Billy Strings is the guitar god of the decade

Billy Strings is a man of many talents: a preternaturally talented guitarist, a soulful singer, a thoughtful performer, a skilled songwriter, a charismatic stage presence. But his greatest achievement yet might be convincing Marc Maron not to talk about him.

The 31-year-old bluegrass phenom appeared on WTF with Marc Maron in May, and it's honestly one of the most entertaining podcast episodes I've heard all year. For about 90 minutes, Strings tells his life story, which has already become an integral part of the Grammy winner's myth. He talks about growing up in rural Michigan as William Lee Apostol, a child who started playing guitar practically from the womb in the middle of a run-down trailer park when his parents succumbed to drug abuse. He describes the musical training he received from his stepfather (and future collaborator) Terry Barber, who raised him to listen to both country pickers (Doc Watson and David Grisman) and classic rock greats (Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath). treasure. Billy is charmingly reserved and, with understated humor, expresses a wealth of musical knowledge that goes beyond his years. He is so engaged that Maron momentarily forgets to turn the conversation back to himself, as is his habit, and instead listens intently.

In the final third of the episode, Strings reveals a crucial turning point in his career: meeting veteran mandolinist Don Julin, who played with the much younger Strings on his early records. Julin is a respected musician and author with a long resume dating back to the 1980s. Strings credits him with teaching him how to be a professional musician. “When I was in middle school, I thought I was going to be a 'Jimi Hendrix' guy. “I quickly realized that wasn’t reality,” says Billy. “What he showed me was that you might not be a guitar god, but you could make a living.”

The irony is that Billy Strings – judging by the reverence he commands from a large and growing audience of fanatical admirers – is essentially Is a guitar god at the moment. He is The Guitar god, indeed. Given that the culture today is generally agnostic when it comes to six-stringed deities, the profoundness of this achievement cannot be overstated. This is simply not an era where guitarists are known for playing with extreme speed, power, clarity and agility. And yet that's exactly what Billy Strings did. He's so good at playing guitar that he can call himself “Billy Strings” without looking stupid. He can play guitar so well that “Billy Strings” might as well be a nickname set in stone, passed down straight from the Guitar Center store in heaven.

I am a recent convert to the Church of Billy. Until recently, I was aware of his music, respected his obvious skill, but was mostly non-committal. This was due to my general indifference to bluegrass music and the jam-grass wing of the jam band world. I don't dislike bluegrass; As a person with a beating heart and tapping toes, I can enjoy Flatt & Scruggs or Bill Monroe as much as any person wearing cowboy boots. But I'm usually full after about 20 minutes. My ears are just exhausted from all the frantic banjo running and fiddles… fiddle'. (Also – apologies in advance to any traditionalists out there – I love drums in my music and miss them when they're not there.) I once wrote about the concept of “Jam Ears” to describe how to can get used to listening to 20 minute improvisations and actually enjoy them. You could say I wasn’t equipped with strong “bluegrass ears.”

That started to change in July with the release of Live Vol. 1the Strings' first “official” concert album. (Scores of Billy Strings' live recordings are also available on Nugs.net, not to mention the audience recordings released for free on Live Archive.) Sometimes, when the right recording clicks in your head, it can unlock the rest of an artist's work . That's what Live Vol. 1 made for me with Billy Strings. On his studio albums, Strings deals with psychedelia, but mostly sticks to concise songs and orderly arrangements. But continue Live Vol. 1he goes full Deadhead and already brings expansive numbers like “Away From The Mire” and “Heartbeat Of America” into the hackneyed “Dark Star” zone. He also uses effects pedals to wring acid-soaked electric solos from his otherwise crisp acoustic guitar. These lines are exploratory, fascinating and often surprising. But above all, it is the combination of physicality, energy, precision and curiosity that is fascinating. Strings leaves itself open to discovery in the moment in a way that feels neither self-indulgent nor boring. He may not know exactly where he wants to go, but his success rate in discovering musical gold is very high.

To WTFStrings says his early bluegrass attempts amounted to him trying Hendrix-style leads against an old-fashioned musical landscape. He had to get over it, he says, although some of that sentiment is (thankfully) still there Live Vol. 1. (His excellent backing band, particularly mandolinist Jarrod Walker and fiddler Alex Hargreaves, must also be commended for keeping up with Billy and keeping him grounded.)

For me, Live Vol. 1 is Exhibit A that Billy Strings is a generational talent. After listening to this record I became hopelessly overwhelmed.

But like the guitar gods before him, Billy Strings wants to be known for more than just enthusiastic, exploratory, mesmerizing and often surprising solos. He also cares about albums that work as albums and not just as a supplement to the live show. Admittedly, he tends to downplay his groundbreaking leads and instead focus on his “singer-songwriter” side. This is especially true for Highway Prayershis 20-song major label debut is out today.

Given the jam-heavy Live Vol. 1, Highway Prayers feels like a code switch, with Strings deftly transitioning from his weirdest music on the album to his most carefully considered. A key to Billy Strings' popularity is that it's a musical Rorschach test – it appeals to Americana lovers, bluegrass purists and jam band sceners alike, but often in ways that don't necessarily overlap. His music is big enough that people can take what they want from it and ignore the rest.

Highway Prayers is a record that was primarily made for the jam-averse part of the Billy community. Even compared to previous efforts like those in 2019 Home and 2021 renewal“Highway Prayers,” which occasionally allowed for lysergic instrumental passages, mostly stays true to a back-porch folk-country tradition. (The exceptions are two prog-grass instrumentals, “Malfunction Junction” and “Seney Stretch,” and the two-part mind-melter “Stratosphere Blues/I Believe In You.”) As the album title suggests, Strings' touring schedule has him extensive inspired to write about life on the street. Sometimes he reflects on his existence as a sought-after budding superstar musician (the thoughtful “Gone A Long Time”), but he's just as likely to do a good time number about fast cars and the small-town low-wells that drive them (“Leadfoot” , in which Billy plays guitar, banjo, bass, Ebow electric guitar and a “1972 Chevrolet Chevelle”).

Highway Prayers was co-produced by Jon Brion, a legend of the LA music scene best known for his sonically adventurous work on albums by Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann and Rufus Wainwright. Therefore it is surprising Highway Prayers usually sounds straightforward and unadorned. (The most eccentric production occurs on the pro-weed-drawr “MORBUD4M3,” where the rhythm section consists of lighter moves and bong gurgles.) The idea was apparently to have Billy with his band and some A-list session players – including drummer Matt Chamberlain, pianist Cory Henry and Dobro master Jerry Douglas – and let the songs shine.

And for the most part, that's a smart strategy. As a songwriter, Strings is similar to the rock-solid craftsmen who scored numerous AM radio hits in the '70s, artists like Gordon Lightfoot and John Denver, who could combine traditional sounds with catchy song structures and unforgettable acoustic guitar hooks. In this mode, Strings moves with ease from dusty strummers like the murder ballad “My Alice” to smart pop-country like “Don't Be Calling Me (At 4 AM).” For these songs, Strings leans on his most underrated attribute: his voice. It has the natural, inherent courage that all Michigan singers seem to have. (I hear traces of Bob Seger, with 75 percent less gravelly voice.) While you can feel the speed of his fingers every time he touches his axe, Billy's vocals always sound relaxed and conversational. It's a disarming instrument, as calming as his guitar is incendiary.

Speaking of incendiary guitar playing: I wish Highway Prayers had more of it. I can understand that my gods don't always want to conjure up their flashiest displays of fire and brimstone. But Highway PrayersFor all its strengths, it doesn't have the same ability to kick your butt Live Vol. 1. The music is relaxed, and that fits with the mostly contented vibe of the lyrics, which don't reflect Strings' checkered past as much as his earlier records. After all, Billy's gift seems pretty darn good. The first track finds him asking himself, “How long until I'm at peace again?” And then the rest of the act confirms that he is.

Which is great, of course. Billy Strings is an easy person to root for. And Highway Prayers should only strengthen his standing among the current generation of young, emerging Americana artists. As for me, I will continue to preach about it Live Vol. 1. It's exactly that kind of record – it has the ability to turn casual listeners into evangelists.