“It's been a long hard week, a long hard month, it’s been a long hard year.

“I don’t like bluegrass, but I love you guys,” is something Wood & Wire hear often from new fans, and while the band never claims to defy categorization—they are, after all, a four-piece band made up of guitar, bass, banjo, and mandolin—they certainly ignore the notion of musical boundaries.

“I don’t like bluegrass, but I love you guys,” is something Wood & Wire hear often from new fans, and while the band never claims to defy categorization—they are, after all, a four-piece band made up of guitar, bass, banjo, and mandolin—they certainly ignore the notion of musical boundaries.

When I was invited, for the third time, to review the John Hartford Memorial Festival, in its 9th year, I heartily accepted. I also tried to bring people along, because it’s an experience worth sharing. I was at a loss, at first, to explain it. Not just a bluegrass festival. A picking festival? Mostly. But with elements ranging from old-time Americana, root music, classical and rock and jazz- I settled on bluegrass and its extended family. It turns out that ‘extended family’ would come back around a few times.

Congratulations to Austin bluegrass and Americana band Wood & Wire for their Grammy nomination today for Best Bluegrass Album! “North of Despair” came out in April of this year to rave reviews for its blending of bluegrass virtuosity and Texas songwriting tradition.

The Texas songwriter tradition casts a long shadow today, and Austin-based Americana roots juggernauts Wood & Wire can easily rattle off a list of songwriters that inspire them, from Willie Nelson to James McMurtry and everyone in between. But ask them about what it is about Texas that brought us so many great songwriters, and they stop cold. That’s because they don’t romanticize Texas’ culture or its past; they’re too busy working their asses off making new music, writing new songs.

The Texas songwriter tradition casts a long shadow today, and Austin-based Americana roots juggernauts Wood & Wire can easily rattle off a list of songwriters that inspire them, from Willie Nelson to James McMurtry and everyone in between. But ask them about what it is about Texas that brought us so many great songwriters, and they stop cold. That’s because they don’t romanticize Texas’ culture or its past; they’re too busy working their asses off making new music, writing new songs.

They say everything is bigger in Texas and as far as Wood and Wire from Austin, Texas sound goes, the band goes plenty big on their self titled CD, Wood and Wire.

Austin’s own Wood & Wire releases its self-titled debut album today. Recorded in Nashville and produced by award-winning engineer Erick Jaskowiack, WOOD & WIRE showcases more than a dozen original bluegrass and Americana compositions written by the group.Hailed by CMT.com as “an enthusiastic quartet,” the band includes Tony Kamel on guitar, Matt Slusher on mandolin, Dom Fisher on bass and Trevor Smith on banjo.