GSB was thrilled to meet Mike Mills of REM, who dropped in for our Friday night Athfest performance (New Earth Music Hall)!

This article appears in Flagpole Magazine, written by Rachel Bailey. Many of you have asked about the TK “Team Kirk” events that GSB has been involved with, including the Georgia Theater show next Monday. Read, and please share. http://flagpole.com/music/music-features/2014/06/04/team-kirk-raises-money-support-in-the-fight-against-cancer

The Ceiling Can’t Hold Us!

GSB is excited to announce our FREE Georgia Theatre Rooftop Show with support from the Shoal Creek Stranglers

Doors open 9:00 PM

This show is on the rooftop for FREE!

Related show

• Artist: Grassland String Band and Shoal Creek Stranglers
• Date: 06/11/14
• Time: 9:30pm
• Venue: Georgia Theatre
• City: Athens, GA
• Address: http://www.georgiatheatre.com/
• Country: United States
• Age restrictions: No Minors

GSB is proud to announce that our Debut Album, “Before the Feast” is now available for digital download on iTunes, CD Baby, and other major digital retailers. Happy Downloading!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/before-the-feast/id883365177

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/grasslandstringband

GSB announces that it will part of the Club Crawl for Athfest 2014, performing at New Earth Music Hall, Friday June 20, 2014 at midnight.

Related show

• Artist: Grassland String Band
• Date: 06/20/14
• Time: 12:00am
• Venue: New Earth Music Hall
• City: Athens , GA
• Country: United States
• Age restrictions: No Minors

Grassland String Band is a fine example of the recent uprising of acoustic Americana music. They’re cleaner than Old Crow Medicine show, less polished than the Punch Brothers. They’re less traditional than the Steep Canyon Rangers, but moreso than the Avett Brothers. Basically, they fit nicely in the middle of the folk/bluegrass spectrum right around Tramples By Turtles and not far from The Infamous Stringdusters. There’s not much that you couldn’t hear at a good southern bluegrass festival most summer weekends, but at the same time, there’s not a single song that won’t have you stomping your feet or clapping your hands.

It’s quite obvious that each of these musicians is ridiculously talented. You have to be to play this kind of music because there is nothing to hide behind. It’s raw and pure. The recording definitely does justice to that. The banjo picking is fast, the vocals are tight, and the fiddle is enthusiastic.

The opening track “Clara” gets everything off to a toe-tapping start. I can imagine the audience at a show dancing along to this one and cheering for each of the solos in the interludes. The a cappella sections and the multi-part harmonies are so full and powerful. I don’t know who this girl Clara is, but she ought to be really impressed by this song, especially the dynamic violin melodies and the sweet lyrics.

Another one of my favorites is “Honey,” another simple love song complemented by the violin solos. It almost feels like the violin is having a conversation with the singer. Like an old Beatles song, it’s very short and sweet and it leaves you wanting more. Great production.

“If I Die” grabs your attention right away with the gritty vocals and the harsh instrumental stops right out of the gate. I love the lines “I’m so old/I’m so young/I wonder when my heart will let go of my tongue.” The shouts, the high notes at the end, and the exciting banjo line in the chorus make the song so much fun. But at under two minutes, I wish there were more!

“Driving This Car” features a female vocalist and a much slower tempo than the rest of the album. It’s a lovely song and is well performed, but it doesn’t feel like it fits in the context of the rest of the songs. Maybe if she sang some more high harmonies on the other songs it wouldn’t feel out of place. But it was a nice surprise to hear a different voice in the mix, and she brings a lot of interesting melodies to table.

Overall, “Before The Feast” is a really solid album that really reflects a lot of the folk music that’s so popular right now. They could play at a bluegrass festival, a country bar or a rock club and make everyone happy with their high level of talent and energy. Go see them live at their upcoming shows in Athens, Ga. and make sure to look out for this album. You won’t want to miss it.

(Ansley Rushing is a 2012 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Georgia Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in Public Relations. She also participated in the UGA Music Business Program in the Terry College of Business and served an internship with Paste Magazine, a nationally recognized leader in entertainment news. Ansley is a classically trained violinist and an Athens, GA based singer/songwriter. More about Ansley Rushing)

GSB is pleased to announce that we will be performing at the Georgia Theater on Monday June 9th in support of the Team Kirk cancer awareness and fundraising campaign. It is our privilege to once again be a part of the “TK” mission and the great work they have done on behalf of Kirk Smith and the Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia. GSB will open for Jim Avett, father of The Avett Brothers, and his daughter Bonnie. Rob Nance and the Lost Souls headline the event scheduled to begin at 7pm. For more information about Team Kirk, click here.

Thanks to everyone for helping us to kick off the weekend at Terrapin Brewery. GSB loves making new fans and seeing our friends and family enjoying great beer in the beautiful sunshine!

GSB helped raise $9,000 at the Team Kirk Benefit Concert. Thank you to everyone who came out to support such a wonderful cause.