This week was supposed to bring us three nights of Billy Strings at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater. Well … you know the rest.

For folks who originally purchased those tickets online, they were automatically refunded upon cancellation. Refunds for tickets purchased at either Redix locations became available on July 12.

While there’s no word yet on when Strings and other 2020 acts will be rebooked for ILM, we thought we’d highlight the ‘grassy singer-songwriter this week.

encore first saw Billy Strings on the live stage back at MerleFest 2016. Picking alongside his dad, Terry Barber, and friends it was just as easy then to get lost in his energetic presence and guitar playing.

 

 

Strings’ second album “Home” (2019) with Rounder Records embodies the innovative and modern bluegrass sounds which have drawn fans for years. And while he has credited bluegrass for his learning how to play music, it was playing in a metal band that taught him something about performance. “Home,” he has said, marks a new certain stage life, music and songwriting.

“I’m starting to feel at home in my life,” Strings wrote in a release. “I know that’s kind of a vague statement but I feel like I’m starting to feel at home in my career, in my relationship with my life partner, all those things. I feel like I’m settling in and starting to actually be content here.”

 

In lieu of Billy Strings’ 2020 live tour, which would have brought him here to GLA, he launched Streaming Strings back in July 2020—raising a total of $10,000 for charity partners ACLU, Backline and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Additionally, $2,600 was donated to the IBMA Trust Fund and Michigan Music Alliance.

Visit billystrings.com for future tour dates, livestreams and more.

It’s also worth noting that MerleFest will return for a special fall weekend, September 16-19, in 2021 before returning to April in 2022. MerleFest’s initial 2021 lineup is coming soon.