Spend an evening with two great bands – Billy Strings and special guests Forlorn Strangers!
Whether sharing stages with acoustic music royalty, crisscrossing the nation playing as a solo artist or performing high-energy, jaw-dropping sets at festivals, the reaction to Billy Strings tends to come in two varieties: “Who is this guy?” and “That kid can play!” In 2016, he earned the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year Momentum Award for his guitar playing, and that’s just one of many accolades this young musician has earned. This year, when he’s not on the road, he’ll be in the studio working on his first full length LP. He has a slew of festival and tour dates already on his calendar this year, including support slots for Railroad Earth and The Infamous Stringdusters, a handful of dates as part of David Grisman Bluegrass Experience and much, much more. Don’t miss your chance to hear this exciting, one-of-a-kind musician right here in Raleigh with his new band featuring other talented young musicians: Billy Failing on banjo (graduate of Berklee School of Music, working on his own debut solo album); Asheville’s own Drew Matulich on mandolin, and Brad Tucker on double bass.
Roots-loving, Nashville-based, foot-stomping string quintet Forlorn Strangers is simultaneously innovative and steeped in the tradition of Americana-folk music.
Entertaining comparisons to an “Americana Fleetwood Mac,” Forlorn Strangers are comprised of five unique songwriters whose individual songwriting and performance styles complement one another to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The band’s deep connection lends strength to its unforgettable five-part harmonies featuring bandmembers Abigail Dempsey (fiddle, percussion, vocals); Hannah Leigh Lusk (mandolin, percussion, upright bass, vocals); Chris Banke (guitar, mandolin, vocals); Benjamin Lusk (banjo, guitar, vocals); and Jesse Thompson (upright bass, dobro, guitar, vocals).
Beyond a like-minded appreciation for roots music, family ties add to the band dynamic: Abigail and Hannah are sisters, and Hannah and Ben are married. The musicians’ magnetism and sheer talent shine brightest when they join forces on stage. They know the potential for music to bring people together, and they mine that potential every time they take the stage in order to create that mystical and intimate relationship between audience and performer. Each member is a multi-instrumentalist and a talented songwriter in his or her own right, making for eclectic and transformative live performances. With so many musical points of view converging, the lines between genres are regularly crossed. Blues, bluegrass, folk, rock, and pop songs are all found in the band’s repertoire, drawing inspiration from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, The Band, and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
