BILLY STRINGS IS SIMPLY ONE OF THE MOST exciting young guitarists in decades. His career has exploded over the last couple of years, as he and his tight but loose trio of backing musicians have toured the country putting on remarkably dynamic shows that blow up anyone’s vision of stodgy bluegrass music.
Grounded in the traditional music, Strings, a 29-year-old from western Michigan whose real name is Billy Apostol, starts with bluegrass in his covers and most of his original music, before taking solos on wild flights of fancy, armed with a large pedal board and no fear of exploring any tone or realm of music, ably supported and egged on by his backing trio of Royal Massat (bass), Billy Failing (banjo) and Jarrod Walker (mandolin).
His approach to bluegrass and the stellar interaction of his band
