Hay Blackbird is an Eastern Sierra string band local to Bishop, California. The band embraces the sounds and traditions of acoustic music inspired by life in the mountains. The core of the band is Ray Finch and Howie Schwartz, a duo that has played together in various configurations for over two decades. In Hay Blackbird, Ray’s clawhammer-style banjo sets a metronomic and familiar old-time groove to Howie’s flatpicking and slide guitar. The combination results in modern and unique interpretations of traditional old-time melodies and rollicking dance tunes, as well as their style of handcrafted original tunes and songs.
Hailing from Lone Pine, the immensely talented fiddler Anna Schaad Montgomery recently joined the band. In addition, Ryan Finch, a Bishop native and Ray’s son, now living and working in the San Diego music scene, plays upright bass and mandolin. Both talented musicians have been featured on numerous recordings in different projects and play on select tracks on Hay Blackbird’s self-titled debut album, which was released in the summer of 2023.
Hay Blackbird reveres the deep roots of traditional American music forged by legendary musicians who settled the country generations ago. Ethereal sounds emanated from life of that seminal time in the Appalachian Mountains, where Native American nations, enslaved Africans, and European immigrants coalesced to inspire what could be considered among the most significant periods of creativity and innovation in music history. Hay Blackbird strives to share traditional music with modern sensibilities, inspired by the mountains and the diversity of people that go there.