Not since Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, and Del McCoury has there been a musician who has shown new growth in bluegrass. That’s thanks to a young man named Billy Strings.
The 32-year-old guitarist, born William Lee Apostol in Lansing, Michigan, has been creating new bluegrass fans with his take on traditional bluegrass combined with his love of psyched rock and metal, and jam bands.
Strings has been making a name for himself since “Rolling Stone” named him one of the Top Ten New Country Artists to Know in 2017 and his 2019 album “Home” won a Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Album.
Luckily, my connection to the Philadelphia Folk Festival and composer of The High Note podcast intro and outro music, Paul “Dawg” Dixon, sent me one of his live-streamed concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’ve been hooked on his brand of bluegrass ever since.
His follow-up to “Home” was released in 2021 – “Renewal,” which was one of my favorite albums of that year.
Following “Me/And/Dad” with his father, Terry Barber, in 2022 and an unforgettable run at Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, I’ve been preaching the Billy Strings gospel to anyone within earshot.
In the last year, he’s released “California Sober” with Willie Nelson, was featured on “M-E-X-I-C-O” from Post Malone’s latest album, and joined Tony Trischka on “Brown Ferry Blues” from “Earl Jam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs.” I also have to mention his appearance on “Dooley’s Farm” from Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway’s “Crooked Tree.”
His latest album, “Highway Prayers,” released Sept. 27, 2024 via Reprise Records continues that train of excellence bound for bluegrass glory.
At a whopping 20 songs, the album spans 1 hour and 14 minutes of some of his best work to date.
Produced with Strings and Jon Brion, the guitarist recorded the album in Los Angeles, California, and Nashville, Tennessee, and features his core band consisting of banjo player Billy Failing, mandolin player, and Alex Hargraves on fiddle. The album also features the producer on bass, drums, percussion, drummer Matt Chamberlain who has played with everyone from Pearl Jam to Bob Dylan, dobro player Jerry Douglas, fiddle player Jason Carter, celloist and Nathaniel Smith, vocalists Lindsay Lou and Taneka Samone, pianist Cory Henry, harmonica and jaw harp player Peter “Madcat” Ruth and Victor Furtado on clawhammer banjo.
The album starts with the guitar, banjo, and fiddle-filled “Leaning on a Travelin’ Song,” which sets the tone and shows his bright take on traditional bluegrass style.
Running either from or to something is a common theme for Strings on “Highway Prayers,” as the sweetness in the heart helps guide him as “With the darkness in my eyes while I’m, Holding on to hopes of brighter days.”
It’s hard not to get swept up in the emotion of the instrumental tracks “Escanaba,” “Malfunction Junction,” and “Seney Stretch.”
Showing how he can morph, he adopts a Laurel Canyon style on “Gild The Lily,” and on “Catch and Release,” he pulls off a talking blues, made famous first by Woody Guthrie and later by Bob Dylan.
On “Seven Weeks In County, ” he gives a nod to the outlaw country style as he runs from the law: “He’s out to catch me, and he’s on the trail to find me.” He returns to the outlaw theme on “My Alice” and “MORBUD4ME.” The latter samples a bong rip in a way I haven’t heard since Cypress Hill’s “Hits from the Bong.”
In yet another turn, he adopts a Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne sound on “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You,” which spins into a sweet singer-songwriter style a la “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”
Strings isn’t afraid of straying into hard-driving bluegrass, like on “Cabin Song,” “It Ain’t Before,” and “Leadfoot.” He also shows his softer side on sweet homespun songs like “Don’t Be Calling Me (at 4AM),” “Be Your Man,” “Gone A Long Time,” “Happy Hallow,” “Beginning of the End,” and “Richard Petty.”
And by all accounts, Strings is a good guy, getting a lift from Ringo Starr recently when he needed to get home to see the birth of his son and when he called Trey Anastasio when he thought about relapsing on crack cocaine.
“Highway Prayers” shows that Billy Strings is just at the beginning of his musical journey.
See Billy Strings Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
Get “Highway Prayers” from Billy Strings, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Deezer and qobuz.
Favorite Tracks:
In The Clear
Escanaba
Gild The Lily
Seven Weeks in County
Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You
Cabin Song
Don’t Be Calling Me (at 4AM)
Malfunction Junction
Catch and Release
Be Your Man
Happy Hallow
Beginning of the End
Richard Petty
