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Greensky Bluegrass

American bluegrass band

Greensky Bluegrass

Summary

American bluegrass band

FieldValue
nameGreensky Bluegrass
backgroundgroup_or_band
imageGreensky Bluegrass at Delfest.jpg
landscapeyes
captionFrom left to right: Michael Bont (banjo/vocals), Paul Hoffman (mandolin/vocals), Mike Devol (bass/vocals), David Bruzza (guitar/vocals), Anders Beck (dobro).
originKalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.
genre
years_active2000–present
labelBig Blue Zoo Records
website
current_membersDave Bruzza
Paul Hoffman
Michael Bont
Anders Beck
Mike Devol
past_membersChris Carr
Al Bates

Paul Hoffman Michael Bont Anders Beck Mike Devol Al Bates Greensky Bluegrass is a five-piece American bluegrass jam band founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in mid-2000. The band has evolved over the years, growing from 3 to 5 members, adding electric effects, and touring with a full light show. Partly because of their name, many articles written about the band address the fact that what Greensky does is "not quite" bluegrass. In their own promotional material, GSBG describes their sound as "their own version of bluegrass music, mixing the acoustic stomp of a string band with the rule-breaking spirit of rock & roll".

Career

The band was formed in the fall of 2000 by Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), and Paul Hoffman (mandolin), who initially played together at an open mic night. As newcomers to the bluegrass scene, the three drew upon an array of influences and varied musical backgrounds, reflected in their May 2004 release of Less than Supper, recorded with bassist Chris Carr and dobro player Al Bates. Both Carr and Bates left the band shortly thereafter. Classical cellist Michael Devol had approached Greensky with an offer to assist in management, but ended up joining the group as bassist in the fall of 2004. The group explains their cohesion to being more of a brotherhood than a band.

In the summer of 2006 the band were winners of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition, earning them a spot on the main stage of the 2007 festival. Soon thereafter they released their second studio album, Tuesday Letter, produced by Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth. They rounded out their line-up in 2007 when they added Dobroist Anders Beck.

Greensky Bluegrass at the 8x10 Club in Baltimore, January 2012

On September 23, 2016 Greensky Bluegrass released their album Shouted, Written Down & Quoted produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and Co-Produced/Engineered, Mixed and Mastered by Glenn Brown. The bulk of this album was recorded in Asheville, North Carolina in October, 2015.

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Collaborations

On-stage collaborations have paired Greensky Bluegrass with:

  • Phil Lesh
  • Bill Kreutzmann & Papa Mali
  • Cornmeal
  • Larry Keel
  • Railroad Earth
  • Sam Bush
  • Billy Strings
  • Yonder Mountain String Band
  • Jon Fishman
  • Holly Bowling
  • Tom Hamilton

Discography

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positionsUS GrassUSUS IndieLess Than SupperTuesday LetterLive at Bell'sFive InterstatesAll Access Vol. 1All Access Vol. 2HandgunsIf Sorrows SwimShouted, Written Down & QuotedAll for MoneyStress Dreams
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

;General references:

References

  1. (2017-02-07). "Fear, Doubt, and Responsibility: A Conversation with Paul Hoffman of Greensky Bluegrass". No Depression.
  2. Kenny-Cincotta, Raffaela http://relix.com/articles/detail/greensky-bluegrass-courage-for-the-road/ Relix
  3. Yarborough, Chuck. (January 6, 2017). "Classical cellist's road to bluegrass". Cleveland Plain Dealer.
  4. Zimmerman, Lee https://jambands.com/features/2019/01/29/greensky-bluegrass-delivers-all-for-money/ Jambands.com
  5. (18 June 2006). "Green Sky upset". Festival Preview Roots.
  6. (17 July 2020). "Americana Roots: Greensky Bluegrass".
  7. Union, Wonderful. "Greensky Bluegrass".
  8. "Stress Dreams - Greensky Bluegrass | Release Info".
  9. (March 25, 2015). "Phil Lesh Guests With Greensky Bluegrass At Terrapin Crossroads".
  10. "Grateful Dead's Bill Kreutzmann, Greensky Bluegrass and Papa Mali 8.03.09 "Friend of the Devil"".
  11. "LAY DOWN SALLY Cornmeal Greensky Bluegrass rock covers Eric Clapton song 2011 Harvest Fest".
  12. "Greensky Bluegrass with Larry Keel - King of the Hill - Horning's Hideout - String Summit 2012".
  13. "Greensky Bluegrass w/ Sam Bush - full set WinterWonderGrass Avon, CO 2-22-14 HD tripod".
  14. "Greensky Bluegrass Welcomes Holly Bowling & Others in Atlanta".
  15. "Tom Hamilton Joins Greensky Bluegrass In Charlotte".
  16. (2016-08-12). "Greensky Bluegrass Announces New Album & Share First Single".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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