Billy Strings is a stewpot of bluegrass, rock, metal, and country. While he primarily plays bluegrass and has won two Grammys in the genre, he dips into many buckets of music at his live shows. His versatility is further proven by the endless list of artists he’s worked with, such as Willie Nelson, David Grisman, Ringo Starr, Bob Weir, Phish, and Tool. Strings’ 2016 debut self-titled EP featured both original songs and traditional songs. It would contain some of his most played songs, including “Dust In A Baggie,” “Slow Train,” and “Thirst Multilator.” Billy Strings gives listeners a look into the bluegrass origins of jam bands while maintaining a fresh, contemporary sound and putting his touch into each new performance of songs, some of which have been passed down for generations. This puts Strings into the “jamgrass” genre rather than jam band proper.

Along with traditional bluegrass covers, Strings has also played songs by the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, and The Beatles. Strings has released four studio albums, two EPs, and two live albums. While he only has two live albums, Live At The Legion, where Strings plays alongside Bryan Sutton. The album contains covers of country, folk, and bluegrass songs in more bite-sized pieces, with the longest track being just shy of seven minutes long. While it doesn’t necessarily highlight Strings’ improvisational skills and some of his other performances, it does feature some songs that segue into each other, and it is still a phenomenal album. The duo’s take of “Nashville Blues” shows the beauty of Strings’ voice, and the harmonies with Sutton add an extra lovely layer to the song. They also cover Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” in a quicker, more refreshing take that has a lot more guitar fills from Strings than on Dylan’s version.

As for his first live album, Live Vol. 1, it is much more than packed with proof of his jam capabilities, with a 13-minute “Away From the Mire,” which is probably my favorite song on the album, a 19-minute “Fire Line>Rueben’s Train,” and a 21-minute “Turmoil & Tinfoil.” I’ve been left with a need for more volumes of these albums or to see him live myself. In 2023, Strings also released a live single leading up to the album. The single would show that he, without a doubt, was going to be something big with the live album. The single was a 38-minute jam of “Meet Me At The Creek/Pyramid Country/Must Be Seven/Meet Me At The Creek” from March 4, 2023, at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, NC.

Billy Strings, like many other modern jam bands, brings new life into jam bands while reminding listeners of its bluegrass roots, all while simultaneously mixing in all sorts of other genres. Strings, and his career are still young, at 32 with his debut EP that came out in 2016, there is a lot ahead for Strings, and he has wrangled up a loyal fanbase who is just as excited to see what is next. If you want to listen to more than what has been released so far from Strings in terms of streaming, a simple YouTube search will bring some great results, or you can check out Nugs.net, where you can get audio from most of his shows. You can also catch him live on tour. Right now, he is serving as a part of the Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and other artists as well. He’ll be in Washington on May 22 (Spokane), 24 (Ridgefield), and 25 (Quincy).