Jon Stickley Trio

Who Are They?

The Jon Stickley Trio are an instrumental band from Asheville, North Carolina, built on an unlikely lineup: flatpick acoustic guitar, violin, and a drum kit. No bass, no vocals, no safety net.

Stickley comes out of bluegrass, and you can hear the flatpicking tradition of Tony Rice and Doc Watson in his right hand. But the trio pushes that foundation straight into gypsy jazz, surf, punk, and psychedelia, writing tight, twisting instrumentals that turn on a dime.

It is virtuosic music that never feels like homework. The tunes are fast, funny, cinematic, and genuinely thrilling live, which is why they have become a festival favorite far beyond the bluegrass world.

The Story

A flatpicker who kept asking what else the tradition could do.

1. 2012

   The trio forms in Asheville

   Jon Stickley, already a respected flatpicker, builds a band around the unusual guitar-violin-drums lineup and releases a self-titled debut.

2. 2015

   Lost at Last

   The album where the identity locks in: bluegrass technique bent toward jazz and rock, with tunes like "Point to Point" becoming staples.

3. 2017

   Maybe Believe

   The writing gets bolder and more cinematic, and the trio's reputation as a must-see live act keeps growing.

4. 2020

   Scripting the Flip

   A high point: adventurous, tightly arranged, and the clearest statement yet of what an instrumental bluegrass band can be.

5. 2023

   Meantime's Up

   A sprawling recent record, with drummer Hunter Deacon's jazz-improv sensibility pushing the trio into new territory.

Start Here

Two official videos and a full live session. Watch the hands.

The Albums 5 to start with

An all-instrumental catalog that rewards close listening. Start with these five.

Playlists

One curated YouTube Music playlist of Jon Stickley Trio essentials, all instrumental, all thrilling.

The Band

Three players, three roles, no bass and no singer. The whole sound comes from how they lock together.

• Jon StickleyFlatpick GuitarThe leader and lead voice; a blazing flatpicker who carries melody, rhythm, and low end all at once
• Lyndsay PruettViolinThe second lead and the band's melodic and textural range, from bluegrass fiddle to jazz and beyond
• Hunter DeaconDrumsClassically trained with a deep jazz-improv streak; the sensitivity that lets the trio turn on a dime

Influences

The trio sits where flatpicking bluegrass meets gypsy jazz and modern improvisation. Here is the family tree.

Interviews

Two looks behind the music, including the making of their best record.

Going Deeper

A few directions once the tunes have you.

• The live show. This is a band you have to see; a festival like Front Porch Fest is ideal.
• The flatpicking canon. Trace it back to Tony Rice and the tradition Stickley grew out of.
• Instrumental-band cousins. Follow the thread through the David Grisman and Béla Fleck worlds of genre-blind acoustic music.
• The deep cuts. With five all-instrumental records, there is a lot to explore past the essentials.

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