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They defy categorization. Sometimes drums. Sometimes amplified. Often jam band. Sometimes not. Their names, Greensky Bluegrass, String Cheese Incident, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, and Leftover Salmon, are legend among their fans. When you’ve worked festivals for awhile like I have, these are the bands that you get to see so many times that you just might lose count. These are bands with a lineage linked to the lifestyle and freedom of expression forged by the Grateful Dead.
They all have bluegrass roots but honor other genres with just as much passion, staying true to their unique inspirations. Labels and categorizations vanish like a quicksilver muse, with influences including but not limited to Americana, R&B, Latin and bluegrass, to roots, country, jazz, and gospel.
These bands have devoted fan bases who, like the Deadheads before them, travel by land and by air to every show possible, and who often meticulously record live concerts. Every live show is full of improvisation and sometimes soaring inspiration, and it’s these moments that the fans treasure most. Intricate light shows and elaborate stage ambiance can add an element of a psychedelic free-for-all to the scene.
There’s a sort of easy-going mob rule in the audience, which includes bouncing beach balls, giant jellies, and an endless variety of gizmos/gimmicks/garb usually meant to honor significant musical moments. Some folks dance, some bob and weave like punch-drunk boxers, and some are smiling, pink-haired grandmas at the rail or financial district guys in suits. Represented are the dreadlocked and the crewcut, the bedazzled and the plain.
The majority of the audience are bound closer than family, with ties born from the era of the Grateful Dead, who were the magicians and originators and refiners of this performance style. Each concert is like a joyful family reunion that you WANT to attend. The constant enthusiastic chatter from the audience further adds to the vibe. We’re definitely not in traditional bluegrass-land, Toto.
These bands are renown for their reciprocal devotion to their fans, and organize festivals like Hangtown Halloween Ball in California sponsored by Railroad Earth, the Northwest String Summit in Oregon sponsored by Yonder Mountain String Band, and The Festy Experience in Virginia sponsored by the Infamous Stringdusters.
Bands like these can serve as a gateway to exploring traditional bluegrass and learning about the origins of the genre. Bands like these can also be a gateway for experimenting outside the traditional bluegrass arena. Now might be a good time to grab your feather boa, tie dye and spandex, and check out the wilder side of bluegrass.
Here’s a buffet of links for a taste of this phenomenon:
My personal anthem features the Stringdusters’ sublime harmonies with “Let It Go”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iWzr4PCV0o
Here’s Yonder Mountain String Band with “Half Moon Rising”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSg5NNgHkXQ
Hang in through some early dissonance and you’ll find Yonder having fun with “Crazy Train” (with a welcome bit of Darol Anger): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Sv1JHYfRI
Leftover Salmon with “Down in the Hollow”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRu9MgXCYVA
The Greensky Bluegrass guys performing “Demons” in an intimate Second Story Garage session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwsJIB6aBhI
Greensky Bluegrass again just hanging out with Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBE3NQKvspY
Railroad Earth with a tune called “Seven-Story Mountain” (nod to the mystic Thomas Merton) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5dgbjWnlFk
String Cheese Incident and “White Freightliner”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xio8WFcntUs
