Perennial Bluegrass favorites Greensky Bluegrass have joined forces with Todd Sheaffer of Railroad Earth for an inspiring one-week tour in December. With dates spanning the mid-west and up through the northeast, this is one tour that will go down in the Americana history books.
Greensky Bluegrass is one of the most exciting bands in today’s music scene. Since winning the 2006 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Contest, Greensky has been touring the country consistently with over 170 shows a year and many sold out performances along the way. In a very short time the band has performed with the likes of Tony Rice, Peter Rowan, Sum Bush, Yonder Mountain String Band and Railroad Earth along with the stages at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Rothbury and more. Add in the talents of Todd Sheaffer from Railroad Earth and you have one of the most well-rounded set of performers on stage today. Known for his soulful vocal delivery and song-writing skills, Sheaffer brings more then just another acoustic guitar to the stage – together the combined talent and creativity is bound to also bring many surprises to the tour as well.
On any given night, in addition to the myriad of original songs, one might hear traditional bluegrass songs with an exploratory rock and roll jam or selections from the Talking Heads, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead or Bob Marley turned bluegrass. “We are as likely to play a three minute song as we are a ten minute song on any given night”, says dobro player Anders Beck, “and I think that keeps it exciting for the audience”.
This is not the first collaboration between Greensky Bluegrass and Railroad Earth. Greensky Bluegrass is currently on tour in support of their recently released fourth album, Five Interstates, which was produced by Tim Carbone, also of Railroad Earth. Their strongest album to date, the twelve track journey features 11 original tracks and one traditional bluegrass song (a nod to the deceased King of Bluegrass, Jimmy Martin). Carbone notes on the package: “Five Interstates came together like five lives intertwined, the intersection of a lifetime frozen in precious time and preserved in a digital tableau. I’m blessed…We’re all blessed to be witness to a band ascending as true as an arrow shot to the sky.”
Greensky Bluegrass and Todd Sheaffer will be on tour for the following dates in December. For more information check out: www.greenskybluegrass.com and www.railroadearth.com
ON TOUR:
12/1 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
12/2 Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant
12/3 Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theatre
12/4 Bridgeport, CT – The Field
12/5 Teaneck, NJ – Mexicali Live
12/6 Annapolis, MA – Rams Head Tavern (early show)
12/6 Vienna, VI – Jammin’ Java
