Photo credit: Joshua Black Wilkins
Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton have released a new collaborative album, Live at the Legion. The set, which measures 20 traditional bluegrass and folk tracks, was recorded on April 7, 2024, a year to the day of its release, at Nashville’s American Legion, Post 82. Paired with the arrival of new music is a series of intimate concerts featuring Strings, Sutton, and Royal Masat, slated for the fall.
Today’s presentation of new music delivers 20 tracks performed in stripped-down duo format by the bluegrass golden boy and acclaimed acoustic guitarist. Songs include the traditional North Carolina folk song “Tom Dooley,” covered by the Grateful Dead, Doc Watson, and others; Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” as well as the Civil War era, Garcia/ Grisman covered “Two Soldiers;” Watson’s “Way Downtown” and others.
Many of the songs selected to be included on the album are concert staples for Strings, who, in addition to performing his own original music, often leans heavily into covers, specifically from the traditional bluegrass canon. Strings’ loyalty to the greats is once again exhibited through his tireless understanding and deep admiration for bluegrass and folk music–giving laurels to those who came before him and informed his process.
Strings and Sutton have also announced a series of live performances supporting the material from Live at the Legion. The pair and bassist, Royal Masat, will commence the run over two nights at Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Museum’s Woodward Theatre in Owensboro, Ky., on Sept. 5 and 6. The ensemble will continue to the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts in Boone, N.C., before an evening at the Mother Church, The Ryman, on Sept. 14 and 15. The tour will close after an evening at The Signal in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Sept. 16.
Before Strings joins Sutton on the road, he will continue his landmark year with a series of gigs with his own band and a touring commitment on the annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour, hosted by Willie Nelson.
Tickets for the trio concerts will be available through a lottery. Requests for tickets are open now until April 21 at 2:00 p.m. ET. You can request tickets here: billystrings.com/LATL.
Live at the Legion is available on streaming sites and can be ordered on CD or vinyl here.
LIVE AT THE LEGION TRACKLIST
1. Nashville Blues
2. Tom Dooley
3. Little Darling Pal of Mine
4. Walk on Boy
5. Texas Gales
6. Cold, Cold World
7. Way Downtown
8. Randall Collins > Done Gone
9. Give Me Back My Fifteen Cents
10. Groundhog
11. Open Up Them Pearly Gates
12. Two Soldiers
13. Last Day At Gettysburg
14. Salt Creek > Big Sandy River
15. Travelin’ Man
16. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
17. Darling Corey
18. Mary Of The Wild Moor
19. Give The Fiddler A Dram > Whistling Rufus > Ragtime Annie
20. Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar
Content shared from relix.com.