Fri 5/20 @ 7:30PM
Billy Strings, only 23 years old, is a triple threat on guitar, banjo and mandolin. Raised up on bluegrass in Michigan, he took to music early, displaying a kind of fingerpicking skill and affinity for traditional American folk music unusual in someone whose age was still in the single digits. He apparently went through a heavy metal period in his teens before returning to his earlier love.
He’s spent the past couple of years playing as a duo with noted 55-year-old Michigan mandolin player Don Julin, with a heavy cross-country touring schedule. (They performed twice in Cleveland last year, at Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s Happy Days Lodge and the Music Box Supper Club). Now he’s struck out on his own, moved to Nashville and stretched out, infusing some of that heavy metal spirit and energy into traditional country/folk/bluegrass.
He’ll be back in northeast Ohio at the Riverdog Barn in Lorain County. with his new Nashville band to show fans where he’s going next. The opening act, Front Porch, is a quartet of Oberlin professors who have been playing traditional mountain folks songs and old-time music since 2003. It’s a $15 donation at the gate; $5 for students; 12 and under free. Bring your own food and beverages. Parking reservations are strongly encouraged.
Wakeman, OH 44889