Music: Greensky Bluegrass

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After thriving in its Michigan hometown’s supportive music scene, Greensky Bluegrass began to tour relentlessly, gradually becoming a big draw across the country with its distinctive brand of Jamgrass.

W

e often hear about things like the Punk revival and the endless offshoots it’s spawned. Or we find an article about the rebirth of Hip Hop and how its true culture never died. But what we don’t see or hear about quite as often is Bluegrass spinoffs like Midwestern Jamgrass. The reason, perhaps, is that many might beg the question — is that a thing? 

That offshoot does exist, and the five-man phenomenon Greensky Bluegrass stands at the forefront of the genre, representing the epitome of a band that paid its dues on a continuous stretch of highway to build a dream. 

Greensky began as a pickin’ session between guitarist Dave Bruzza and banjoist Michael Bont in the early 2000s. Soon joined by mandolin player Paul Hoffman, the trio developed its Bluegrass foundation as musicians together, drawing inspiration from the likes of Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, The Grateful Dead and Phish. The musicians spent their formative years unplugged, shredding at house parties and open mics. By the time Mike Devol, a former Classical cellist, started playing bass with the trio in 2004, the group had an album’s worth of original music ready. Read the full feature on Greensky Bluegrass here.