Greensky Bluegrass

Who Are They?

Greensky Bluegrass are an American band from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who play what fans call "jamgrass": traditional bluegrass instrumentation, mandolin, banjo, dobro, guitar, upright bass, no drums, pushed through the improvisational, high-energy sensibility of a jam band.

Songs stretch out live, the dobro wails like an electric guitar, and their shows have made them one of the biggest draws in the modern acoustic and jam worlds.

The Story

Two decades of relentless touring turned a bar band from western Michigan into one of jamgrass's defining acts.

1. 2000

   The band forms in Kalamazoo

   Greensky Bluegrass forms in Kalamazoo, Michigan, playing traditional bluegrass in local bars.

2. 2006–2011

   Building a following

   Records including Tuesday Letter and Handguns, paired with constant touring, grow a devoted grassroots fanbase.



3. 2014

   If Sorrows Swim breaks out

   If Sorrows Swim becomes a breakout record, widening the band's reach well beyond the bluegrass world.

4. 2016–2019

   Festival headliner era

   Shouted, Written Down & Quoted and All for Money cement the band as festival headliners and one of jamgrass's defining acts.

5. 2022

   Stress Dreams

   Stress Dreams, a broader, more ambitious studio album, arrives after two decades on the road.

Start Here

Three videos that give the fastest possible picture of what Greensky Bluegrass is about. Watch in order.

The Studio Catalog

Greensky Bluegrass are a live band above all else, but their studio records are the songbook that every jam draws from. The gold-topped cards mark the key entry points.

Playlists

One curated YouTube Music playlist of Greensky essentials. Hit the button on the card to play it.

The Band

Greensky is a five-piece with no drummer, driven entirely by the interplay of five string players.

• Paul HoffmanMandolin / VocalsThe band's main lead singer and primary songwriter
• Anders BeckDobroThe wailing, effects-laden resonator guitar that gives the band its electric edge
• Dave BruzzaGuitar / VocalsRhythm, drive, and a second songwriting and singing voice
• Michael Arlen BontBanjoThe rolling, propulsive engine of the sound
• Mike DevolUpright BassThe deep acoustic foundation the whole thing rides on

Influences

Greensky live where traditional bluegrass meets the jam band. Here's where that intersection comes from.

Interviews

Two conversations that put the band's own voice behind the music.

Going Deeper

Once the studio records have you, the live world around Greensky Bluegrass is where the band really lives.

• The live tapes: like the bands they came up admiring, Greensky shows are widely recorded and shared; find a Red Rocks night and settle in.
• Billy Strings and the jamgrass world: the wider modern scene they helped build. See the Billy Strings guide.
• The Grateful Dead: the improvisational north star. See the Grateful Dead guide.
• Anders Beck's dobro rig: half the band's signature sound is what he does to a resonator guitar with effects.