In the Summer of 2016, When GSB’s original bassist Nathan Elder moved to Virginia where his wife Angela took a teaching position at Virginia Tech and Nathan coaches the men’s row team, Derek Warren joined Grassland String Band.  In November 2016, he became a full-time member!

Stay tuned for more about Derek!

Jackie Dorsey, an Athens watercolor artist, has included GSB among her works now on exhibition at Hendershot’s Coffee House.  The exhibit is titled “Sound Check” and is Jackie’s tribute to many well known Athens musicians and her love for the town.

Among the featured artists are Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley of Drive-By Truckers,  Sam Burchfield, Wrenn, and Seth Hendershot.  The event was covered by Barbette Houser of Flagpole Magazine:

Jackie Dorsey’s ‘Sound Check’ Is an Ode to the Athens Music Scene

Grassland String Band is honored to be included!

Mountain Express, an Asheville arts and music publication, has named GSB a “Best Bet” heading into their September 16 show at the Pisgah Brewing Company (Black Mountain, NC).

Asheville is the “birthplace” of The Echo Mountain Sessions EP , recorded during a January snowstorm and released this past August 26th.

Read the full article here!  Mountain Express

“Diamond”, penned by Michael Lesousky, made it’s debut into The Alternate Root top ten Americana songs this week.  This is particularly exciting news for GSB ahead of the song’s official release on the The Echo Mountain Sessions EP August 26.

The Alternate Root “is a multi-media company dedicated to the development and advancement of American Roots music and the artists, composers and producers that that comprise the format. The American Roots format is a watering hole of traditional American music that draws from elements of folk, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel, jazz, ethnic and rock musical styles.”

In their words:  “Grassland String Band offers a cut from their recent release, The Echo Mountain Sessions. They strum campfire Country with a gentle Alt Country Gospel sway and rock’n’roll swagger as Grassland String Band digs through the dirt to uncover “Diamond”.

Grassland extends it’s appreciation to Danny McCloskey and the staff of Alternate Root for this thrilling honor!

GSB’s new EP, “The Echo Mountain Sessions”  will be released on Friday August 26^th surrounded by some of the busiest days the band has ever faced.

Recorded at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville back in January during an epic snowstorm, the album includes “American Flag” (previously released on the Athfest 2016 compilation CD), “Give Me A Reason”, “Boom Boom” and “Diamond”.  In advance of the release, the recording process is featured in a mini-documentary produced by Jake Gee, an Athens-based videographer.

The release of the album will be supported by GSB at four shows; August 23 at Madison, Georgia (outdoor concert); The Wildwood Festival kickoff show on August 25 at The Caledonia Lounge in Athens, Ga (with Darnell Boys, Radiolucent, Cicada Rhythm);  at EOP The Red Clay Music Foundry-Duluth, Ga on August 26 (with guest Grant Cowan); and at The Foundry-Athens on August 27 with Sam Burchfield and guest musician Chris Costigan on saxophone. On Sunday August 28, frontman Michael Lesousky performs a solo show at the World Famous to support his new album, “Deep Shade of Blue”.

In addition, the band is scheduled to appear on Atlanta’s NPR radio station WABE (90.1 FM) at noon on Friday August 26.

Fans can buy the album at all major music retailers, including iTunes and Amazon.

Flagpole Magazine, a highly acclaimed source for news, arts and music, has exclusively premiered “Diamond”, a single from GSB’s upcoming “Echo Mountain Sessions” EP.  Written by Michael Lesousky and recorded earlier this year at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, the EP is scheduled for release on August 26, 2016.

The track is one of four songs included on the album.  “American Flag”, previously released on the Athfest 2016 compilation CD, “Give Me A Reason” and “Boom Boom” join “Diamond”.  In advance of the release, the recording process is featured in a mini-documentary produced by Jake Gee, an Athens-based videographer.

The release of the album will be supported by GSB at three shows; The Wildwood Festival kickoff show on August 25 at The Caledonia Lounge in Athens, Ga (with Darnell Boys, Radiolucent, Cicada Rhythm);  at EOP The Red Clay Music Foundry-Duluth, Ga on August 26 (with guest Grant Cowan); and at The Foundry-Athens on August 27 with Sam Burchfield.

Fans can buy the album at all major music retailers, including iTunes and Amazon.

GSB will perform at Athfest 2016 on the main stage located at Pulaski Street, downtown Athens Georgia.  The performance is scheduled for Saturday June 25 from 2:15 -3:00.  Outdoor stage performances are free to the public.

One of the South’s biggest live music events,  Athfest boasts 100+ bands and musicians.   Fans can enjoy two nights of music at many Athens venues by purchasing wristbands for The Athfest Club Crawl, an amazing way to catch a ton of talent all in the same weekend.

GSB has also been selected to perform at the Athfest VIP party on Thursday June 16 at The Foundry. The event is closed to the public.

The Atlanta Braves have selected the Grassland String Band as one of ten bands to perform at Turner Field in their 2016 “Band of the Year” promotional series.  The group that is named the “Braves Band of the Year” will win the opportunity to perform in 2017 at SunTrust Park. The “Band of the Year” will be chosen by the Braves game entertainment staff, who will judge the groups based on combination of factors including crowd participation and enthusiasm.

GSB will perform from 2:20 to 3:20 on Saturday May 28th prior to the Memorial Day weekend game with the Florida Marlins (4:10 start).

The game also features a promotional giveaway of a highly collectible “Chipper Rescues Freddie ATV” bobblehead to the first 20,000 fans.  Chipper Jones made national headlines when he took his four-wheeler into a 2014 Atlanta snowstorm to rescue his former teammate, Freddie Freeman, who was stuck in the city’s traffic gridlock.  Now, he and Freeman will receive a bobblehead commemorating their experience.

GSB fans will receive a discounted price for tickets.   More information about that will be released by the Braves organization soon.

Grassland String Band is proud to announce that “American Flag” (written by Michael Lesousky) is included in this year’s Athfest Compilation CD. 

Athfest Educates, a nonprofit organization committed to sustaining and advancing music and arts education for young people in Athens-Clarke County,  announced the details for the 2016 AthFest compilation CD, which will be a special two-disc set this year in honor of the festival’s 20th anniversary.

“American Flag” is currently unreleased, but will be included in GSB’s next EP.   Plans are to release the album in the late Summer or early Fall.

In addition to the usual CD of mostly-unreleased songs from local bands, this year’s comp will feature a bonus disc featuring a “Best of AthFest” tracklist. The best-of disc will include songs by R.E.M., Elf Power, Drive-By Truckers, The Whigs, New Madrid, Vic Chesnutt, Widespread Panic and more.

This year’s festival compilation, which was curated by a team of students in the Music Business program at UGA, features tunes by local acts Dream Culture, Son & Thief, Wieuca, Tarnation, Walden, The Orange Constant and Grassland String Band, among others.

A CD release party for the compilation is set for Thursday, May 5 at the 40 Watt featuring live performances from Walden, Dream Culture and The Orange Constant. The CD will be available for purchase at that show; the official release date is June 21.