Taking us back in the archives.
Billy Strings is undoubtedly the biggest name in bluegrass right now. His intertwining of old and new sounds has captured the hearts of traditional bluegrass lovers as well as jam band lovers like the Deadheads and Phish fans. Setting a new standard for bluegrass shows, Billy Strings captivates audiences for three hours on stage while psychedelic graphics fill the background.
Before Strings became the mainstream bluegrass legend he is today, he stepped away from the flat-picking style for a short stint in a rock band. While there is limited video footage of this time in his music career, Strings blessed our timelines today with a killer image from those days.
“To once darkened skies 2006… pay to play. Carson City, MI. ….. I still have that PRS Guitar.”
This is one of those images you know that was taken on a sh**ty digital camera or flip phone, and you wish you could hear what was being played. As the five-person band crammed on a tiny stage that looks like it’s in a basement, it screams grunge kid.
The comment section quickly filled up with some hilarious comments and some other sweeter comments, and Strings spent time responding to most of them.
Before we get into the humous ones, one of Strings’ old teachers left a comment asking who was next to him on stage.
“Is that Kyle? This is your old teacher, Mrs. Anagnost (Repke). I think I taught the other guy in the front, too! I love this.”
And if his response does not show Strings as the stand-up guy he is, I’m not sure what does.
“Yeah, Kyle and Tyler Tate! And then Jacob Powers behind us on bass and Jamie Byrne on drums! And by the way, I miss you and hope you’re doing great! Come out to a show sometime.”
Strings, the one in green shredding at the front of the stage, still has the same facial expression as he does today on stage. Even at this young age, he still looks like he is in a trance when performing. That’s a true musician through and through.
Now, onto the goldmine of comments from the brilliant minds of Instagram.
“Wittle biwwy stwings.”
“Are you the little lesbian chick in green?”
“Girl jeans and bleached spots in dyed black hair. It doesn’t get any more 2006 than that. I can hear the breakdowns and panic chords in this picture.”
“The guy on the right looks like he’s playing with a Guitar Hero controller.”
“If the guitarist was wearing a polo, you knew you were gonna be in trouble in the pit.”
“Are you all 4 of those dudes?”
“I want to HEAR this picture.”
“What the **** is up Denny’s!?!”
(underrated comment)
“This looks like a preschool LMFAO.”
“Ohhh, Billy Screams? What a fun throwback!”
“Always excellent jams on the stages at joints like that with a stage the size of a stick ‘o gum.”
“Imagine those guys saying, ‘I used to be in a metal band with Billy Strings.’… Okay, Grandpa.
“I bet this room smelled sick.”
The verdict is that this picture f***s and we fans want to see more of this era of his career. The second notion is that Strings needs to start a metal side project like Cody Jinks did. Here and there, Strings does tap back into his metal days, as recently he sat in with the ’90s metal band Tool. He shredded.
