Blue Highway Feat. Dead Man's Hollow at Gypsy Sally's -11/09/14

Sun, November 9, 2014

Doors: 7:00 pm / Show: 8:00 pm

$15.00 - $25.00

BLUE HIGHWAY

One of the most esteemed and influential groups in contemporary bluegrass, Blue Highway excels at every facet of the music, from instrumental dexterity to impeccable vocal interplay to literate, powerful songwriting.

Individually, Jason Burleson (banjo, guitar, mandolin), Rob Ickes (Dobro), Shawn Lane (mandolin, fiddle, vocals), Tim Stafford (guitar, vocals), and Wayne Taylor (bass, vocals) are at the forefront of their respective roles, appearing on innumerable projects as sidemen, songwriters, and solo artists. Together, in Stafford’s words, they are “a democracy in the best sense of the word”: five gifted artists selflessly merging their talents into a seamlessly brilliant group sound. It’s a BAND in the best sense of the word. Five egos merged into one group ego, with everyone singing from the same songbook and tuned into the same frequency, can be a powerful force.

There are several truly great bluegrass bands on the circuit right now, but not one of them brings to the table the same combination of instrumental, vocal and songwriting chops possessed by Blue Highway. Each member plays his role to perfection, so the band moves from strength to strength, more mature and impressive with each new album.

The Beatles had three gifted songwriters in their ranks; Blue Highway has five. Rob and Jason turn out the heart-pounding instrumentals, while Wayne, Tim and Shawn give Blue Highway a depth of songwriting talent unprecedented in sixty years of bluegrass bands. All three are intelligent and polished writers, and each writes with a distinctive, personal voice and style.

Blue Highway has released seven acclaimed albums, received two Grammy nominations, topped the Bluegrass Unlimited radio charts multiple times, won a Dove Award and an astonishing 14 International Bluegrass Music Association awards, individually and collectively. Refusing to coast on past glories, Blue Highway continues to push their music to new levels of accomplishment. Boldly balanced between tradition and innovation, it remains one of the handful of bluegrass bands able to spread the popularity of bluegrass in the 21st Century.

DEAD MEN’S HOLLOW

Dead Men’s Hollow began as an impromptu backyard pick n’ sing in the summer of 2001. Today the group is a well-established regional band. Dead Men’s Hollow performs at a wide range of venues, from churches, bars, and festivals to fine arts halls such as Strathmore and the Kennedy Center.

Dead Men’s Hollow draws its influences from bluegrass, country, blues, and gospel. The result is a unique sound of tight harmony vocals backed by traditional bluegrass instrumentation: fiddle, banjo, mandolin, upright bass, and guitar. The group’s repertoire comprises a vast array of original and traditional music, encompassing the early centuries of America’s musical history as well as modern tales of love and loss.

The group has recorded four commercially released CDs and has tracks on numerous compilation CDs, appeared on national television, received 18 Washington Area Music Association “Wammie” Award nominations, won six Wammie Awards—including Best Bluegrass Group and Bluegrass Album of the Year—and continues to be played on radio programs around the world.