Back in January, Billy Strings and his outfit performed at Ball Arena in Denver in front of their largest indoor crowd to date. Making magic for three nights in a row, the crowd left each show wanting more and for Colorado, this is typically the case when it comes to bluegrass. Whether it was marketing genius or just plain coincidence, the banjo talent that helps to define the Billy Strings’ sound night after night followed the performances with his own announcement of a multi-city run in March through the Rocky Mountains. Including The Fox Theatre in Boulder, The Aggie Theatre of Fort Collins, and the more modern Ten Mile Music Hall in Frisco, those who have their ear attuned to the high lonesome sound marked their calendars and made sure that they had seats at the appropriate table for the stylings of banjo maestro and songwriter known as Billy Failing. Although the news did not include who would be playing with Billy, everyone in the know regarding this talent knew that whoever got pulled onto those stages would be of a caliber that would make any of these shows well worth the price of admission.
After two months of waiting, those lucky enough to get tickets were treated to a three night run of fun that contained original setlists, extended jams, and a who’s who accompaniment that made many wish Billy would have added more dates to the schedule. Living in Colorado himself, Billy decidedly pulled from local talent to complete the band, enlisting none other than renowned singer, songwriter, and flatpicker Tyler Grant, chop and vibe master Silas Herman, and holding down the low end on the upright, Lil’ Smokies bass man Jean-Luc Davis.
For the Friday night performance, Billy’s band of brothers hit the 600 soul capacity of The Aggie Theatre and delivered two sets of bluegrass goodness to the nearly sold-out crowd, showcasing the talent of every person on that stage. From blazing solos and some hefty improvisation, the fab foursome presented covers and originals alike and had much of the house dancing and applauding the overall delivery of the choices.
After an opening set from the talented Rocky Mountain quartet Friendly Reminders, Billy welcomed everyone in for set one and set things off with an expansive take on Leon Jackson’s “Love Please Come Home”. What traditionally is a two minute tune, this version got the fire put to it and told the crowd early on to buckle up because there ain’t going to be anything traditional about this night. Without breaking, the band transitioned right into Norman Blake’s instrumental “New Chance Blues” and kept the room heating up. The back to back opener had the place reeling and timed out into the double digits.
Taking a moment to breathe, Billy brought out his own piece from the 2017 album Calling My Trouble By Name. “All Alone” treated the audience to a bouncy, meandering pass that warmed the heart. Silas fanned that mando and Tyler’s focused picking not only further emphasized the talent of these players, but also demonstrated how comfortable they were going from breakneck fireworks to soulful serenades without missing a step.
Covering Tim O’Brien’s “The High Road”, this one kept Billy at the microphone and he seemed as comfortable handling the vocals as he does the banjo. “The High Road” had a great build to a fine finish and transitioned back to the land of the old school with another cover in Bill Monroe’s “Southern Flavor”. Although primarily known as a mandolin tune, this one, like everything else in the setlist, contained enough space for everyone to shine through and show off their own brand of musical goodness. Once again, between the O’Brien cover and the segueing Monroe piece, this duo burned through another good ten minutes of attention grabbing acoustic righteousness. Keeping the Godfather of Bluegrass alive in set one, the band honored the pioneer once again with a strong version of “Can’t You Hear Me Callin’”.
Under a wave of thanks, Billy Failing stepped to the microphone and said, “We’re going to pick you one here and get our fingers and our minds warmed up with a tune inspired by a very, very, very, very good boy”. With that, the band got into the original instrumental “Charlie’s Birthday Breakdown”, a tune accredited to Billy’s own dog Charlie. Six minutes of a doggedly good time, Billy and the rest of the pack smiled on at the close of the composition.
With a bit of good news and marking the specialness of the evening, Billy spoke:
Today is a very special day. We have Tyler Grant over here. Let’s hear it for Tyler Grant. Tyler has released a new album today and I am going to turn over the mic to him and have him tell you about this next one we’re going to do off of that.
Accepting the accolades and taking over the MC role with a wide smile, Tyler shared:
Thank you, Billy. Today is the day that Flatpicker is unleashed in the world. This is my new album. This next one is a song from it that tells the story of the ‘impossible railroad’, which was completed back in 1919 connecting San Diego to all points east, and the largest wooden trestle ever built, which still stands out there in the Mojave desert. This is called the “Goat Canyon Trestle”.
With that, Tyler led the gentlemen through the third track of the album, a four minute historical jaunt about the aforementioned impossibility and how its crowning structure still stands today in the middle of nowhere. Although Andy Thorn sat in on the studio version, Billy made easy work of the song and at the end, congratulated Tyler once again on his success. Closing out the set, the foursome went traditional and picked on a two minute high energy version of “Hop High My Lulu Gal”.
Breaking for nearly half an hour, the second set began with another pull from Calling My Trouble By Name. “My Reflection” contained a lengthy intro that eventually slipped into a multi-minute interlude from the band and hitting the middle, Billy dropped heavy on the pedals and synth making the opener more jam than what the audience had been treated to thus far during set one. Keeping up the improvisational dynamic, the band morphed the “reflective” ending into Robert Hunter’s ode to Janis Joplin. The familiar “Bird Song” had the room singing right along, its warm acceptance fueled and translated into some spirited playing. With the first turn, Billy’s banjo and Silas’ mando talked back and forth in rounds, each working in contributing to chorded conversation. Tyler’s guitar received more of a solo section as the Silas and Billy connection structured the context, the axeman ascending and descending in long fluid runs, which had a few fans stageside spinning and dancing with eyes shut tight, taking in every note and movement. Billy stepped up next and rolled out line after line, wave after wave of claw hammer solidarity and, after seven minutes of great interplay, Billy returned the “bird” to her roost by closing out the lyrics and receiving a solid thanks from the audience.
Dialing up one from Tony Rice’s Church Street Blues album, “Cattle in the Cane” sang with the spirit of its creator and kept the room moving in all the right ways. Silas’ unencumbered digitization cut like a hot knife through butter and Tyler’s flatpicking followup was nothing short of a living ode to the legend himself. Billy plucked his way through the third movement before the whole thing started over and the band noticeably laughed and smiled at the good vibes they were sharing with each other as well as the listeners.
Before turning on the next piece, Billy focused The Aggie’s attention to Silas and asked him to sing one for the crowd. Silas dedicated the selection to “ the late, great Jeff Austin”, a notion that many in the crowd applauded. “Raleigh and Spencer” was the song of choice and although not an Austin original, this one is a tune that Austin loved to play and played often. Silas’ take on it had many in the audience commenting on his talented mandolin playing.
]
Easing back on the throttle a bit, Billy took on another one of his originals in “Weathered and Worn”. Coming in at five minutes, this one reads as a traditional with that high lonesome sound and was a treat for those who enjoy the old school centers found in new grass creations.
Inviting Tyler to share another from the Flatpicker, “Been Away Too Long” pushed the pedal and relit the room with some nice harmonies from Tyler and Billy. Bill Monroe’s “The First Whippoorwill” bopped like its namesake and kept Billy and Tyler singing their hearts out. The middle got some exciting solo work as well as healthy exchanges between all the players, Jean-Luc riding the thunder tirelessly and adding deep grit to the unit throughout.
Approaching the end of the evening, Billy took one more opportunity to introduce the band and share how appreciative he was to hold the stage with the likes of Tyler, Silas, and Jean-Luc. Following a round of applause from the front of house, Tyler switched the focus to Billy and thanked him for having everyone out for a real good time, firing up the admiration machine for one last round. To close out the final frame, Billy went original once again and shared “Somewhere Down The Line”, a traveling song that chugged like a freight train and built up a full head of steam as it progressed, eventually transitioning into jam territory. Putting a cherry on top of the Friday sundae, Billy segued and closed with a great rendition of Tim O’Brien’s “Look Down The Lonesome Road”.
Already pushing curfew, a quick departure led to an even quicker return. Billy again thanked the audience and band alike for a memorable evening and sealed the deal with a new original being played for the first time. “Echoes From The Deep” is what was scripted on the setlist and with dark foreboding lyrics, the unsettling groove was well received and at the end, it was handled without misstep or oddity and came off as a well rehearsed piece.
Although the term ‘failing’ is often used to describe a weakness of character or a shortcoming, when it comes to music, Mr. Billy Failing couldn’t be farther from this definition. A humble soul with fluid chops and a keen ear for the group dynamic, Billy demonstrates the aesthetic that he is musician more than entertainer, more rock steady person than rockstar personality and anyone paying attention sees that with Billy, authenticity and a genuine appreciation of the moment is what this man is seeking to share. His love for playing is clearly seen in his demeanor, demonstrated by moments of apparent concentration and focused listening while often pivoting to the personal, commiserating with whomever he shares the stage with. As seen at The Aggie in Fort Collins last weekend, this aesthetic was further proven by who was asked to back him, a group of equal talent that seemed free of ego focus and driven by a shared center of making the music the best it could be with no one person outshining the others. In the end, the crowd and band got two plus hours of a great time surrounded by good people doing what they love and effectively practicing the art of winning ironically even though the evening was focused on Failing.
