John Mailander
Step into the Van Andel Arena, and you’d have been forgiven for thinking you'd been transported straight into the heart of the Grand Ole Opry with a dash of Madison Square Garden's wrestling flair. Billy Strings, in his larger-than-life avatar, orchestrated a 'Van Andel Scramble'—a harmonious collision of bluegrass and rock & roll on a hauntingly spectacular Halloween night.
Returning to Sacramento, Calif., a year after his last visit, the affable and quick finger-picking Billy Strings and his band reinforced their unique brilliant mastery of a performance package that straddles the lines between traditional bluegrass material and psychedelic-tinged improvisational jamming. A truly epic concert, the show included 35 songs.
The Winter Park and Fraser Colorado Chamber are purveyors of gratitude and fun. Once again, the SolShine concert presented by the Chamber and hosted by Rendezvous Event Center in Downtown Winter Park is now officially in the live music history books. This concert has incredibly special meaning for the residents and out-of-town guests that frequent Winter Park.
In February, Free Dirt Records announced new supergroup Mighty Poplar and sent shock waves of excitement throughout the acoustic world. Composed from the camps of Watchhouse, Leftover Salmon, The Punch Brothers, and Billy Strings, the bluegrass community got the goosebumps not only from the proclamation of a new album full of ear candy, but also a subsequent tour.
GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Billy Strings will bring his acclaimed headline tour to arenas this winter with newly confirmed shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena (two nights), Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena (three nights), Charlottesville’s John Paul Jones Arena (two nights), Atlanta’s State Farm Arena and Charleston’s North Charleston Coliseum (two nights) among others.
From outstanding original material to a tremendous array of covers by diverse greats from Bill Monroe to Jimi Hendrix, Billy Strings’ scintillating two-set, 28-song performance hit all the right notes on September 28 in Sacramento, Calif.
The 6th Suwannee Roots Revival takes place Thursday, October 13 - Sunday, October 16 at the renowned Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) in Live Oak, Florida. We are excited to announce an additional round of artists to this incredible lineup that includes JJ Grey & Mofro, Punch Brothers, Peter Rowan's Bluegrass Band, Donna the Buffalo, Kitchen Dwellers, Jon Stickley Trio, Jim Lauderdale, and Seth Walker.
Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Billy Strings’ new song, “Wargasm” featuring special guest RMR, is debuting today. Listen/share HERE.
The unofficial fifth member of Billy Strings band is also the fiddler for Bruce Hornsby is also a published author is also curator of the Nashville collective, Forecast is also an accomplished composer and artist in his own right. John Mailander may not be a braggart so let me do that for him.
Poetry pours out of John Mailander’s version of Joni Mitchell’s Borderline. The sounds of dripping water, flowing rivers, messy spills, puddles, and pools of wet boggy mashes give way to tubs of bubbles, sunsets, and endless horizons, skies as wide as infinite while nothing is certain or definite. The cinnamon shades of grey Mailander consistently portray pours a warm cup of tea in your earworm. Kristina Train’s vocals creep into the melody like a song in slumber.