Founding member of the Grateful Dead and local resident Bob Weir recently re-opened the landmark roots venue the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA. As part of the opening month’s line-up Greensky Bluegrass stopped through on the West Coast leg of their tour for a sold-out show. Hailing from Kalamazoo, MI the newgrass rockers seem to be on a non-stop tour in support of their recent release, Handguns. With shining vocal harmonies and incredible picking skills the band has the ability to play a familiar track and take it outside the musical boundaries you thought possible and then bring it right back.
Opening the second set, guitarist and vocalist Dave Bruzza led the band through a twangified version of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” The next cover of the evening featured mandolinist and vocalist Paul Hoffman laying down a smoking, rootsy, funky take on Traffic’s 1971 track “Light Up or Leave Me Alone.” Jam out to the video cuts below and check back soon to hear Greensky Bluegrass doing a full set of ’80s covers!
Greensky Bluegrass – Light Up or Leave Me Alone (Traffic cover)
Greensky Bluegrass – When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bob Dylan cover)
Get more info on Greensky Bluegrass on their website.
Great band. i wish i got to see them out in the Bay Area. i’ve seen these guys all over the country and they kill it. one of my favorite covers they do is the “Time > Breathe” by Pink Floyd off of Dark Side of the Moon — who knew Floyd could sound so good in bluegrass mode…and they do some Hendrix, Grand Funk Railroad, Talking Heads, there’s nothing this band can’t do!