Look up his performance of “meet me at the creek” on root city musics channel. He’s runnin around and head banging and the audience is a bunch of older folks who give him a standing ovation
The dust in a baggie video from the living room and the Turmoil and tinfoil video with the band from that music city roots those 2 got me hooked a few years back, he really does have all 3
As a long, long time blue grass fan, but also not a Bluegrass insider, this is how I view it. Billy strings is ABSOLUTELY steeped in the tradition. He totally has the whole depth , and breadth of bluegrass as well as broader country and folk rock, and southern rock etc. AND he can absolutely play bluegrass flat picked, straight up clean picking every not with the best of them. To get a flavor of that look up videos of Billy giving seminars on his biggest musical influence Doc Watson. Early on in his performances Billy really took pains to play a few bluegrass standards in a very traditional manner and JUST COMPLETLEY SLAY it on guitar and vocals. Look for videos of his singing "Freeborn Man." So like you discussed around the 7 minute mark, Billy proved he belongs in the tradition, and then bends it. Not all bluegrass fans love him but when you see his live shows you find fans of all ages and many, many bluegrass fans over 60 years old love him. They know he loves, respects and knows the traditions and he uses the tradition is new ways. Finally what you are observing is that the distance between bluegrass and Heavy Metal isn't really all that far.
I started learning guitar about a year ago now, 6 months ago I started to get into Bluegrass a lot and fell in love. Now I keep going to deeper in that rabbit hole. Billy was a gateway for me into that world.
Most bluegrass players love Billy. He can and will often do his own thing and we can appreciate it for what it is. But he also devotes a lot of his career to tradition. It’s becoming more prevalent in his recordings but his live shows have almost always included the standards played with immaculate attention to tradition. It should also be noted that there has been a lot of NEW in bluegrass throughout the years. The 50s and 60s saw a lot of the folk scene intertwine. David Grisman and Tony Rice brought in the concept of Jazz in the 70’s and they have bled into most lead parts since. The grateful dead brought in brought in a huge jam band aesthetics. Highly recommend you check out a video done by lessons with marcel highlighting the history. Granted it hasnt seem the radical changes that rock music has from bill haley to the modern era, but its changed A LOT.
Billy Strings is a new thing, a crossover of bluegrass and metal. Not just rock and roll but metal. Sure his earlier material was more bluegrass but he is finding a way now and it is pretty magical. I still think away from the mire is the best song of the last decade, musically and lyrically.
those old raggedy guys are Don Julin, who literally wrote the book on mandolin, and Kevin Gills, who is so bad ass he shows up to this dumb gig wearing a 12 year old hockey shirt with a good old hole in it.
As far as the traditional bluegrass thing goes, a lot of bands have used bluegrass as a base while adding other genres and styles. Hot Rize and New Grass Revival helped to start it. Bela Fleck solo. Then it was bands like Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, and The String Cheese Incident. Then, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Devil Makes Three, and Sweet Sunny South. So much amazing music in those names.
I think the difference with Billy Strings is that he, and almost all the members of his band (exception being Royal Masat on base) are absolutely steeped from birth in Bluegrass. They can absolutely play straight bluegrass with any band anytime and weave in all kinds of nuances that serious bluegrass fans will catch. Billy Strings (solo and band) could have a top tier career as a straight bluegrass band. That isn't as true of the other bands. They can play bluegrass decently, but they don't have the depth, they aren't pickled in it. THEN Billy is a freaking absolute genius and writes songs, knows how to run a band, is a spectacular human being, and he is blowing it up - but any day, any time he can grab a guitar or a banjo and go on stage with the best bluegrass musicians in the business.
Live Billy! This, admittedly, isn't a strong video for "guitar reaction", it's old and doesn't really show off Billy's chops. His abilities get better daily and they're live performances as of late are somethinf special. A better example might be one of the videos posted by his account for his "Live" album. Several great options, specifically Aeay from the Mire or Turmoil & Tinfoil.
Fireline, Highway, Heartbeat are all other great options. This album, as a whole, is a great look into what Billy and his band are doing with music today.
For an "elite" I would put Jason Isbell in that category. His guitar playing is usually ignored since most of his more famous songs are his acoustic ballads, but check out his latest live release from the Ryman. ua-cam.com/video/vUqoLcmq5f8/v-deo.html
I turned 50 this year, and I'm still wearing my one inch gauge. Back then, when I started, I liked the pain the stretching caused. Now, I am so used to it that I can't spend an hour without it without feeling weird :)
Lol. Dark bluegrass is about alcohol. Sure, but it was also about death. Really though, Sierra Hull is amazing. Also Billy is taking Doc Watson and mixing it with Grateful Dead.
billy was taught bluegrass/county by his father Terry. Then he turned to Metal and back to bluegrass/dead head and pulls it off. He plays with the Phish boys all the time and with the dead cover boys. And he can flat pick with the best of em.
I think he just chose the wrong word or didn’t specify. He didn’t mean playing bluegrass is simple. He meant that the idiom is simple. And maybe rigid is a better word. The bluegrass idiom, like with blues, is in fact fairly rigid: often just 3 chords, often just a I, IV, and V and, as mentioned, maybe a dominant 7 chord. In fact he corrects course almost immediately and says that it’s very hard to play 8:01
There has been a modern bluegrass that started in the '90's. It kinda started with the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. Allison Kraus and Union Station, who sang a majority of the songs in that movie, is considered the influencers in that movement. It is associated more with Folk more than country. The '60s folk singers are considered the ancestor. Even though it is directly ascended from Bill Monroe Earl Scruggs you will find a lot of modern Bluegrass performers were heavily influenced by The Grateful Dead; Peter, Paul, and Mary; and Bob Dylan. Today's Bluegrass has a lot of variety and a lot of the artists often cross into different genres. Because of that it has now been labeled as Americana. Billy Strings actually considers his music to be Psychedelic Bluegrass. Another bluegrass guitarist to check out is Molly Tuttle. She is unbelievable as well, and more of a traditional bluegrass player. Molly Tuttle and the Golden Highway have won the Grammy 2 years in a row for Bluegrass Album of the Year with the albums Crooked Tree and Into the Wild. If you want to really see something truly amazing, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle have many youtube videos on stage together. They have distinctly different playing styles, but on stage together, they are fire!!!!
Bluegrass was born in Rosine KY the credit for bringing it to the world was Bill Monroe and his brother Charlie and blue grass can be original or classic it is pure folk music and the fans are awesome my Mom and DAD were born in Rosine KY and my Mom was a professional Banjo player come on down to the blue grass festival happens every year near Rosine KY
You have solid insight that definitely teaches and ehances my undestanding of Billy and his music.. but the rate and cadence at which you interject makes watching this very difficult.
2:14 It the whole “Dylan went electric” sort of gatekeeping that the folk community did back then. Billy is “Newgrass” (a.k.a. “Jamgrass”). Other Newgrass artists to check out: Yonder Mountain String Band, Greensky Bluegrass, and many others. Bluegrass has been undergoing a renaissance over the past few decades. But Billy does both exceptionally well, so sometimes he does a straight, traditional bluegrass show if the occasion calls for it.
He just did a song with Willie Nelson and Charlie Starr of BlackBerry Smoke. He won a Grammy for best Bluegrass album. And he would of done the Dead and Co. gig John Mayer did but he’s to big a songwriter now and has a killer band.it’s “3 chords and the truth” is the quote about country music your looking for.
You should check out Bryan Sutton who is currently giving Billy lessons. He’s a real goat. Also, watch the videos of Aubrey King doing Billy breaks with one finger. ONE FINGER. He’s just a random UA-camr.
Billy is respected by everyone because of his talent and the fact that he’s paid his dues in traditional bluegrass. And yes Billy can get “out there” but everybody in bluegrass has experimented and gotten “weird.” Flatt and Scruggs (the most famous bluegrass band of all time) broke up because Earl Scruggs was getting into playing with saxophone players and Lester Flatt hated the fact that is was not traditional. Tony Rice (the greatest bluegrass guitar player of all time) spent years diving into jazz and blues then came back and reinvented the acoustic guitar in bluegrass. That being said, Billy’s weird stuff isn’t played in bluegrass circles. Not really. Because it isn’t the familiar sound of home that bluegrass has defined itself as. But obviously he’s got some audience. I think it’s a lot like how Post Malone has country fans and rap fans and his music is very distinctly rap and very distinctly country. Like he’s created these boundaries. I think Billy has created boundaries between his experimental stuff and his traditional stuff,
You all should do your research before you come on here saying incorrect things about Billy. He has hardcore fans that would die for him, me being one of them. Yes his dad taught him to play bluegrass and he did use to be a rocker. He loves metal
@@AMPR45 I must’ve missed them saying something negative because I think they were all very neutral and this comment sounded like they were talking smack about him.
These folks have no clue about Billy Strings or where he got the name Billy Strings, or that he fetches $500k per concert, or his concerts are sold out for the remainder of 2024, and 2025 is selling as we're writing this. Go watch his concert 2 days 4 sets from 0ct. 04, 05, 2024 from Clarksdale Michigan on UA-cam. He's a post modern Era LEGEND. ua-cam.com/video/LPF9DjSasVk/v-deo.htmlsi=5F9t1wwCXs7mKNxy
As a traditional bluegrass fan, and I mean traditional, nothing past 1960's normally. I don't like his experimental stuff, but his traditional stuff is so mind-blowingly great I just listen to that and nothing else. I am a traditionalist however, I think some things don't need to be fused and by 2024 fusion is getting pretty old in my opinion.
Just to clarify . . . Y’all just now listening to Billy Strings for the first time?
@@lawyerboysk8er I agree. They sound dumb
Look up his performance of “meet me at the creek” on root city musics channel. He’s runnin around and head banging and the audience is a bunch of older folks who give him a standing ovation
Thanks for spreading the gospel of Billy a little further. He's freaking amazing!
The dust in a baggie video from the living room
and the Turmoil and tinfoil video with the band from that music city roots
those 2 got me hooked a few years back, he really does have all 3
Same! Those red glasses haha
As a long, long time blue grass fan, but also not a Bluegrass insider, this is how I view it. Billy strings is ABSOLUTELY steeped in the tradition. He totally has the whole depth , and breadth of bluegrass as well as broader country and folk rock, and southern rock etc. AND he can absolutely play bluegrass flat picked, straight up clean picking every not with the best of them. To get a flavor of that look up videos of Billy giving seminars on his biggest musical influence Doc Watson. Early on in his performances Billy really took pains to play a few bluegrass standards in a very traditional manner and JUST COMPLETLEY SLAY it on guitar and vocals. Look for videos of his singing "Freeborn Man."
So like you discussed around the 7 minute mark, Billy proved he belongs in the tradition, and then bends it.
Not all bluegrass fans love him but when you see his live shows you find fans of all ages and many, many bluegrass fans over 60 years old love him. They know he loves, respects and knows the traditions and he uses the tradition is new ways.
Finally what you are observing is that the distance between bluegrass and Heavy Metal isn't really all that far.
And "Number Not a Name" is a bluegrass / country stand by line... it's been in 20 or more hit songs.
I started learning guitar about a year ago now, 6 months ago I started to get into Bluegrass a lot and fell in love. Now I keep going to deeper in that rabbit hole. Billy was a gateway for me into that world.
Same brother. Don’t look up Stevie Ray Vaughan or you’ll do the same thing again 😂
Most bluegrass players love Billy. He can and will often do his own thing and we can appreciate it for what it is. But he also devotes a lot of his career to tradition. It’s becoming more prevalent in his recordings but his live shows have almost always included the standards played with immaculate attention to tradition.
It should also be noted that there has been a lot of NEW in bluegrass throughout the years.
The 50s and 60s saw a lot of the folk scene intertwine. David Grisman and Tony Rice brought in the concept of Jazz in the 70’s and they have bled into most lead parts since. The grateful dead brought in brought in a huge jam band aesthetics. Highly recommend you check out a video done by lessons with marcel highlighting the history.
Granted it hasnt seem the radical changes that rock music has from bill haley to the modern era, but its changed A LOT.
Billy Strings is a new thing, a crossover of bluegrass and metal. Not just rock and roll but metal. Sure his earlier material was more bluegrass but he is finding a way now and it is pretty magical. I still think away from the mire is the best song of the last decade, musically and lyrically.
Y’all are lateeeee… but better late than never! Bluegrass has changed my life in the best way possible. Glad y’all dig billy. He my favorite for sure!
@@codygregory1999 that’s a hell of a comment my man!
those old raggedy guys are Don Julin, who literally wrote the book on mandolin, and Kevin Gills, who is so bad ass he shows up to this dumb gig wearing a 12 year old hockey shirt with a good old hole in it.
As far as the traditional bluegrass thing goes, a lot of bands have used bluegrass as a base while adding other genres and styles.
Hot Rize and New Grass Revival helped to start it.
Bela Fleck solo.
Then it was bands like Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, and The String Cheese Incident.
Then, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Devil Makes Three, and Sweet Sunny South.
So much amazing music in those names.
I think the difference with Billy Strings is that he, and almost all the members of his band (exception being Royal Masat on base) are absolutely steeped from birth in Bluegrass. They can absolutely play straight bluegrass with any band anytime and weave in all kinds of nuances that serious bluegrass fans will catch. Billy Strings (solo and band) could have a top tier career as a straight bluegrass band. That isn't as true of the other bands. They can play bluegrass decently, but they don't have the depth, they aren't pickled in it. THEN Billy is a freaking absolute genius and writes songs, knows how to run a band, is a spectacular human being, and he is blowing it up - but any day, any time he can grab a guitar or a banjo and go on stage with the best bluegrass musicians in the business.
Live Billy! This, admittedly, isn't a strong video for "guitar reaction", it's old and doesn't really show off Billy's chops. His abilities get better daily and they're live performances as of late are somethinf special. A better example might be one of the videos posted by his account for his "Live" album. Several great options, specifically Aeay from the Mire or Turmoil & Tinfoil.
Fireline, Highway, Heartbeat are all other great options. This album, as a whole, is a great look into what Billy and his band are doing with music today.
Chris Thile is on that list. Guy is a monster in all ways
For an "elite" I would put Jason Isbell in that category. His guitar playing is usually ignored since most of his more famous songs are his acoustic ballads, but check out his latest live release from the Ryman. ua-cam.com/video/vUqoLcmq5f8/v-deo.html
An oldie but a goodie
Billy is respected by all musos
Bela Fleck is how I found Billy.
Musos?.... That's definitely a new term. I'm going to use that from now on! Thanks haha
@@huliniswhoiam I guess that's an Aussie term 😂
I turned 50 this year, and I'm still wearing my one inch gauge. Back then, when I started, I liked the pain the stretching caused. Now, I am so used to it that I can't spend an hour without it without feeling weird :)
Lol. Dark bluegrass is about alcohol. Sure, but it was also about death. Really though, Sierra Hull is amazing. Also Billy is taking Doc Watson and mixing it with Grateful Dead.
Yea there is quite a lot of death in bluegrass songs haha. Banks of the Ohio, Long Black Veil to name a couple.
Quick question, is Sean living in Canada now, or does he just fly over to listen to music with Sammy?
billy was taught bluegrass/county by his father Terry. Then he turned to Metal and back to bluegrass/dead head and pulls it off. He plays with the Phish boys all the time and with the dead cover boys. And he can flat pick with the best of em.
Bluegrass is simple?? LMAO
I think he just chose the wrong word or didn’t specify. He didn’t mean playing bluegrass is simple. He meant that the idiom is simple. And maybe rigid is a better word. The bluegrass idiom, like with blues, is in fact fairly rigid: often just 3 chords, often just a I, IV, and V and, as mentioned, maybe a dominant 7 chord.
In fact he corrects course almost immediately and says that it’s very hard to play 8:01
Did you hear his thoughts on it ?he explains what he meant..
I love Billy. I've seen him a few times. He and his band are insanely talented.🔥👍🏼
There has been a modern bluegrass that started in the '90's. It kinda started with the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. Allison Kraus and Union Station, who sang a majority of the songs in that movie, is considered the influencers in that movement. It is associated more with Folk more than country. The '60s folk singers are considered the ancestor. Even though it is directly ascended from Bill Monroe Earl Scruggs you will find a lot of modern Bluegrass performers were heavily influenced by The Grateful Dead; Peter, Paul, and Mary; and Bob Dylan. Today's Bluegrass has a lot of variety and a lot of the artists often cross into different genres. Because of that it has now been labeled as Americana. Billy Strings actually considers his music to be Psychedelic Bluegrass. Another bluegrass guitarist to check out is Molly Tuttle. She is unbelievable as well, and more of a traditional bluegrass player. Molly Tuttle and the Golden Highway have won the Grammy 2 years in a row for Bluegrass Album of the Year with the albums Crooked Tree and Into the Wild. If you want to really see something truly amazing, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle have many youtube videos on stage together. They have distinctly different playing styles, but on stage together, they are fire!!!!
Fantastic review of Billy "Billy Lobes" Strings. You guys are awesome
Bluegrass was born in Rosine KY the credit for bringing it to the world was Bill Monroe and his brother Charlie and blue grass can be original or classic it is pure folk music and the fans are awesome my Mom and DAD were born in Rosine KY and my Mom was a professional Banjo player come on down to the blue grass festival happens every year near Rosine KY
You have solid insight that definitely teaches and ehances my undestanding of Billy and his music.. but the rate and cadence at which you interject makes watching this very difficult.
Billy lobes!
There is a great video of Billy and his father in concert in his home town.
2:14 It the whole “Dylan went electric” sort of gatekeeping that the folk community did back then.
Billy is “Newgrass” (a.k.a. “Jamgrass”). Other Newgrass artists to check out: Yonder Mountain String Band, Greensky Bluegrass, and many others. Bluegrass has been undergoing a renaissance over the past few decades.
But Billy does both exceptionally well, so sometimes he does a straight, traditional bluegrass show if the occasion calls for it.
I don't even care for bluegrass but I'd listen to him play any time.
Sean is out of his element right now
watch away from the mire live or west dakota rose and you’ll see how traditional he is lmao watch some songs not from 10 years ago
make a new vid pt 2 and watch west dakota rose live, don’t think twice cover, tennessee stud cover and away from the mire live
If you think what he’s doing is new you should listen to Tony Rice - that’s where a lot of the jazzy dissonance flavor comes from
gotta listen to Turmoil and Tinfoil and other jammy electric guitar stuff, or live Wargasm
He just did a song with Willie Nelson and Charlie Starr of BlackBerry Smoke. He won a Grammy for best Bluegrass album. And he would of done the Dead and Co. gig John Mayer did but he’s to big a songwriter now and has a killer band.it’s “3 chords and the truth” is the quote about country music your looking for.
You should check out Bryan Sutton who is currently giving Billy lessons. He’s a real goat. Also, watch the videos of Aubrey King doing Billy breaks with one finger. ONE FINGER. He’s just a random UA-camr.
The Guy he wrote the song about was a bluegrass player himself.but what Billy does isn't that rare in bluegrass but people know Billy.
Going to my third and fourth Billy show of the year in a few weeks.
BMFS!
Good stuff 🤙👍
Billy is respected by everyone because of his talent and the fact that he’s paid his dues in traditional bluegrass. And yes Billy can get “out there” but everybody in bluegrass has experimented and gotten “weird.” Flatt and Scruggs (the most famous bluegrass band of all time) broke up because Earl Scruggs was getting into playing with saxophone players and Lester Flatt hated the fact that is was not traditional. Tony Rice (the greatest bluegrass guitar player of all time) spent years diving into jazz and blues then came back and reinvented the acoustic guitar in bluegrass. That being said, Billy’s weird stuff isn’t played in bluegrass circles. Not really. Because it isn’t the familiar sound of home that bluegrass has defined itself as. But obviously he’s got some audience. I think it’s a lot like how Post Malone has country fans and rap fans and his music is very distinctly rap and very distinctly country. Like he’s created these boundaries. I think Billy has created boundaries between his experimental stuff and his traditional stuff,
He's using more than 3 chords...you have to count the 7th's as chords or as I call then transition chords.
Never heard of murder ballads? Lots of bluegrass has very dark subject matter.
I recommend Trey Hensley, easily as great a player as Billy and his voice is amazing too
Mark knopfler had all 3 guitar singing and songwriting... At the top level...
You forgot to mention Warren Haynes, sings, writes, plays and is just a genuine person to top it off.
You all should do your research before you come on here saying incorrect things about Billy. He has hardcore fans that would die for him, me being one of them. Yes his dad taught him to play bluegrass and he did use to be a rocker. He loves metal
Very quickly becoming one of the worst fanbases.
@@AMPR45 I must’ve missed them saying something negative because I think they were all very neutral and this comment sounded like they were talking smack about him.
Bro says they should do their research then proceeds to point out two things they said that were totally on point.
Deep breaths man
We are all lucky is name isn't Billy Nukes.
No love for Chris Thilie on the elite triple threat list?
Ya’ll should check out Sierra Hull
There's this thing g called a flow. If you watch 10 seconds at a time it doesn't come across
Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, A.J. Lee, and The Brothers Comatose best in the bussiness.
While listening to this I couldn't help but think that the Benny Hill theme would sound great on banjo
You mentioned Sturgill Simpson. Please do a video about Sturgill, I love that guy
That's not it though, Sierra Hull...Infamous String Dusters, Kitchen Dwellers, Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon...
I’m not on social media other than UA-cam but I think these reaction videos are the dumbest form of self gratification that exist
Who cares?
Or who actually actually cares*
John Mayer and Madison Cunningham definitely belong to the 3 talents club as well
These folks have no clue about Billy Strings or where he got the name Billy Strings, or that he fetches $500k per concert, or his concerts are sold out for the remainder of 2024, and 2025 is selling as we're writing this. Go watch his concert 2 days 4 sets from 0ct. 04, 05, 2024 from Clarksdale Michigan on UA-cam. He's a post modern Era LEGEND.
ua-cam.com/video/LPF9DjSasVk/v-deo.htmlsi=5F9t1wwCXs7mKNxy
I don't think these folks are selling out arenas and putting on the best live show on the planet. Billy is the Goat.
Dude on the right in the purple shirt is a dork..
jim mesi
the italian chainsaw
listen to Sierra Hull;s Mad world too
We're the guitarists in a coma the past 6 years?
👽
Mark Knopfler for best singer, song writer and guitar player!
Prince definitely has all three I gotta agree to disagree with that one
As a traditional bluegrass fan, and I mean traditional, nothing past 1960's normally. I don't like his experimental stuff, but his traditional stuff is so mind-blowingly great I just listen to that and nothing else. I am a traditionalist however, I think some things don't need to be fused and by 2024 fusion is getting pretty old in my opinion.
that is a well balanced comment.
These guys know little about Bluegrass or it's history or direction.
Tori Amos is in that list.
how are you going to make a vid on billy and only review 1 song from years ago? F
Some brutal commentary from the left person man. Metal and bluegrass picking are totally different. Bluegrass is also not country man ahhhhh
The version of the song he played at the Grand Ole Opry is a better one than this one
Dude listen….I can promise you, if you watch Trey Hensley, you WILL be blown away. I’d put Trey above Billy in bluegrass picking.
Yes. And at least a tie with singing.
Billy Strings is the best Guitarist and song writer out there. He is definitely better than all you UA-cam wanna be Guitarist
Billy was a grasshole until greensky taught him to jam
Woof. Y’all are annoying.