The bluegrass roots run deep between up and coming bluegrass group AJ Lee & Blue Summit and Grammy winning powerhouse Molly Tuttle.
In fact, there are some familial ties at play here. Not only is Molly’s younger brother Sully, another virtuosic guitar talent, the lead guitar player in Blue Summit, but the band’s frontwoman AJ Lee is a long time friend and collaborator of the Tuttle family, too. All hailing from the greater San Jose area of Northern California, the Tuttles and AJ Lee have been picking together since they were kids, and Lee even played with the Tuttle’s family band, the Tuttles With AJ Lee, for a while.
Eventually, the family band disbanded, but Sully Tuttle and AJ Lee stuck together to form AJ Lee & Blue Summit alongside Scott Gates (guitar) and Jan Purat (fiddle). Together, the band has forged a strong and unique bluegrass sound that, as the subgenre continues to grow in popularity, is sure to catch fire with the masses. And with each release, they seem to be one step closer to the breakthrough.
Their latest single “I Can’t Find You at All” featuring Molly Tuttle is further proof of the sonic prowess and underrated songwriting abilities of the Santa Cruz-based group. A lonesome heartbreak tune that was actually written by the Tuttles’ father Jack, “I Can’t Find You at All” is the third single off of the band’s forthcoming project City of Glass slated for release on July 19. Check it out here:
Check out the track list for City of Glass as well, hitting streaming platforms in tis entirety on July 19.
“Hillside”
“He Called Me Baby”
“Seaside Town”
“I Can’t Find You At All” ft. Molly Tuttle
“City of Glass”
“Toys”
“I Still Think of Her”
“Sick on a Plane”
“Bakersfield Clay”
“Bedside Window” ft. Lech Wierzynski
“Solicitor Man”
“All I Know”
As is the case with a lot of bluegrass music, though, you need to experience it live to really grasp the greatness of AJ Lee & Blue Summit. Luckily, there are plenty of opportunities to do so this summer and fall.
6/27 – Victor City Park – Victor, ID
6/29 – Big Ponderoo – Sisters, OR
6/30 – Big Ponderoo – Sisters, OR
7/6 – High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA
7/9 – Anderson Japanese Gardens – Rockford, IL
7/11 – City Green – Sheboygan, WI
7/12 – Buchanan Common Stage – Buchanan, MI
7/13 – Frankfort Bluegrass on the Green Festival – Frankfort, IL
7/16 – Grand Ole Opry – Nashville, TN
7/20 – Darrington Bluegrass Festival – Darrington, WA
7/21 – Darrington Bluegrass Festival – Darrington, WA
8/8 – Edmonton Folk Music Festival – Edmonton, A.B. Canada
8/13 – Chirp – Ridgefield, CT
8/16 – Philadelphia Folk Festival – Collegeville, PA
8/17 – Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots – Manchester, VT
8/24 – Hopmonk Tavern – Novato, CA
8/25 – Bowers Bluegrass Festival – New Washoe City, NV
8/30 – Chattanooga Nightfall – Chattanooga, TN
8/31 – Earl Scruggs Music Festival – Mills Pring, NC
9/1 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC
9/12 – Jammin’ Java – Vienna, VA
9/13 – Richmond Music Hall – Richmond, VA
9/14 – Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion – Bristol, TN
9/18 – Americanafest – Nashville, TN
9/20 – Walnut Valley Festival – Winfield, KS
10/8 – Union Pool – Brooklyn, NY
10/9 – Club Passim – Cambridge, MA (Two Shows)
10/10 – Higher Ground – S. Burlington, VT
10/11 – The Drake – Amherst, MA
10/12 – Portland House of Music and Events – Portland, ME
