FROM THE VAULT: Billy Strings
A Look Back at Our 2021 Feature, Euro Tour Recaps, Bluegrass Vinyl, & More
Relix Daily
October 13, 2025
October 13, 2025
FEATURE
Billy Strings is flabbergasted. That’s the word he uses to describe his state of mind on a Monday afternoon in March less than 24 hours after his record Home received a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
The nomination itself had taken him by surprise when he first learned of it four months earlier. Strings recalls, “I was playing my guitar and I heard my girlfriend [and tour manager, Ally Dale] holler from downstairs. She screamed real loud and I was like, ‘Did you cut yourself or something?’ Then she ran upstairs, gave me a big hug and told me: ‘Y’all got nominated for a Grammy.’ I couldn’t even believe that.”
After winning an award for what is only his second full-length studio effort, the 28-year-old guitarist is caught up in a whirlwind of congratulations. He’s already heard from three of his heroes: Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Béla Fleck. The litany of well-wishers also includes the friends he’s made on the road, at home in Nashville and during his childhood in rural Michigan. (“People I’ve known from high school, middle school, even the elementary school playground in third grade hit me up,” he says.)
RECAP
On Wednesday evening, Billy Strings began his second night at the TivoliVrendenburg venue in Utrecht, Netherlands, with “Leaning on a Travelin’ Song.” The concert opener and Highway Prayers’ original evoked a sense of the band’s own journey and current European feat while abroad and away from home. The evening’s content continued with a cover of “John Deere Tractor,” a feature of the frontman’s duo collection with his dad, Terry Barber, Me/ And/ Dad, which ultimately carved a pathway for the five-piece, who ricocheted between covers and originals, demonstrating their comfort level while positioning their songs beside the greats.
On August 29, 2025, Shadowgrass lit up Garcia’s Chicago, and now that magic spins on vinyl. Shadowgrass - The Relix Session is a limited 2-LP journey through bluegrass standards, originals, and Dead classics.
From the stomp of “Mr. Charlie” to the 20-minute ride of “Reuben’s Train” and a soaring “Fire on the Mountain,” the energy is pure and unrelenting. Featuring Kyser George, Clay Russell, Luke & Madison Morris, and Evan Campfield, this second Relix Session from Garcia’s Chicago captures a band blending tradition with their own bold voice.
NEWS
On Tuesday evening, Billy Strings disclosed details about his imminent Halloween concert, set for Friday, October 31, 2025, at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore. Keeping with tradition, the event will lean into theatrics, only this time, the ensemble will evoke a Universal Monsters theme, titled “Meet Me at the Crypt,” as a nod to the band’s Turmoil & Tinfoil classic, “Meet Me at the Creek.” Special guests, including members of Leftover Salmon and more, have also been added to the bill.
On rotation in our office and broadcasting to readers worldwide on Spotify. Stay tuned for updates every Friday, and send anything you think we have to hear to [email protected].
DelFest’s bluegrass heart meets the Grateful Dead songbook on DelFest Does Dead, a live 2-LP vinyl featuring 10 interpretations captured across DelFest 2025 (May 22–25, 2025), in Cumberland, MD.
Festival favorites bring their own pulse and picking to Dead staples: Del McCoury Band, The Travelin’ McCourys, Leftover Salmon, Kitchen Dwellers, Darrell Scott, Sister Sadie, Railroad Earth, Mountain Grass Unit, Clay Street Unit, and The Price Sisters.
RECAP
On Friday, October 3, Billy Strings arrived in Oslo, Norway, for the first stop on his European Fall Tour 2025. The musician and his band’s latest stint in the region followed previous runs, including late-year appearances in 2022 and 2023, which once again validated the bluegrass troupes’ international appeal. Their latest return coincided with the bandleader’s birthday, which was celebrated during the onset of the evening, preluding the night’s extensive roster of returns–songs that had not been played in a year or longer.
NEWS
The biggest night in bluegrass, IBMA’s Bluegrass Music Awards, has resulted in Billy Strings’ fourth title as Entertainer of the Year. The coveted status resumes the musician’s previous three-peat reign, tied to wins in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The ceremony took place last night at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, Tenn., led by co-hosts and musical partners Steve Martin and Alison Brown.
