Strings, Billy

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

	Live Vol. 1 New - LP - 093624854395 Sealed 2024 2LP gatefold original pressed on 180gm standard black vinyl. Custom hype sticker on shrink. "Buying time while he's squirreled away in the studio working on his major-label debut with Jon Brion, Billy Strings released Live, Vol. 1, a double-LP culled from shows recorded between April 2023 and March 2024. "Dust in a Baggie" gets things off to a brisk start but don't worry, Strings takes more than enough time to jam. "Fire Line>Reuben's Train" and "Turmoil & Tinfoil" hover around the 20-minute mark, the closing "Highway Hypnosis" stretches out to nearly 16 minutes, three minutes shy of the final length of "Away from the Mire," while "Heartbeat of America" comes to a close at ten minutes. The swift picking of "Hellbender" and "Dos Banjos" acts something like a palette cleanser after these jams, but those extended improvisations are where the pleasure of Live, Vol. 1 lies: It's all about the journey, not the destination." All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine more
	Me / And / Dad New - LP - 1166101799 Sealed 2022 Limited edition Red vinyl pressing (per stickered barcode); Exclusive to String's own webstore. "After 2019's Grammy-winning breakout, Home, and its similarly progressive follow-up Renewal, Billy Strings offers up a more traditional bluegrass set that is just as satisfying and ultimately more poignant than its predecessors. Part origin story, part tribute, Me/And/Dad is a family affair, recorded in partnership with his stepfather, singer/guitarist Terry Barber. The Michigan-via-Nashville string wizard regularly cites Barber as his inspiration to become the artist he is today. Following the death of Strings' birth father at a young age, Barber stepped in and the two formed a close familial bond that blossomed into a shared love of music, bluegrass in particular. Barber gave Strings his first guitar and steeped his childhood in picking sessions and string band standards. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and Strings is now working at the top of his game, stretching the boundaries of the genre that made him. On this charming set, he parlays his forward momentum into helping realize a long-held dream of making a father-and-son record. Backed by a veteran crew at Nashville's Sound Emporium, the duo charge gamely through a repertoire of classic cuts, trading licks, harmonies, and lead vocals. The familiarity and camaraderie between the two are a big part of the album's appeal, though Barber's rougher-than-Doc Watson vocals have plenty of charm on their own. Even instrumental cuts like the "Peartree" and "Frosty Morn" have an earthy magnetism to them. With veteran players like fiddler Michael Cleveland and brothers Rob (banjo) and Ron McCoury (mandolin), there's an easy confidence to the sessions that makes its way onto tape. It's solid all the way through and punctuated at the end by a lovely rendition of "I Heard My Mother Weeping," sung in harmony by Barber and Strings' mother, Debra Apostol. Three albums into a burgeoning career, Strings could go anywhere at this point, but the mix of time-honored songs, heartfelt nature, and great playing really anchors this return-to-roots set." All Music Guide – Timothy Monger more
	Turmoil & Tinfoil Colored Vinyl - New - ARC-0001-22 Sealed 2022 limited edition 2LP 5th Anniversary reissue. Pressed on transparent Sea Foam Blue vinyl. more