If you go
› Where: Songbirds Guitar Museum, 35 Station St. (S), 41 Station St. (N)› More info: 423-531-2473BOY NAMED BANJO› When: 8 p.m. Thursday, April 18 (S)› Admission: $15WARD DAVIS› When: 7 p.m. Friday, April 19 (N)› Admission: $20THE VELCRO PYGMIES› When: 9 p.m. Friday, April 19 (S)› Admission: $15ERIN ENDERLIN› When: 7 p.m. Saturday, April 20 (N)› Admission: $12 in advance, $15 day of showTHE GRASS IS DEAD› When: 9 p.m. Saturday, April 20 (S)› Admission: $12 in advance, $15 day of show
The Grass Is Dead is a force of nature in bluegrass and Grateful Dead music.
The South Florida band has been performing bluegrass versions of the Grateful Dead since 1998. More than just paying tribute to the Dead, these pickers seamlessly weave bluegrass, blues, rock and funk into a unique concert experience.
The band brings its mash-up of bluegrass and Grateful Dead to Songbirds South on Saturday, April 20.
Pulling from influences such as Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, John Hartford, Allman Brothers Band and Pink Floyd, The Grass Is Dead has created a sound that pays homage to roots music and the songs of the Dead and Jerry Garcia, as well as exploring the psychedelic nature of music itself.
After many years of region gigs, the past three years has seen the Grass Is Dead aggressively touring nationally and sharing the stage with acts such as Del McCoury, Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon, The Jon Stickley Trio and Town Mountain.
"At the core of The Grateful Dead is the heart of American music, which is bluegrass and folk. You cannot hide behind these two genres. What you get in the studio is what you get onstage. It's that vulnerability and honesty that sets the tone and attitude apart from the haphazard and polished nature of pop radio," says Garret K. Woodward, music editor of The Smoky Mountain News.