of Australia)
Song: “Mercy”
Album: Music From Crazy Hearts
Release Date: April 26, 2024

In Their Words: “While I was traveling around the country last summer on my Crazy Hearts Across America tour, we shot different music videos for the album in different cities. Where else is better than the neon psychedelic lights of Las Vegas for ‘Mercy?’ It suited the music and the vision. We shot up and down the strip outside the famous Flamingo casino one night and then built the rest of the video around that footage.

“Jacobie Gray, my director, wrote the treatment for the redemption story and then we filmed the rest of the video at a bar and old church in Nashville and a cemetery outside of town. I’ll never forget the night when we filmed with the gospel choir, it’s such a dream to sing with those guys, and it was one of the first visions I had before Crazy Hearts was born, ‘Mercy’ being the first song I wrote for the record. And being out in the cemetery in the middle of the night was another experience I’ll hold close from making this video. An Amish horse and cart rode past in the darkness while I was looking up at the stars smoking a cigar and it was so surreal. You wouldn’t experience that in Australia.

“My main cinematographer, David Bradley, who also edited and colored the video, really delivered on that psychedelic vibe I was wanting.” – Wesley Dean


Jacob Jolliff, “Los Angeles County Breakdown”

Artist: The Jacob Jolliff Band
Hometown: New York City, New York
Song: “Los Angeles County Breakdown”
Album: Instrumentals, Vol. 2: Mandolin Mysteries
Release Date: May 24, 2024
Label: Adhyâropa Records

In Their Words: “‘Los Angeles County Breakdown’ is the first tune we started arranging for Mandolin Mysteries. I taught it to the group while we were in LA, on the last show of our last tour before the lockdown in 2020. So I had these demos of us playing the working version that I listened to and was excited about for a couple years before we finally got the chance to finish the arrangement and perform it live. It’s a sprightly little number with a lot of different influences — I like that it features a nice section for the fiddle and guitar to stretch out on. Hope you enjoy it!” – Jacob Jolliff

More here.


Photo Credit: AJ Lee & Blue Summit by Natia Cinco; New Dangerfield by Justin French.

LISTEN: The Jacob Jolliff Band, “Los Angeles County Breakdown”

Artist: The Jacob Jolliff Band
Hometown: New York City, New York
Song: “Los Angeles County Breakdown”
Album: Instrumentals, Vol. 2: Mandolin Mysteries
Release Date: May 24, 2024
Label: Adhyâropa Records

In Their Words: “‘Los Angeles County Breakdown’ is the first tune we started arranging for Mandolin Mysteries. I taught it to the group while we were in LA, on the last show of our last tour before the lockdown in 2020. So I had these demos of us playing the working version that I listened to and was excited about for a couple years before we finally got the chance to finish the arrangement and perform it live. It’s a sprightly little number with a lot of different influences — I like that it features a nice section for the fiddle and guitar to stretch out on. Hope you enjoy it!” – Jacob Jolliff

Track Credits:

Jacob Jolliff – mandolin
George Jackson – fiddle
Myles Sloniker – bass
Ross Martin – guitar


Photo Credit: Aidan Grant

My Friend Dawg: Three Musicians on the Real David Grisman

To complete our Dawg in December Artist of the Month series, we asked several musicians who have worked with and made music with the inimitable David Grisman what it’s like to really know him.

A mythological figure in American roots music, the Dawg remains remarkably accessible and embedded in the scene, despite his unofficial role as a sort of guru-meets-mentor-meets-hermit. He’s been a teacher and encourager of multiple new generations of pickers and mandolinists, from Grammy-nominated Ronnie McCoury to young, impressive upstarts like Teo Quale – who, with his brother Miles and band, Crying Uncle, performed for Dawg’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame induction at IBMA’s annual awards show in September. Others, like fellow Hall of Famer Alice Gerrard, began their friendships with Grisman long ago, before his skyrocketing notoriety and impact.

We asked these three pickers and friends of Dawg – Gerrard, McCoury, and Quale – to reflect on their relationships with the man, who despite being placed high upon a pedestal by many in bluegrass, new acoustic, and old-time music, remains a grounded and down-to-earth mandolin player with an extraordinary legacy.

Alice Gerrard

Alice Gerrard: “I remember sort of my first impression of David – I think it also was Hazel’s too, because he was this very young looking kid from New York, but he played this great mandolin. It was kind of, “What’s going on here?” you know, but the thing that really stands out in my mind is when we were riding to New York [once]. I don’t remember, it might have been my van, but it was a van, and we were going there to record the second Folkways album.

“I think that’s the one that had, ‘The One I Love is Gone.’ We were on our way to record that album in New York and Peter Siegel – who is a friend of David’s and I think Peter was the one who suggested that David play mandolin on the album, because we didn’t really know David at that point. But we did trust Peter. So, David is in the band with us and and we were practicing that song as we were driving up to New York from D.C.

“Hazel was singing the tenor, and I was singing the lead, and there was a problem. Because, you know, often those Bill Monroe harmonies are kind of a mix of major against minor and stuff like that. Hazel was having a hard time getting it, but I’m not. (I’d have to go back and really think about whether she had it right and Peter and David had it wrong.) But it ended up with David lying on the floor of the van between the front and back seats. I don’t know why he was doing that, but he was lying on the floor and singing it with Hazel, trying to get her to find this particular note.

“It was just hilarious! I mean, it was like, I don’t know, two or three hours worth of David’s face, singing ‘The One I Love Is Gone,’ and him fairly well convinced that she did not have the right note. I don’t remember. I mean, I don’t remember the specifics of that, but it was hilariously funny, and of course, what she ended up with was great, but I’m not sure whether he was trying to get her to hit a minor note or what.

“He was just this little kid, you know? From New York. And played this great mandolin. It was beautiful what he did on that song.

“I had to think about how we first met him and how we first decided to record. So I called Peter Siegel on the phone and he told me that he was the one– I mean, David was a friend of his in New York. [Peter] came down to D.C. with David. They were going to go to this bluegrass show, but that got rained out, so they didn’t go. They canceled the show. They [both] heard about this party. I remember where it was. It was at my cousin’s house, who at that time was living sort of on the edge of Georgetown.

“And so, according to Peter, they just came to the house and Hazel and I were sort of sitting somewhere singing together. It was Peter’s idea to use David. And I’m so happy that we did because yeah, he’s amazing.”

Ronnie McCoury

Ronnie McCoury: “When I started playing music, I started playing the mandolin with my dad. I was 14 ‘81– like ‘82 or ‘80, somewhere around there, either before I started playing or right after. My dad got this package in the mail and David had gotten a hold of him and said, ‘I found these tapes of a show we did in Troy, New York in 1966.’ And it was my dad, David, Uncle Jerry [McCoury], and Winnie Winston. [Dawg] said, they sounded pretty good and he’d like to put them out. So he did. It’s called Early Dawg on Sugar Hill. It was half this live stuff and the other half was studio. Along with that package he sent a couple albums of his stuff.

“I mean, that’s just how he is, you know? He just sent this along. He didn’t even really know that I was playing music at the time. I had no idea he was a California guy. I found these albums [he had sent], I had never heard anything like that played on a mandolin, because I was just [getting started]. You know, I’m a child of bluegrass. I was born into it. My dad started a band in ‘66. I was born in ‘67. [It’s] always been a part of me.

“This new music I was hearing, I couldn’t even grasp it. I didn’t know what it was, but I went to bed at night all through my teens putting his albums on and it would play one side and I’d be usually asleep by that time. I did that basically every night to David’s records.

“When I was probably 18 or so, David called my dad and said, ‘Hey, I want to do some bluegrass and I want to do this thing called the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience and we’ll do some shows.’ Basically, it was my dad’s band [backing him up]. We did that quite a bit, for a year or two – just on and off.

“I got to know David and every time we go west, we always were basically playing Northern California and either Grass Valley, California – for the festival – or touring out there playing with my dad. It was just starting for my dad a lot more in the West. He’d been going there for years, but sporadically, and we’d always wind up going to the Dawg’s house. I had been playing a Kentucky mandolin, and he told me, ‘Hey, I got a mandolin at my house for you.’ And I never thought anything about it, and I surely wouldn’t ask about it.

“My dad went out, while we were still in Pennsylvania, and he recorded with David for what is called Home is Where the Heart Is. Dad did a show at the Great American [Music Hall], I think, with Dawg, and he came home with this Gilchrist mandolin. The neck was coming out of it at the time and I had a guy repair it – Warren Blair, who was playing the fiddle.

“He laid that mandolin on me, I believe I was probably 19 or 20, and it’s the same one I play today. I’m 56. I got a Loar 10 years ago and played it a little while, but David and Sam Bush and all my peers said, ‘Hey man, stay on that Gilchrist.’ So I stuck with it. I owe him such a debt. He gave me something that is such a part of me, it defines me, I guess. I’ll tell you, it’s his giving heart. He has a huge heart.”

“My dad met David in 1963. He was playing with Bill Monroe and Ralph Rinzler was his manager at the time– Bill’s first manager. He played in New York somewhere and they stayed at David’s house. David’s father passed when he was 10 and his mother, I can’t remember if his mother was even there, but my dad would have been 24. [Dawg] would have been six years younger than my dad. He was a teenager, you know. I don’t know if Monroe did, but my dad wound up staying with David, because Ralph put him there. He and my dad go back to when he was a teenager. There’s such a long friendship there.

“One time, we were at Grass Valley and Dawg said, ‘Have you heard of this kid?’ He comes riding up on a little bicycle with his mandolin on his back and I said, ‘Well, I’ve heard the name Nickel Creek, but I didn’t really know much.’ He says, ‘Chris Thile’s his name.’ He comes riding up, you know, and he jumps off his bike and he wants to play for David.

“We’re standing around picking and [Chris] sings, ‘Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms’ – super high, you know – and he’s playing. David said, ‘Hey, man, do you know this tune?’ And he starts playing ‘Big Mon.’ Or ‘Monroe’s Hornpipe,’ I think it was. [Thile] didn’t know it, so David’s playing it and he starts showing him it. And [Chris is] just like a sponge. He starts just running it real slow, then he’s like, ‘Oh, that’s neat!’ And he hops on his bike and he’s off. Like an hour or so later, he comes riding up, jumps off his bike, and he’s got it down. It was pretty neat to see David show him.

“The first time I ever heard or met Jake Jolliff was with David. The first time I ever met Julian Lage was with David. Both of those guys, probably at the time, were 10 and 11, something like that.”

Teo Quale

L to R: Teo Quale, David Grisman, and Mile Quale. (Photo courtesy of the Quales and Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band).

Teo Quale: “I first met Dawg as a young kid at a Manning Music event when I was about 6 or 7 – so about 10 years ago. Actually, the first time I was around David was when I was still a baby, but I don’t really remember that!

“Anyway, he jammed a bit with us and Tracy played bass. He and Chad [Manning] played later on. At the time, I was playing fiddle and I really wanted to start learning the mandolin, but my fingers weren’t strong enough yet. So, my mother got me a ukulele and replaced the strings with ones tuned in fifths. Then about a year later, I finally started on the mandolin.

“David has been an inspiration to me ever since meeting him. Over the years, I’ve also had the opportunity to take some lessons with him and he’s always been really generous with his time and his knowledge, but always in that relaxed Dawg way. His music has influenced the way I approach every aspect of my playing, from improvisation to composition.

“Most of my other heroes were also greatly influenced by David – Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Ric [Robertson] and [Dominick Leslie]. I’m thankful that I get to call him a friend and that I’m also around so many musicians who were touched by him. I don’t get to see him as often as I’d like, but we keep in touch.

“He was born on the same day and year as my grandfather, both two really special people in my life. I play one of his old mandolins now (made in 2006, the same year I was born!), and I am thankful each time I pick it up, knowing that a part of Dawg will always be in this instrument.”


Photo Credit: Courtesy of Acoustic Disc.

WATCH: Sean Trischka, “Why You Been Gone So Long” (feat. Jacob Jolliff)

Artist: Sean Trischka
Hometown: Fair Lawn, New Jersey
Song: “Why You Been Gone So Long” (feat. Jacob Jolliff)
Release Date: May 19, 2023 (single); June 2, 2023 (video)

In Their Words: “50 years ago, almost to the day, Clarence White melted faces and stole hearts when he sang ‘Why You Been Gone So Long’ at a show in a small room in Stockholm, Sweden. The recording of this essentially punk-rock performance can be found on The New Kentucky Colonel’s Live in Sweden record, which has been living rent-free in my head from the moment I heard it.

“The ruggedness of Clarence’s voice paired with the comfortable looseness of the band reminded me why I love bluegrass, but also why I love rock music. I wanted to do something that would pay tribute to both the song and the energy of that version.

“I played all the instruments on the basic track and, during recording, left a space for a guitar solo that I assumed I’d clumsily crank out myself at a later date. But as dumb luck would have it, I had lunch with Jacob Jolliff shortly after recording and immediately thought his unabashed, incredible, stream-of-consciousness playing style would be perfect for the track. We recorded his performance at my apartment in New York City – and he melted my face and stole my heart.

“As for the video, it’s my chaotic visual rendering of a bluegrass/rock mind-meld. I hope you enjoy. <3” – Sean Trischka


Photo Credit: Sam Kassirer

LISTEN: Jacob Jolliff, “Columbus Stockade Blues”

Artist: Jacob Jolliff
Hometown: New York City
Song: “Columbus Stockade Blues”
Album: The Jacob Jolliff Band
Release Date: August 5, 2022
Label: Adhyâropa Records

In Their Words: “‘Columbus Stockade Blues’ is a tune I grew up playing with my dad, Bill. I remember us playing it together when I was around 9 — I’ve got so many good memories associated with playing with him. Most people know the famous recordings of this tune by Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, and Norman Blake, but it’s really the arrangement I learned from my dad I hear when I play this tune now. I really wanted this song to be the first single from this record because of that, but also because a lot of people have the impression that we mostly play heady instrumental music. Really, though, that’s only about half of what we do. ‘Columbus Stockade Blues’ is a great vehicle for the JJB to stretch out a little bit and it showcases our trad-bluegrass licking but also our singing, which is such a huge part of our live performances. My last recording with the JJB was an all-instrumental album in the vein of Béla or Dawg, but in our live show we’ve always mixed in a lot of trad bluegrass as well so it was important to showcase that by making this the first single from this new recording.” — Jacob Jolliff

Photo Credit: Adam Sweeney

WATCH: Mile Twelve, “Long Done Gone”

Artist: Mile Twelve
Hometown: Boston, Masschusetts
Song: “Long Done Gone”

In Their Words: “Back in February we had a few days off the road and decided to spend one of them in Brooklyn, New York, playing music and making videos with some friends. We called up Michael Daves, Jacob Jolliff, and Tony Trischka and ended up having this epic afternoon of arranging a few bluegrass standards for eight people to jam on. Things got pretty wacky, including this video, which is a mashup of the bluegrass song ‘Long Gone’ and the fiddle tune ‘Done Gone.’ We decided to try this medley at first because we thought it would be funny but it turned out they’re both in the key of Bb and it ended up working great. Hope you enjoy!” — Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Mile Twelve


Photo credit: Kaitlyn Raitz