Cabinet is a band with roots firmly planted in the Appalachian tradition. They wear their influences like badges, honoring the canon of roots, bluegrass, country, and folk, weaving these sounds into a patchwork Americana quilt. But this music isn’t romanticizing or rehashing the past. Cabinet makes it mark on today. The steady aim of their harmonies soar straight onto target each time, the soaring vocals giving voice to the story of each song. Their music takes the long way home, treating its listeners like passengers on a ride through scenic back roads. Their live shows are inclusive, celebratory, and community-building. Members Pappy Biondo (banjo, vocals), J.P. Biondo (mandolin, vocals), Mickey Coviello (acoustic guitar, vocals), Dylan Skursky (electric bass, double bass), Todd Kopec (fiddle, vocals) and Josh Karis (drums, percussion) all live and love music, and aren’t afraid to show it.
Cabinet formed in 2006, bringing together players from various musical and personal backgrounds. Some of the members were barely old enough to drink legally, but their thirst for older music was unquenchable. Whether its rustic "American Beauty"-era Grateful Dead or old-timey bluegrass, Cabinet has digested it all. But that is not to say that Cabinet recreates older styles. No, this is music that might have its roots in the past, but it is current and vibrant, with a sense of celebrating the now.
The band's 4th studio record, Cool River, is slated for a 10/13/17 release. This 8 song effort as recorded in late 2016 and early 2017 with renowned producer, Ben Collette at the helm. Fans can expect a much more electric energy from this record.
BILLY STRINGS
Whether sharing stages with acoustic music royalty, crisscrossing the nation playing as a solo artist or performing high-energy, jaw-dropping sets at festivals, the reaction to Billy Strings tends to come in two varieties: “Who is this guy?” and “That kid can play!”
Raised in Michigan and based in Nashville, Strings — real name William Apostol — learned music from his father, who had learned it from his father, and his father before him. Maybe that’s why at 24, Strings’ songs, his articulation, his entire approach, sounds so authentic and steeped in tradition. Consider him the next in line of an Americana thread, not some upstart or bandwagon jumper.
While Strings’ profile as a guitarist and singer in the acoustic/bluegrass scene continues to grow, he has already earned some landmark achievements. He has been invited to play on stage with Del McCoury, David Grisman, Larry Keel, Sam Bush, Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters, Leftover Salmon and more. He’s landed coveted slots at festivals like Pickathon, Merlefest, DelFest, High Sierra Music Festival, Grey Fox to name a few and he’s shared bills with popular touring acts Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters, Yonder Mountain Stringband, Leftover Salmon, Cabinet and more. And the industry has taken notice: He just won IBMA 2016 Momentum Awards Instrumentalist of the Year for guitar, banjo and mandolin and was voted #1 in, scene tastemaker, Bluegrass Situation’s Top 16 of ’16.
While the Billy Strings phenomenon is best experienced live and in person — if you’re in Nashville, check him out during his weekly residency at The 5 Spot — if he’s not coming to your town anytime soon, there’s a self-titled EP he released in June of 2016 to dig into, a full-length debut on the way, and a slew of sessions for taste-making outlets like KEXP, The Bluegrass Situation and Second Story Garage available online.
What’s next for Billy Strings? 2017 has him in the studio working on his first full length LP, a slew of festival and tour dates including support slots for Railroad Earth and The Infamous Stringdusters, a handful of dates as part of David Grisman Bluegrass Experience and much, much more. Keep an eye and an ear out as Billy will be coming to a town near you real soon.
WHISKEY SHIVERS
A masterfully talented string band known for raucous live shows, Whiskey Shivers continue to leave the traditional bluegrass world in the dust with their new album 'Some Part of Something,' out now.
The Austin, TX-based band have made a name for themselves with a genre-pushing sound that the Washington Post called "apocalyptic Americana." NPR described them as "frenetic bluegrass" with a "punk spirit," while Rolling Stone compared them to "the fierce inertia of Old Crow Medicine Show, the ramshackle folk punch of Felice Brothers and the punk energy of a pre-sobriety Deer Tick."
The band members also just wrapped shooting for their role in the upcoming film 'Pitch Perfect 3,' which hits theaters in December. Plot details have not yet been released, but the band appears in both acting and musical roles alongside a returning cast that includes Anna Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld and Rebel Wilson.
It might sound strange for a bluegrass band, but the big screen is the perfect place for Whiskey Shivers, who had their first major breakout when their horror-movie influenced music video went viral after ending up on the top of Reddit's front page. Since then, they've been featured on The Daily Show, Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations' and on NBC’s post-apocalyptic drama 'Revolution.'
The band launched a pre-order campaign via Pledge Music for the new album which was fully funded, with some fittingly "one of- a-kind" rewards for fans, including banjo lessons, yoga and tattoo sessions with the band, and custom bolo ties and jewelry made from actual hair taken from frontman and fiddle player Bobby Fitzgerald's famous mullet.
CABINET + BILLY STRINGS + WHISKEY SHIVERS
Doors: 8:30 pm | Show: 9:00 pm
Tickets on sale now at www.foxtheatre.com
