This right here is what the newer wave of bluegrass is all about, imo
I like bluegrass, and I’m very fond of some individual bluegrass and bluegrass-inflected songs and acts, but I’ve never been able to make myself love bluegrass.
My background makes me much more interested in lyrics, which I flatter myself to be a decent judge of, but similar to certain prog rock acts, the charms of high-tempo virtuosity are just lost on me.
You might enjoy Billy’s studio work. It does get fast in places but he also slows it down and psych’s it out.
And his lyrics are the best I’ve heard since Robert Hunter and the Grateful Dead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBkRCd2UCLI
His live shows blend the tempo very well but its a smash your face energy overall.
Oh man, I wish I could let you into my head while that crystalline, high speed magic is zinging back and forth through the neurons, lighting me up from the inside out.
I do love bluegrass, even the more traditional and slow tempo stuff. But this new generation of it just sends me
I legit love that for you, and I can sneak up to what you’re describing, but it never quite lands and I eventually get worn out by trying. I’m in awe of some of the Banjo pickers I’ve heard, but it doesn’t hit me in the soul like a clever turn of phrase that rings true to life. To that end, I’m more of a Townes Van Zandt or Todd Snider or Robert Earl Keen guy, though I know Keen in particular loves him some bluegrass.
