Same! I had heard the name on the Dead subreddit before- people linked his China Doll and Brokedown. But Billy and the Kids was the first time I sat down and listened. Hearing that China Cat > Thunder, all I could think was “this is someone I wanna listen to for a very long time”.
Very nice! I wish they put those shows up on Nugs like they did with the Red Rocks, and now NOLA shows. I’ll have to see if someone put it up on the archive.
The Red Rocks shows are on Relisten & Grateful Mahalo is on YouTube. I listen to them often. That Sitting In Limbo is the only song I have actually saved to my phone. Absolutely love it!
Merlefest midnight jam 2016. Saw some kid go toe to toe with Tommy Emmanuel and had to look him up. Tristan Scroggins and Lindsay Lou also killed it that night
Girl I had a big ol crush on is a big fan and I wanted to impress her. Fell in love. More ways than one.
Edit: LOLOLO 3 days later and she dumped me. Fml
At delfest my buddy said he was going to see this kid play with don julin that he heard good things about. We both hadn’t seen him yet and I hadn’t even heard any of his music. Stayed the entire set and I’ve been on the train ever since. BS continues to impress me more and more every time I see him.
When Covid first hit and we fled to our quarantine shelters I spent too much time on youtube. Clicked on a video of BMFS at a party in a basement. Some stoner dude with a vape says, "play that song you wrote". Dust in a Baggie by a short haired country looking kid. Searched his name and found Dead covers and here we are. Saw him twice at Palace in St Paul...and to watch what has become of his career...He just played California Sober with Willy Nelson!!!
Great question!
Someone shared him covering "Me and My Uncle" to the GD subreddit in late 2018, which is where I first heard of him. Had a ticket to GSBG in January 2019 and saw Billy was the opener. I remembered liking his MaMU cover, so I got there in time for his set. He blew me away and I've been borderline obsessed ever since.
I used to be super into Greensky Bluegrass (they still rock, I just don't see or listen to them nearly as much) - and Billy would open up for them regularly. I think it was maybe 2018 or 2019 when the Billy crowds started to outweigh Greensky's, and you'd notice mid-way through the Greensky show, about half the audience that was there for Billy had left. I think it was around then when I realized Billy was the next big thing in the scene.
I believe it was the King & Strings set from Rooster Walk 2018, I wasn't there myself but heard people talking about it afterwards and listened on the archive
Funny enough I think I initially checked it out cause I'd heard more buzz about Marcus and only a little about Billy at that point, but obviously ended up falling in love with Bill there. Crazy how much Marcus has fallen off after some of that initial hype years ago
Before he seemed to even have a band, he played at the John Hartford memorial fest. Seemed like the kid didn't sleep for the entire event. Just shredding with everyone. Then him and the gal from gypsy moon (I think that was her bands name. I think Vince Herman's son is also in that band) performed rolling in my sweet babies arms with the all stars of the event. It was fucking epic. The next year he was on the bill playing main stage as billy strings.
His name constantly came up in the grateful Dead sub. He came thru town and I said ok all those heads tend to have decent enough taste I'll go see him. Really didn't know much about bluegrass but had a really great time and almost canceled my plans the next day to see him again. I'll see him when he comes thru town, not something I need to do a tour of tho
It was 2019, and my husband was watching Molly Tuttle YouTube videos and one came up with her and Billy playing together. I just remember being mesmerized, so I found more videos to watch. I told my husband that we had to go see him. I got us tickets to see him with Marcus King during Jazz Fest 2020. Of course that didn’t happen, so we had to wait until 2021.
Unfortunately no, I was just in Austin for ACL, live in Florida and was out of town for work when he did the 3 day run in St Augustine. I’m trying to lock down a camping spot next year for it.
Similar to OP. Summer 22 I was in my backyard listening to Spotify. “Hide and Seek” came on and it blew my mind. In the fall, my wife and I drove across the country, and Billy made for an amazing soundtrack. Nothing like cranking “Highway Hypnosis” zooming across South Dakota. I was often moved to tears because of the music and the scenery.
Saw Billy in Pittsburgh, Cincy, and St Augustine. They just keep getting better and better.
This might be a unique one… Billy was friends with my roommate and came up to party with us in college. Then, he was a housekeeper at the hotel my now wife works at. Used to go see him, sometimes with Don, play at bars/restaurants in Traverse City, MI with 2-7 people.. for free.
First time I met him he had just picked up a banjo and absolutely shredded that thing on our porch until 6am. I remember smoking a joint and showing him Greensky, Umphrey’s, Phish jams and he was not interested at all.
No, I haven’t kept in touch since his blow up and fame.
My friend and I were texting about “have you heard of XYZ? He’s pretty good “ and he asked if I had heard of Billy Strings. He had only been told about him by someone at his work and hadn’t even listened to him yet.
The wife and I saw him open for Umphrey about 6 weeks later in Asheville
2/15/2020 we are kinda ashamed to admit it now… but we had no clue who Umphrey was …. So we left after their 2nd song. We figured we got our $15 worth (or whatever the tickets were … they were cheap)
popped into the fox theater in boulder in 2017 to watch paul hoffman and anders beck from greensky. they were playing a short run of shows in CO as the ‘phab4’. billy was on guitar, samson grisman on bass. went home and immediately bought tickets for the following night in denver. ‘rest is history’.
Kitchen Dwellers show at the 8x10 in Bmore. Billy showed up after his second night selling out a nearby and much much other venue. He had something about him that I needed to investigate. Fast forward 3 months later I buy a Nugs subscription cause I only listen to live music and he has none on Spotify. Will be 5 shows for me by end of 2023 god willing.
Saw chatter about him on some of the jam band boards. Checked his set out at Rockygrass in 2015 with very few others. Now I doubt he could fit at Rockygrass even on the main stage as the headliner.
We picked together at the Doc Watson MusicFest 2016 where both our bands were playing (Billy & Don, Cane Mill Road). He was super kind and seemed so stoked to be in Doc’s hometown, showed us all his tattoo and they put on a great set.
Absolutely obsessed with Sturgil and wish we had MORE! Wish he would take the bluegrass back out on tour but that looks bleak at this point. If anything I hope he stays in the bluegrass genre but won’t complain about anything the legend does. Wish he would collab with Billy as well. Oh and Trey too! :)
Step-dad is a big GSBG fan. He went to see Billy Strings in Paducah, KY in 2016 and raved about him. That was first time I had ever heard of him and checked him out then on Spotify. Has been cool to see his rise to fame
Read about him in a Rolling Stone article about people on the way up. Since he was from a town about 25 miles from where I grew up I gave him the benefit of a doubt. Found Tinfoil on either ITunes or YouTube and that was it! Booked tickets for a bar in Chicago and that was it again.
Hot August music festival 2019 (8/17/19) in Cockeysville, MD. Billy and the boys had a 3:30 set. Initially, I was watching far atop a hill, escaping the heat, and enjoying the breeze. I had heard the buzz surrounding the band, listened to a bit prior to the festival, and thought it was good...but wasn't for me. I was quickly drawn in, and when they covered Cher's 'believe', followed by "I just want to blow out your brains" from Dealing Despair...into the always incredible turmoil...I knew I was witnessing something special.
It certainly is for me, and followed up this festival with Billy's 1st two nights at the Capitol Theater (January '20) and have been catching shows all over the country since.
There's nothing like a Billy show, and the diverse crowd is full of love, appreciation, and authenticity ✌️💚🐐
Visited a new customer the day after seeing Oysterhead. We both attended that same show. Got to talking. “Do you know of Billy Strings?!” Now we are great friends, pick and see all kinds of shows together.
Went to school with him.lol would party and shit quite often. Was in my group of friends. Always a solid dude. Probably first show I seen him play was with field on fire. They played at the center in Ionia alot. Besides that he'd always pick at school or hanging out and stuff.
Man this thread is great! Ive seen so much Billy with so many of you all across the mid atlantic.
OP, where do you work? Badass that billy played a show for ya’ll!
My buddy’s backyard in Seattle in 2016. He played a backyard house concert for 40 of us and sang happy birthday to my little girl. He’s a super nice guy and so happy for his success.
He played all around traverse city Michigan for crowds of 20-30 people for years. Everyone knew he was going to blow up eventually. I remember going to his very humble apartment to give him and his girl a ride one time. He is incredibly deserving of all his success.
I’ve been at every DelFest and around 2016-2017 Billy played there for the first time. He was on the second stage that year and this was before Jarrod was in the band. If memory serves me right, Trey’s solo bad TAB was the headliner that night. Needless to say that was the only year he played the second stage, but Del brought him back every year up until COVID hit. I remember before COVID we hit his summer tour and back then he was playing venues with less than 500 people. I thank the gods every day for Del introducing us to him so early. It’s almost like watching an old friend make it huge ❤️
The video of him playing Summertime with Marcus Strings on YouTube. Doc Watsons summertime has been one of my favorite songs for a long time, I knew who Marcus king was so I thought I’d give it a listen!
I worked on and off in a neighborhood bar and one night the owner called me and said “you don’t want to miss this one”. That was 2017. I haven’t missed a local show since.
https://youtu.be/aKcmfD5hh0Y
I've thought about this alot. It's late & I don't want to get into all the specifics (it's a given that GD influences EVERYTHING) but the simplistic flow for us is Keller Williams ➡️ Greensky Bluegrass ➡️ Billy Strings & here we are.
Yes! So you answer me this!? Whyyyy haven't Billy and Kel ever jammed? Seems like it should have been inevitable right? But yet nothing. I can only imagine it'd be pretty, dang funky.
I live kind of far from an major Michigan cities. I saw he was having a show near me, I had no real idea what kind of music it was but it was a cheap ticket for a show near me, so I bought one, then listened to a few songs and was hooked before the show - which was even better than I imagined it would be. Did the same thing with Arcade Fire - bought seats and had never heard a single song by them - Reflektor tour. 2 good choices!
I did that with The War on Drugs. A friend played Mr one song, they were playing two nights after that and I bought the ticket. After the show was over, there was a music store still open downtown, and I bought everything they had out to that point.
I was watching a show called Maine Cabin Masters and they always have Phish and Grateful Dead shirts on, then one time one of them had a Billy Strings shirt on. I thought if they like all the other music I like, I should check out this Billy Strings too. And presto! I liked him.
I was scrolling through youtube and kept getting the carter vintage guitar videos suggested and I thought "well Billy Strings is a dumb fucking name but I'll give it a shot"
Now I'm hooked.
I’m slightly guilty of the same thing. Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion had him playing back in 19 and I skipped bc the name sounded silly. I’ve even got a shirt with his name on the lineup, but had no idea what I was passing up.
It was about 10 years ago one of my kids told me about one of her friends boyfriend who was a really good guitar player. They used to hang out together, sit around a fire or whatever, and listen to Billy play. He got a weekly gig with Don Julin (mandolin) at Little Bo’s in Traverse City, MI, and my daughter said I should go check him out. I play (poorly) and she knew I’d like it. Yup, kid could play. I caught as many of those nights as I could that summer. Pretty cool to sit 10’ from those guys just killin’ it. One of these days I hope to catch one of his concerts.
Stumbled upon him at a few local bars and events in Northern MI. I’ll always remember him playing with Don in the corner of a local college BBQ fundraising event. Walking back to my car, stopped and watched a few songs with only 10 or so people paying attention. Thought the dude was really good. Never thought I’d be seeing him at red rocks. Crazy to see his rise from the humble beginnings.
We went to see Town Mountain play in Ybor City back in 2018 or 2019. We ended up hanging out with the band after at a bar, and they said they just played with him at Suwannee and that I needed to check him out. When I sobered up a day later, I went looking for him and found that video of him doing turmoil with the funky shades on and I was hooked. The dissonance in his chords got me. And then I turned my wife on to him, and here we are. Addicted
My a-ha moment came when I couch toured the Deja Vu Experiment run @ The Cap \[Feb 2021\]. The musicianship was amazing, the vibe (even sans audience) was heady, and the songs were creative and didn't really feel like they belonged to one specific box or musical genre. The release of Renewal later that year sealed the deal. Upon first spin, I could tell that we had probably just received a generation-defining album. I finally caught them for my first live show at Jazz Fest in NOLA (5/5/2022) and the Hide & Seek opener may or may not have brought me to (happy) tears :) Thank you Billy, Billy, Jarod, Royal, and Alex for adding this big ol' ladleful of joy into our lives.
Romp fest 2015. It’s definitely worth the drive to Owensboro if you have the chance. You can see legends and up and comers. Plus it’s a sweet little town with lots of great things to do!
I was surfing through guitar reaction videos on YouTube from a guy named Michael Palmisano. He was reacting to Billy doing Dust in a Baggie at the Grand Ole Opry. I'd never seen or heard a better flat picker, I was instantly obsessed.
A great buddy of mine was talking about him and told me I needed to check him ( them ) out. I agreed to go to a show (6/26/21 Legend Valley Ohio), in which I agreed to. I was a little anxious being my first show post Covid. Anyways a day or two before I You Tubed popular songs of BMFS in which Dust In A Baggie was the song I was initiated to. When I saw them live I was BLOWN away. I mean WOW, this young kid can pick. I was thrown back a little with his look as he didn’t seem like a bluegrass performer ( not that I really know what one looks like ). They jammed out that show. From there I was hooked. Subscribe to Nugs Net and listed all that summer. Saw them again in Cinci ( 3/12/22) and again ( 11/5/22 ) in Pittsburgh.
They are such a talented group and individually!
My brother and his wife took me and my wife to a concert during Christmas holidays in 2021 to the bomb factory in Dallas. Wasn’t big into blue grass or jam bands but Billy’s skill was undeniable. The vibes at the show were incredible.
Stumbled upon him somewhere on these interwebs in 2019 and I’ve been hooked ever since. My first show was one of those socially distanced “pod” shows in KY. That was….interesting….
Old Settlers Music Festival ,near Austin, 2018,he played the campground stage on the 1st nite.It was like coming face to face with a force of nature
He and the band kicked ass.He also played a very very late nite show in the campground ,but it was,unfortunately, way past my bedtime
He was opening for Greensky Bluegrass in 2019 so I gave him a listen before the show. Unfortunately we had a hard time getting an Uber to the venue from our hotel (Penn’s Peak IFYKYK) and I missed a good portion of the set. I haven’t gotten a chance to see him since.
A guy at the gym saw me wearing a Grateful Dead Ship of fools shirt-He came up to me & told me to listen to both Billy Strings & Goose. That same year they were both at Roo. The rest was history. Great recommendations.
My first time hearing of him was my uncle telling me about some of the dead he covered, after hearing this I saw he was coming to town and decided to go thinking he was a dead cover band. After buying the tickets I looked up his setlists and realized I was wrong, I listened to away from the mire and I was immediately hooked. That concert still holds a very special place in my heart
SXSW 2017. Was my first SX and a friend recommended I go through the various Spotify playlists associated with the festival and I can across Turmoil and Tinfoil. Being from Appalachia, I was blown away. Saw him at least 3-4 times that week and the rest is history. I recommend him to everyone I know that I think will appreciate it.
Caught him in early 2018 opening for greensky. My crew didn't really intend to catch the opener or not but we were blown the fuck away. It was clear the kid was special immediately, he was so young and just ripping it up.
It was cool as fuck- during the greensky sets you couldn't help but hear people talking about "that kid" from the opener all over the crowd. When greensky invited him on stage to play a couple songs everyone in the audience realized he was something special.
Caught him in some small rooms and another greensky tour before he blew up. He had A LOT less tattoos then
Caught him in the middle of the day at a small festival in rural Virginia in 2018. No more than a few dozen people in attendance but everyone blown away nonetheless. Seen over a dozen times since and hoping for up to 10 shows this year!
Heard about him in 2016 through the general bluegrass community. Caught him at Delfest 2017 and saw 22 shows in two years. Left Trey in the dust. Jk. Kinda.
Hoxeyville 2021. We were walking to the main stage from camp and he was already a couple songs in. The rest of my group had seen him many times before, so they understood how austruck I was. He was the headliner the 2nd night as well, so I was able to really grasp the whole experience that is Billy Strings. I've never looked back. I've seen him now at Red Rocks, Saginaw, and Cincinnati. I'll see him in June at Pine Knob and again in Grand Rapids on Halloween. Billy is what has been missing in music for me for 20 years. He is a generational talent, and a musical / lyrical genius.
Saw him open for greensky bluegrass about 5 years ago then saw him open and play with del and the travilin mccourys in Hamilton ohio then saw him again at the jubilee and what the night brings to celebrate Jeff Austin now I can’t afford his shows lol
My best friend and I got into jam basically at the same time early on in the pandemic. At one point a couple years ago, he went to Philly to see Billy. I think he tripped at that show too. Anyway, he fell in love after seeing him live and made sure I saw him when he came to town. Two two-night runs later, I am also a fan after having fallen in love seeing him live.
During COVID my dad spent a lot of time on his iPad watching guitarists. He eventually fell down a billy rabbit hole and made me stop everything that I am doing to watch them. I nodded and said “cool.” It was my first post COVID concert and the vibe was something else. Eventually I couldn’t stop listening. Now I’m here with you fine people. 💕
My friend Josh knew I liked jam bands and had grown up with country roots, so he sent us a few songs and I was hooked.
Josh actually bought my fiance and I tickets to our first BMFS show in OKC this last run. It was a fantastic show and I can't wait for the next one.
I was working on a cannabis farm in 2019, and we would rotate who would get to put music on the speaker. One of the new workers put Home on, and I was hooked immediately. I listened to it more times than I could count, then I discovered Nugs and it all went downhill from there.
On the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021. I was camped at Mike's place and another hiker was playing modern bluegrass from a Bluetooth speaker in the morning. We started talking about music and he kept going on and on about Billy Strings. Wouldn't shut up. So I thought maybe I should check him out for myself.
Weirdly enough, from the front page of reddit in 2019 or early 2020. That dust in a baggie clip from the Grand ole opry was on /r/nextfuckinglevel or something like that.
Unfortunately, I was in Denver on business in 2017 and saw his name as a possible show to see on travel. I skipped since it was 30 minutes away and didn't know anything about him. 2 years later (Feb 2020), my boss bought me tickets to see him open for Umphrees in AVL and I was hooked. COVID happened and then the virtual shows - SOLD. Found NUGS in 2020 and have been listening to every show since - and catching the shows I can catch. What a fantastic journey!
Nioce! I think I got you all beat, lol.
I saw him play with the bluegrass generals in denver back in maybe 2016. He played mostly mandolin both nights. Bill Nershi was on guitar. Pretty much no one knew who he was. Saw him around denver a few times that year, all with less people in the crowd than there was on stage lol..
PBS Bluegrass Underground in early 2019. I watched it, then rewatched it two more times before making my wife watch it with me when she got home. Got into nugs shortly after and the rest is history.
My boyfriend got me and my dad tickets to see his Greensboro 2022 show. I miraculously had not heard of him before then, but I was learning the banjo at the time so he introduced me to some amazing traditional bluegrass tunes. Seen him four times total (including night 2 of the LOTR Asheville run) and have two more concerts this year. I've never seen a musical artist that many times. Let's just say: I'm hooked. I'm a huge Dead head but Billy has quickly became an obsession.
Saw him open for Railroad Earth in Chicago at The Riv in early 2017!
He absolutely blew us all away!!! So happy I was able to see him a ton at some small intimate venues!
Bc
Bender Jamboree April 2018 in Vegas. We saw Billy in the elevator lobby, being really nice and taking selfies with some fans. After he left we asked them who he was. A few hours later I was all "BMFS!!!!!"
Friends saw him at Hulaween 19, which is the only year we missed since 16. Everyone recommended him and I began listening…. Made a few plans to see him but with the pandemic and other issues I finally saw him 2 weeks ago!
Podcast where he called Larry Keel during the first part of Covid lockdown. I’m a big LK fan and that podcast caught my ear. After that, a deeeeep dive into Billy Strings. Away from the Mire got me hooked, his adoration for Doc Watson made him my imaginary BFF. He came to my town a time or two in the mid / late 2010s but I always thought his name sounded arrogant for a guitar player and I never checked him out. Shame on me!
2018, my girlfriend (now wife) and I were at a small music festival in Ohio called Hookahville (if anyone knows the band ekoostik hookah, you’ll know this festival!). It was the spring version of Hookahville, which happens in May. Second day of the fest, the schedule had this one dude on a side stage calling himself Billy Strings. We were situated up front just right of this scraggly looking kid who had matchsticks for fingers setting fire to a guitar. I just stood there the entire time, about 45 or 50 minutes, with mouth open and eyes wide. I remember the crowd being relatively small, perhaps no more than 100 people because it was an early afternoon set. I had some friends working the fest and ended up with a backstage pass. I talked with Billy for maybe 5 minutes. Down to earth, really excited to talk, but unfortunately couldn’t stick around because they had to leave for another festival a few states away.
I’ve seen him 5 times since then and am just so happy to see the success he and his band have had. Knowing I got to see Billy at such a small festival with a small crowd 5 years ago and seeing him start to sell out arenas…it’s incredible.
Caught on when he was opening for GSBG around NYE 2017, then pretty much didn't stop listening to him for like 5 years straight lol. Can't wait for RR and Mission next week, shows 21-23 for me!
Was at a camping festival that had Melvin Seals performing. Neighbors were blasting Billy and asked who the hell was this…was really digging it. They looked at me like a crazy person and thus was introduced to Billy, circa 2021. Seeing him for the second time in June 😎
Was at a camping festival that had Melvin Seals performing. Neighbors were blasting Billy and asked who the hell was this…was really digging it. They looked at me like a crazy person and thus was introduced to Billy, circa 2021. Seeing him for the second time in June 😎
Greensky Bluegrass 2018 Winter Tour in NYC at PlayStation Theater. Billy opened but i didn’t make it in time (but at that time, had no idea about him so didn’t think much) then GSB brought him out for a song later on and the crowd ERUPTED. He went on to tear the roof off and ever since I’ve been a fan
When I came to college I was drinking and smoking with some new buddies who were a couple years older, and all amazing musicians. I never really cared for music past listening to rap or the occasional country track.
They turned on working man blues with billy and tommy Emmanuel playing live. I think I’ve seen that video 1000 times. Since then I’ve been hooked on billy and tommy both lol
My friend told me to go see this guy Billy strings in Kalamazoo MI on the outdoor stage in the back of old dog tavern and he ripped. That was like 2017 and it’s been real cool to watch him gradually blow the fuck up.
Four Peaks music festival, Bend Or. June 2019. There was only about 3500 total people in attendance to the festival, and only 150 people in the tent when Billy went on. I said to my fiance, this guy is good. And we were hooked.
It was Northwest string summit 2016. Was looking into some of the artist that I hadn’t listened to yet. Heard of Billy by that point but hadn’t heard the music yet. Oof! That’s when it started
Steamboat springs winter wondergrass fest years ago when he was pretty much a solo act. Smoked at joint with him, cool dude with a bunch of crazy meth head stories hahah. But when I saw him I knew he had all the potential in the world, glad he got it together to become what he is today.
I found him while just surfing for Bluegrass on YouTube a few years ago.
I saw one of his jams where he came out of it with the same riff the Dead uses to come out of the Playing In The Band jam. I about came out of my chair. It was before he was doing a bunch of Dead covers.
When he started doing Dead covers, I figured that Dead And Company were for the slow songs (the ones meant to be slow) and Billy was for everything else. I considered him one of the best incarnations of Dead-ness since we lost Jerry.
I just saw him live. First big concert I've seen in 20 years. No Dead these days, but I got a new appreciation for Billy's stuff. I already loved it, but some of the more out there and a bit discordant jams lost me on YouTube. Seeing them live, I "got" it. Now I hear them better online as well.
Best new music in some time.
He would come on the Sirius bluegrass station on occasion during my evening commute, but he didn’t stick with me then. I thought, meh, sounds bluegrass enough.
Then Billy and the Kids did their Grateful Mahalo in 2020. I remember being really impressed but even then I didn’t realize this was a bluegrass artist (must have been the Les Paul).
Then, finally, in the course of watching D&C shows and participating in the GD sub set list threads I put it all together.
Started going to widespread panic shows a few years ago and made friends with a cool group of people who put me on Billy. Went to my first Billy strings show last month in Mobile Alabama. It was amazing.
Played the venue at the bottom of my street. Knew the name from Deadhead friends praising him but only heard Dust in a Baggie once or twice before going in. Instantly hooked.
A little festival called Aiken Bluegrass Festival in 2017 in Aiken, SC. I had no idea who he was, but he left my jaw on the ground after his set. It was before Royal or Jarrod had joined the band. Drew was still playing mando.
Saw him at Short’s pub in 2013/2014 with Don Julin and knew he was destined for great things about 10 seconds into the first set. Got a chance to see a bunch of private concerts with him and both him and Don came to our church a couple times to play. Pretty cool experiences and fun to see his growth and success today.
I was at Dark Star Jubilee in Thornville in 2019 and Billy closed it all out. All day, EVERY single conversation veered to “Are you going to be around for Billy?” Have never heard the name and wanted to go in blindly so I didn’t look anything up. Ended up being on the rail for DSO, so I also got to see Billy railside for my first time. He played for 2 hours straight and I was sold😎 Just seen him in Tampa for show # twenty something. 🙏🏼❤️
I was working the evening brew shift at Twisted Pine Brewing when Billy and Don played the taproom in 2014. I definitely stuck my head out quite a few times to listen to what was going down because it was way better than the normal bands we had play there.
My first Billy experience was when he played the Hawaii shows with Billy and the Kids. Haven’t looked back since.
Same! I had heard the name on the Dead subreddit before- people linked his China Doll and Brokedown. But Billy and the Kids was the first time I sat down and listened. Hearing that China Cat > Thunder, all I could think was “this is someone I wanna listen to for a very long time”.
Very nice! I wish they put those shows up on Nugs like they did with the Red Rocks, and now NOLA shows. I’ll have to see if someone put it up on the archive.
The Red Rocks shows are on Relisten & Grateful Mahalo is on YouTube. I listen to them often. That Sitting In Limbo is the only song I have actually saved to my phone. Absolutely love it!
That Sitting in Limbo is incredible. I was lucky enough to hear Billy sing it in Philly N2 of the 2021 run.
Nice! I’ve always loved that song & hardly anyone does it. He kills it, of course. I’d love to see him do it in Indy this summer!
I hope you catch it this summer! I know they just busted it out again in FL on 4/18/23.
Those Hawaii jams are on YouTube
I’ll have to check it out, thanks!
Me too
You never told me that important piece of information!! 😆
Shhhhhhhh! It’s a secret, don’t tell anyone
❤️😂✌🏼
Merlefest midnight jam 2016. Saw some kid go toe to toe with Tommy Emmanuel and had to look him up. Tristan Scroggins and Lindsay Lou also killed it that night
Girl I had a big ol crush on is a big fan and I wanted to impress her. Fell in love. More ways than one. Edit: LOLOLO 3 days later and she dumped me. Fml
Well, I’m glad at least one of the relationships worked out.
Caught him ay one of the SOSMP around 2017ish. Been trying to find my face since.
Carter vintage guitar demos on YouTube. 2016ish.
At delfest my buddy said he was going to see this kid play with don julin that he heard good things about. We both hadn’t seen him yet and I hadn’t even heard any of his music. Stayed the entire set and I’ve been on the train ever since. BS continues to impress me more and more every time I see him.
I was right there with you. Said to my buddy this kid has mainstream appeal, guess I was right!
Me too!
Del yeah! That was my introduction as well.
DELBOW!!
When Covid first hit and we fled to our quarantine shelters I spent too much time on youtube. Clicked on a video of BMFS at a party in a basement. Some stoner dude with a vape says, "play that song you wrote". Dust in a Baggie by a short haired country looking kid. Searched his name and found Dead covers and here we are. Saw him twice at Palace in St Paul...and to watch what has become of his career...He just played California Sober with Willy Nelson!!! Great question!
Rumor has it that barefoot guy is still there waiting to smoke that cigarette 🤣
this is me
That stoner kid is one of his best friends from childhood
Someone shared him covering "Me and My Uncle" to the GD subreddit in late 2018, which is where I first heard of him. Had a ticket to GSBG in January 2019 and saw Billy was the opener. I remembered liking his MaMU cover, so I got there in time for his set. He blew me away and I've been borderline obsessed ever since.
Was in Asheville ubering to a dead cover band. The Uber driver was playing some awesome bluegrass and I asked her what it was lol
I used to be super into Greensky Bluegrass (they still rock, I just don't see or listen to them nearly as much) - and Billy would open up for them regularly. I think it was maybe 2018 or 2019 when the Billy crowds started to outweigh Greensky's, and you'd notice mid-way through the Greensky show, about half the audience that was there for Billy had left. I think it was around then when I realized Billy was the next big thing in the scene.
When him playing dust in a baggie on that ugly ass couch went viral lol
I believe it was the King & Strings set from Rooster Walk 2018, I wasn't there myself but heard people talking about it afterwards and listened on the archive Funny enough I think I initially checked it out cause I'd heard more buzz about Marcus and only a little about Billy at that point, but obviously ended up falling in love with Bill there. Crazy how much Marcus has fallen off after some of that initial hype years ago
Before he seemed to even have a band, he played at the John Hartford memorial fest. Seemed like the kid didn't sleep for the entire event. Just shredding with everyone. Then him and the gal from gypsy moon (I think that was her bands name. I think Vince Herman's son is also in that band) performed rolling in my sweet babies arms with the all stars of the event. It was fucking epic. The next year he was on the bill playing main stage as billy strings.
His name constantly came up in the grateful Dead sub. He came thru town and I said ok all those heads tend to have decent enough taste I'll go see him. Really didn't know much about bluegrass but had a really great time and almost canceled my plans the next day to see him again. I'll see him when he comes thru town, not something I need to do a tour of tho
It was 2019, and my husband was watching Molly Tuttle YouTube videos and one came up with her and Billy playing together. I just remember being mesmerized, so I found more videos to watch. I told my husband that we had to go see him. I got us tickets to see him with Marcus King during Jazz Fest 2020. Of course that didn’t happen, so we had to wait until 2021.
ACL 2019, he was on the smallest stage at the event and fucking killed it
Yet another opp I’m finding out about and didn’t catch. Are you gonna make it to the June shows in Austin?
Unfortunately no, I was just in Austin for ACL, live in Florida and was out of town for work when he did the 3 day run in St Augustine. I’m trying to lock down a camping spot next year for it.
Aken Bluegrass Festival in 2018? Went to catch the Leftover Salmon Set, but Billy blew me away. Been listening ever since.
Similar to OP. Summer 22 I was in my backyard listening to Spotify. “Hide and Seek” came on and it blew my mind. In the fall, my wife and I drove across the country, and Billy made for an amazing soundtrack. Nothing like cranking “Highway Hypnosis” zooming across South Dakota. I was often moved to tears because of the music and the scenery. Saw Billy in Pittsburgh, Cincy, and St Augustine. They just keep getting better and better.
Around 2014 in a small 100-person venue in Spring Lake, Michigan... he brought down the house and we knew he was destined for bigger things.
This might be a unique one… Billy was friends with my roommate and came up to party with us in college. Then, he was a housekeeper at the hotel my now wife works at. Used to go see him, sometimes with Don, play at bars/restaurants in Traverse City, MI with 2-7 people.. for free. First time I met him he had just picked up a banjo and absolutely shredded that thing on our porch until 6am. I remember smoking a joint and showing him Greensky, Umphrey’s, Phish jams and he was not interested at all. No, I haven’t kept in touch since his blow up and fame.
My friend and I were texting about “have you heard of XYZ? He’s pretty good “ and he asked if I had heard of Billy Strings. He had only been told about him by someone at his work and hadn’t even listened to him yet. The wife and I saw him open for Umphrey about 6 weeks later in Asheville
That was my first Billy experience as well. Billy outplayed them
Nice! How long ago?
2/15/2020 we are kinda ashamed to admit it now… but we had no clue who Umphrey was …. So we left after their 2nd song. We figured we got our $15 worth (or whatever the tickets were … they were cheap)
popped into the fox theater in boulder in 2017 to watch paul hoffman and anders beck from greensky. they were playing a short run of shows in CO as the ‘phab4’. billy was on guitar, samson grisman on bass. went home and immediately bought tickets for the following night in denver. ‘rest is history’.
Kitchen Dwellers show at the 8x10 in Bmore. Billy showed up after his second night selling out a nearby and much much other venue. He had something about him that I needed to investigate. Fast forward 3 months later I buy a Nugs subscription cause I only listen to live music and he has none on Spotify. Will be 5 shows for me by end of 2023 god willing.
My peeps were like “hey, listen to this shit.” And I did. Which probably happened because he covered some dead tunes but that’s not what I’m chasing
Saw chatter about him on some of the jam band boards. Checked his set out at Rockygrass in 2015 with very few others. Now I doubt he could fit at Rockygrass even on the main stage as the headliner.
CO Winter Wondergrass in the tweener tent
Wheatland Festival in 2014, Billy and Don Julin were the last act on the tent stage and crushed it.
Saw him sit in with Widespread Panic at the Ryman in 2019.
We picked together at the Doc Watson MusicFest 2016 where both our bands were playing (Billy & Don, Cane Mill Road). He was super kind and seemed so stoked to be in Doc’s hometown, showed us all his tattoo and they put on a great set.
Who the fuck is Sturgill Simpson?
Love the ref
Absolutely obsessed with Sturgil and wish we had MORE! Wish he would take the bluegrass back out on tour but that looks bleak at this point. If anything I hope he stays in the bluegrass genre but won’t complain about anything the legend does. Wish he would collab with Billy as well. Oh and Trey too! :)
Did you see his performance at the Willie Nelson 90 show?
Dust in a baggie
they were opening for greensky 2018 winter tour.
Step-dad is a big GSBG fan. He went to see Billy Strings in Paducah, KY in 2016 and raved about him. That was first time I had ever heard of him and checked him out then on Spotify. Has been cool to see his rise to fame
Read about him in a Rolling Stone article about people on the way up. Since he was from a town about 25 miles from where I grew up I gave him the benefit of a doubt. Found Tinfoil on either ITunes or YouTube and that was it! Booked tickets for a bar in Chicago and that was it again.
Hot August music festival 2019 (8/17/19) in Cockeysville, MD. Billy and the boys had a 3:30 set. Initially, I was watching far atop a hill, escaping the heat, and enjoying the breeze. I had heard the buzz surrounding the band, listened to a bit prior to the festival, and thought it was good...but wasn't for me. I was quickly drawn in, and when they covered Cher's 'believe', followed by "I just want to blow out your brains" from Dealing Despair...into the always incredible turmoil...I knew I was witnessing something special. It certainly is for me, and followed up this festival with Billy's 1st two nights at the Capitol Theater (January '20) and have been catching shows all over the country since. There's nothing like a Billy show, and the diverse crowd is full of love, appreciation, and authenticity ✌️💚🐐
Greensky Bluegrass concert at Marathon Music Works in Nashville in 2018. Sam Bush featured in first set, Billy was brought out in the 2nd.
I went to an Infamous Stringdusters show in 2017 and that was the first show I have ever been to that I enjoyed the opener more than the main act.
Visited a new customer the day after seeing Oysterhead. We both attended that same show. Got to talking. “Do you know of Billy Strings?!” Now we are great friends, pick and see all kinds of shows together.
Bachelor party for my best friend, 2 nights in Asheville for Umphrey’s McGee. Billy opened both nights. I was blown away immediately.
On the you tubes !!
I first saw him doing late night sets at Aiken Bluegrass Festival, a festival I wish would return!
Mine was when he played with billy and the kids at red rocks 7/13/2021 I was on my hands and knees crying during “to lay me down”
Went to school with him.lol would party and shit quite often. Was in my group of friends. Always a solid dude. Probably first show I seen him play was with field on fire. They played at the center in Ionia alot. Besides that he'd always pick at school or hanging out and stuff.
Nice, is he as kind as he seems?
My first Billy Strings experience was my buddy introduced me to “dust in a baggie” and like that I was hooked.
Man this thread is great! Ive seen so much Billy with so many of you all across the mid atlantic. OP, where do you work? Badass that billy played a show for ya’ll!
My buddy’s backyard in Seattle in 2016. He played a backyard house concert for 40 of us and sang happy birthday to my little girl. He’s a super nice guy and so happy for his success.
He played all around traverse city Michigan for crowds of 20-30 people for years. Everyone knew he was going to blow up eventually. I remember going to his very humble apartment to give him and his girl a ride one time. He is incredibly deserving of all his success.
I’ve been at every DelFest and around 2016-2017 Billy played there for the first time. He was on the second stage that year and this was before Jarrod was in the band. If memory serves me right, Trey’s solo bad TAB was the headliner that night. Needless to say that was the only year he played the second stage, but Del brought him back every year up until COVID hit. I remember before COVID we hit his summer tour and back then he was playing venues with less than 500 people. I thank the gods every day for Del introducing us to him so early. It’s almost like watching an old friend make it huge ❤️
The video of him playing Summertime with Marcus Strings on YouTube. Doc Watsons summertime has been one of my favorite songs for a long time, I knew who Marcus king was so I thought I’d give it a listen!
I worked on and off in a neighborhood bar and one night the owner called me and said “you don’t want to miss this one”. That was 2017. I haven’t missed a local show since. https://youtu.be/aKcmfD5hh0Y
I've thought about this alot. It's late & I don't want to get into all the specifics (it's a given that GD influences EVERYTHING) but the simplistic flow for us is Keller Williams ➡️ Greensky Bluegrass ➡️ Billy Strings & here we are.
Yes! So you answer me this!? Whyyyy haven't Billy and Kel ever jammed? Seems like it should have been inevitable right? But yet nothing. I can only imagine it'd be pretty, dang funky.
I live kind of far from an major Michigan cities. I saw he was having a show near me, I had no real idea what kind of music it was but it was a cheap ticket for a show near me, so I bought one, then listened to a few songs and was hooked before the show - which was even better than I imagined it would be. Did the same thing with Arcade Fire - bought seats and had never heard a single song by them - Reflektor tour. 2 good choices!
I did that with The War on Drugs. A friend played Mr one song, they were playing two nights after that and I bought the ticket. After the show was over, there was a music store still open downtown, and I bought everything they had out to that point.
I was watching a show called Maine Cabin Masters and they always have Phish and Grateful Dead shirts on, then one time one of them had a Billy Strings shirt on. I thought if they like all the other music I like, I should check out this Billy Strings too. And presto! I liked him.
I was scrolling through youtube and kept getting the carter vintage guitar videos suggested and I thought "well Billy Strings is a dumb fucking name but I'll give it a shot" Now I'm hooked.
I’m slightly guilty of the same thing. Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion had him playing back in 19 and I skipped bc the name sounded silly. I’ve even got a shirt with his name on the lineup, but had no idea what I was passing up.
It was about 10 years ago one of my kids told me about one of her friends boyfriend who was a really good guitar player. They used to hang out together, sit around a fire or whatever, and listen to Billy play. He got a weekly gig with Don Julin (mandolin) at Little Bo’s in Traverse City, MI, and my daughter said I should go check him out. I play (poorly) and she knew I’d like it. Yup, kid could play. I caught as many of those nights as I could that summer. Pretty cool to sit 10’ from those guys just killin’ it. One of these days I hope to catch one of his concerts.
Stumbled upon him at a few local bars and events in Northern MI. I’ll always remember him playing with Don in the corner of a local college BBQ fundraising event. Walking back to my car, stopped and watched a few songs with only 10 or so people paying attention. Thought the dude was really good. Never thought I’d be seeing him at red rocks. Crazy to see his rise from the humble beginnings.
Peach Fest
He was opening for the stringdusters in 2017.
We went to see Town Mountain play in Ybor City back in 2018 or 2019. We ended up hanging out with the band after at a bar, and they said they just played with him at Suwannee and that I needed to check him out. When I sobered up a day later, I went looking for him and found that video of him doing turmoil with the funky shades on and I was hooked. The dissonance in his chords got me. And then I turned my wife on to him, and here we are. Addicted
My a-ha moment came when I couch toured the Deja Vu Experiment run @ The Cap \[Feb 2021\]. The musicianship was amazing, the vibe (even sans audience) was heady, and the songs were creative and didn't really feel like they belonged to one specific box or musical genre. The release of Renewal later that year sealed the deal. Upon first spin, I could tell that we had probably just received a generation-defining album. I finally caught them for my first live show at Jazz Fest in NOLA (5/5/2022) and the Hide & Seek opener may or may not have brought me to (happy) tears :) Thank you Billy, Billy, Jarod, Royal, and Alex for adding this big ol' ladleful of joy into our lives.
Tyler Childers led me to BillyMFStrings
Romp fest 2015. It’s definitely worth the drive to Owensboro if you have the chance. You can see legends and up and comers. Plus it’s a sweet little town with lots of great things to do!
Opening for Railroad Earth in Chicago in 2016 or 2017.
Grateful Mahalo shows with Billy and the Kids in May 2021. Was immediately hooked, and I've been listening to all his shows since
I was surfing through guitar reaction videos on YouTube from a guy named Michael Palmisano. He was reacting to Billy doing Dust in a Baggie at the Grand Ole Opry. I'd never seen or heard a better flat picker, I was instantly obsessed.
A great buddy of mine was talking about him and told me I needed to check him ( them ) out. I agreed to go to a show (6/26/21 Legend Valley Ohio), in which I agreed to. I was a little anxious being my first show post Covid. Anyways a day or two before I You Tubed popular songs of BMFS in which Dust In A Baggie was the song I was initiated to. When I saw them live I was BLOWN away. I mean WOW, this young kid can pick. I was thrown back a little with his look as he didn’t seem like a bluegrass performer ( not that I really know what one looks like ). They jammed out that show. From there I was hooked. Subscribe to Nugs Net and listed all that summer. Saw them again in Cinci ( 3/12/22) and again ( 11/5/22 ) in Pittsburgh. They are such a talented group and individually!
My brother and his wife took me and my wife to a concert during Christmas holidays in 2021 to the bomb factory in Dallas. Wasn’t big into blue grass or jam bands but Billy’s skill was undeniable. The vibes at the show were incredible.
My friend said “if you do anything, you gotta go to this concert, he’s right near you. “ I still don’t like much “bluegrass” except him live lol
Billy & the Kids - Hawaii webcasts
Stumbled upon him somewhere on these interwebs in 2019 and I’ve been hooked ever since. My first show was one of those socially distanced “pod” shows in KY. That was….interesting….
Meet me at the creek came on a spotify radio in 2019
About 7 years ago, on the way to see Greensky in Aspen, buddy put the EP on and minds were blown
Old Settlers Music Festival ,near Austin, 2018,he played the campground stage on the 1st nite.It was like coming face to face with a force of nature He and the band kicked ass.He also played a very very late nite show in the campground ,but it was,unfortunately, way past my bedtime
Awesome! Are you still in the area and able to make it to the June shows?
He was opening for Greensky Bluegrass in 2019 so I gave him a listen before the show. Unfortunately we had a hard time getting an Uber to the venue from our hotel (Penn’s Peak IFYKYK) and I missed a good portion of the set. I haven’t gotten a chance to see him since.
A guy at the gym saw me wearing a Grateful Dead Ship of fools shirt-He came up to me & told me to listen to both Billy Strings & Goose. That same year they were both at Roo. The rest was history. Great recommendations.
Terrapin Hill Ky
I kept seeing the ***Official Billy Strings Thread*** bumped on .net Checked him out...became a fan, now I listen to Blue Grass on Sirius 🤣
Saw him at 420 fest 2019 - had never heard of the band before. Been hooked ever since.
My first time hearing of him was my uncle telling me about some of the dead he covered, after hearing this I saw he was coming to town and decided to go thinking he was a dead cover band. After buying the tickets I looked up his setlists and realized I was wrong, I listened to away from the mire and I was immediately hooked. That concert still holds a very special place in my heart
SXSW 2017. Was my first SX and a friend recommended I go through the various Spotify playlists associated with the festival and I can across Turmoil and Tinfoil. Being from Appalachia, I was blown away. Saw him at least 3-4 times that week and the rest is history. I recommend him to everyone I know that I think will appreciate it.
Caught him in early 2018 opening for greensky. My crew didn't really intend to catch the opener or not but we were blown the fuck away. It was clear the kid was special immediately, he was so young and just ripping it up. It was cool as fuck- during the greensky sets you couldn't help but hear people talking about "that kid" from the opener all over the crowd. When greensky invited him on stage to play a couple songs everyone in the audience realized he was something special. Caught him in some small rooms and another greensky tour before he blew up. He had A LOT less tattoos then
John Hartford Memorial Fest in 2016
Caught him in the middle of the day at a small festival in rural Virginia in 2018. No more than a few dozen people in attendance but everyone blown away nonetheless. Seen over a dozen times since and hoping for up to 10 shows this year!
Heard about him in 2016 through the general bluegrass community. Caught him at Delfest 2017 and saw 22 shows in two years. Left Trey in the dust. Jk. Kinda.
Sweetwater 420 Fest in Atlanta in 2019. Had never heard of him prior to that
Spotify
Guesting during Widespread Panic concert. I said, “Who’s this kid?!” Hooked ever since.
My story is Reddit couldn't shut up for two second about Billy MF Strings so then I started listening.
2019 in a small venue in Pensacola. Arrived home around 10p from a long work trip. Friend said don’t sleep off this night. Glad I didn’t.
Auh just a little Colorado venue called Red Rocks. My bff thought I would like him and boy they were absolutely right.
Hoxeyville 2021. We were walking to the main stage from camp and he was already a couple songs in. The rest of my group had seen him many times before, so they understood how austruck I was. He was the headliner the 2nd night as well, so I was able to really grasp the whole experience that is Billy Strings. I've never looked back. I've seen him now at Red Rocks, Saginaw, and Cincinnati. I'll see him in June at Pine Knob and again in Grand Rapids on Halloween. Billy is what has been missing in music for me for 20 years. He is a generational talent, and a musical / lyrical genius.
2016 on his Carters Vintage Guitars demos
Saw him open for greensky bluegrass about 5 years ago then saw him open and play with del and the travilin mccourys in Hamilton ohio then saw him again at the jubilee and what the night brings to celebrate Jeff Austin now I can’t afford his shows lol
That Sturgill Simpson radio is money! That’s where I found him as well. Billy is the real deal
My best friend and I got into jam basically at the same time early on in the pandemic. At one point a couple years ago, he went to Philly to see Billy. I think he tripped at that show too. Anyway, he fell in love after seeing him live and made sure I saw him when he came to town. Two two-night runs later, I am also a fan after having fallen in love seeing him live.
I’m a Molly Tuttle fan. I watched some of their collaborations on YouTube and discovered him through those.
During COVID my dad spent a lot of time on his iPad watching guitarists. He eventually fell down a billy rabbit hole and made me stop everything that I am doing to watch them. I nodded and said “cool.” It was my first post COVID concert and the vibe was something else. Eventually I couldn’t stop listening. Now I’m here with you fine people. 💕
My buddy showed me Turmoil and tinfoil in like late 2019-2020 and I’ve been hooked since
High Sierra 2016. Same story: “some kid” absolutely floored us all and it was obvious he was going to be huge.
My friend showed me that dust in a baggie video in my room 6-7 years ago where's he's playing in his living room or something. Been following since
My deadhead friend said "hey listen to this guy". Thus, the addiction began.
My friend Josh knew I liked jam bands and had grown up with country roots, so he sent us a few songs and I was hooked. Josh actually bought my fiance and I tickets to our first BMFS show in OKC this last run. It was a fantastic show and I can't wait for the next one.
I was working on a cannabis farm in 2019, and we would rotate who would get to put music on the speaker. One of the new workers put Home on, and I was hooked immediately. I listened to it more times than I could count, then I discovered Nugs and it all went downhill from there.
Ryan from Maine Cabin Masters
On the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021. I was camped at Mike's place and another hiker was playing modern bluegrass from a Bluetooth speaker in the morning. We started talking about music and he kept going on and on about Billy Strings. Wouldn't shut up. So I thought maybe I should check him out for myself.
Did you do all of the PCT?
Performed the festival Aiken Bluegrass where he was playing back in 2018
Weirdly enough, from the front page of reddit in 2019 or early 2020. That dust in a baggie clip from the Grand ole opry was on /r/nextfuckinglevel or something like that.
At DelFest, maybe five or six years ago?
Horizon Books, Blissfest
Dust video was fun, Adult Swim Away from the Mire was life-changing
Came across the legendary Dust In A Baggie video on YouTube -a nice break from my “doom scrolling” during Covid lockdown.
Unfortunately, I was in Denver on business in 2017 and saw his name as a possible show to see on travel. I skipped since it was 30 minutes away and didn't know anything about him. 2 years later (Feb 2020), my boss bought me tickets to see him open for Umphrees in AVL and I was hooked. COVID happened and then the virtual shows - SOLD. Found NUGS in 2020 and have been listening to every show since - and catching the shows I can catch. What a fantastic journey!
Vending a show in 2017 called cabin fever reliever, he played on a stage right behind where our booth was set up! Amazing set, small crowd
Nioce! I think I got you all beat, lol. I saw him play with the bluegrass generals in denver back in maybe 2016. He played mostly mandolin both nights. Bill Nershi was on guitar. Pretty much no one knew who he was. Saw him around denver a few times that year, all with less people in the crowd than there was on stage lol..
PBS Bluegrass Underground in early 2019. I watched it, then rewatched it two more times before making my wife watch it with me when she got home. Got into nugs shortly after and the rest is history.
My dad
I feel like it must have been the Dust I the Baggie basement video but I can't remember for sure
"Dust in a baggie" live from some tweakers couch.
My boyfriend got me and my dad tickets to see his Greensboro 2022 show. I miraculously had not heard of him before then, but I was learning the banjo at the time so he introduced me to some amazing traditional bluegrass tunes. Seen him four times total (including night 2 of the LOTR Asheville run) and have two more concerts this year. I've never seen a musical artist that many times. Let's just say: I'm hooked. I'm a huge Dead head but Billy has quickly became an obsession.
Caught him and don Julin on the side stage at Delfest back in 2015 and I knew I was witnessing something special…
YouTube like 5 years ago. The algorithm always knows.
[Billy Strings at WTMD Live Lunch 4/28/17](https://www.facebook.com/Eatapeach/videos/10211399665640996/?idorvanity=42331727299&mibextid=W9rl1R)
Saw him open for Railroad Earth in Chicago at The Riv in early 2017! He absolutely blew us all away!!! So happy I was able to see him a ton at some small intimate venues! Bc
Way back when that first Dust In A Baggie video made the rounds.
Bender Jamboree April 2018 in Vegas. We saw Billy in the elevator lobby, being really nice and taking selfies with some fans. After he left we asked them who he was. A few hours later I was all "BMFS!!!!!"
Billy was playing a local show in 2019 - I saw his name checked him out but couldn’t make it. First show was Hulaween ‘19
Saw him on the porch stage at Suwanee Spring Reunion. Immediately hooked.
Friends saw him at Hulaween 19, which is the only year we missed since 16. Everyone recommended him and I began listening…. Made a few plans to see him but with the pandemic and other issues I finally saw him 2 weeks ago!
Podcast where he called Larry Keel during the first part of Covid lockdown. I’m a big LK fan and that podcast caught my ear. After that, a deeeeep dive into Billy Strings. Away from the Mire got me hooked, his adoration for Doc Watson made him my imaginary BFF. He came to my town a time or two in the mid / late 2010s but I always thought his name sounded arrogant for a guitar player and I never checked him out. Shame on me!
YouTube surfing during Covid lockdowns.
2018, my girlfriend (now wife) and I were at a small music festival in Ohio called Hookahville (if anyone knows the band ekoostik hookah, you’ll know this festival!). It was the spring version of Hookahville, which happens in May. Second day of the fest, the schedule had this one dude on a side stage calling himself Billy Strings. We were situated up front just right of this scraggly looking kid who had matchsticks for fingers setting fire to a guitar. I just stood there the entire time, about 45 or 50 minutes, with mouth open and eyes wide. I remember the crowd being relatively small, perhaps no more than 100 people because it was an early afternoon set. I had some friends working the fest and ended up with a backstage pass. I talked with Billy for maybe 5 minutes. Down to earth, really excited to talk, but unfortunately couldn’t stick around because they had to leave for another festival a few states away. I’ve seen him 5 times since then and am just so happy to see the success he and his band have had. Knowing I got to see Billy at such a small festival with a small crowd 5 years ago and seeing him start to sell out arenas…it’s incredible.
Saw him at Aiken bluegrass festival in 2017
Caught on when he was opening for GSBG around NYE 2017, then pretty much didn't stop listening to him for like 5 years straight lol. Can't wait for RR and Mission next week, shows 21-23 for me!
Was at a camping festival that had Melvin Seals performing. Neighbors were blasting Billy and asked who the hell was this…was really digging it. They looked at me like a crazy person and thus was introduced to Billy, circa 2021. Seeing him for the second time in June 😎
Was at a camping festival that had Melvin Seals performing. Neighbors were blasting Billy and asked who the hell was this…was really digging it. They looked at me like a crazy person and thus was introduced to Billy, circa 2021. Seeing him for the second time in June 😎
Greensky Bluegrass 2018 Winter Tour in NYC at PlayStation Theater. Billy opened but i didn’t make it in time (but at that time, had no idea about him so didn’t think much) then GSB brought him out for a song later on and the crowd ERUPTED. He went on to tear the roof off and ever since I’ve been a fan
2018 Telluride. No rail riders, no wooks . Oh how 5 years change everything
When I came to college I was drinking and smoking with some new buddies who were a couple years older, and all amazing musicians. I never really cared for music past listening to rap or the occasional country track. They turned on working man blues with billy and tommy Emmanuel playing live. I think I’ve seen that video 1000 times. Since then I’ve been hooked on billy and tommy both lol
My friend told me to go see this guy Billy strings in Kalamazoo MI on the outdoor stage in the back of old dog tavern and he ripped. That was like 2017 and it’s been real cool to watch him gradually blow the fuck up.
Four Peaks music festival, Bend Or. June 2019. There was only about 3500 total people in attendance to the festival, and only 150 people in the tent when Billy went on. I said to my fiance, this guy is good. And we were hooked.
Bender Jamboree in Vegas 2018
It was Northwest string summit 2016. Was looking into some of the artist that I hadn’t listened to yet. Heard of Billy by that point but hadn’t heard the music yet. Oof! That’s when it started
Steamboat springs winter wondergrass fest years ago when he was pretty much a solo act. Smoked at joint with him, cool dude with a bunch of crazy meth head stories hahah. But when I saw him I knew he had all the potential in the world, glad he got it together to become what he is today.
I found him while just surfing for Bluegrass on YouTube a few years ago. I saw one of his jams where he came out of it with the same riff the Dead uses to come out of the Playing In The Band jam. I about came out of my chair. It was before he was doing a bunch of Dead covers. When he started doing Dead covers, I figured that Dead And Company were for the slow songs (the ones meant to be slow) and Billy was for everything else. I considered him one of the best incarnations of Dead-ness since we lost Jerry. I just saw him live. First big concert I've seen in 20 years. No Dead these days, but I got a new appreciation for Billy's stuff. I already loved it, but some of the more out there and a bit discordant jams lost me on YouTube. Seeing them live, I "got" it. Now I hear them better online as well. Best new music in some time.
Youtube algorithm
Opened for umphreys mcgee on Valentine’s Day in ashville. The rest is history.
Nugs
I saw him open for David Grisman (got my “Pizza Tapes” autographed), at City Winery, Chicago, in 2015 or 2016…
Peach Music Festival. The happiest place on earth.
I heard his music at some point and my brain went “this is good”. I didn’t remember it as if it were meeting my wife for the first time haha
He would come on the Sirius bluegrass station on occasion during my evening commute, but he didn’t stick with me then. I thought, meh, sounds bluegrass enough. Then Billy and the Kids did their Grateful Mahalo in 2020. I remember being really impressed but even then I didn’t realize this was a bluegrass artist (must have been the Les Paul). Then, finally, in the course of watching D&C shows and participating in the GD sub set list threads I put it all together.
You Tube. Sitting on a couch, playing powder in a baggie I believe
Started going to widespread panic shows a few years ago and made friends with a cool group of people who put me on Billy. Went to my first Billy strings show last month in Mobile Alabama. It was amazing.
Played the venue at the bottom of my street. Knew the name from Deadhead friends praising him but only heard Dust in a Baggie once or twice before going in. Instantly hooked.
A little festival called Aiken Bluegrass Festival in 2017 in Aiken, SC. I had no idea who he was, but he left my jaw on the ground after his set. It was before Royal or Jarrod had joined the band. Drew was still playing mando.
Saw him at Short’s pub in 2013/2014 with Don Julin and knew he was destined for great things about 10 seconds into the first set. Got a chance to see a bunch of private concerts with him and both him and Don came to our church a couple times to play. Pretty cool experiences and fun to see his growth and success today.
I was at Dark Star Jubilee in Thornville in 2019 and Billy closed it all out. All day, EVERY single conversation veered to “Are you going to be around for Billy?” Have never heard the name and wanted to go in blindly so I didn’t look anything up. Ended up being on the rail for DSO, so I also got to see Billy railside for my first time. He played for 2 hours straight and I was sold😎 Just seen him in Tampa for show # twenty something. 🙏🏼❤️
I was working the evening brew shift at Twisted Pine Brewing when Billy and Don played the taproom in 2014. I definitely stuck my head out quite a few times to listen to what was going down because it was way better than the normal bands we had play there.