Photo by Dyllan Langille
Americana/alt-country and roots-rock band, Greensky Bluegrass are thrilled to share “Absence of Reason” off the band’s forthcoming studio album Stress Dreams.
WMOT – Middle Tennessee Public Radio and roots music discovery station premiered the track earlier this week calling the band “game changing.”
Stress Dreams is due out on January 21 via Thirty Tigers.
The new song was written by Paul Hoffman who said “I want all the songs to be really close to my heart but sometimes when I’m a little detached there’s more freedom to explore the potential. I just loved this interval and all the chord flips that create tonal ambiguity. songs like this always become surprise favorites for me. somehow, free from emotional attachment, they become quintessential Greensky. this song feels like an example of an idea defined by a band. what once was simple, is now unique.”
Absence of Reason follows the releases of “Grow Together” which premiered exclusively via The Boot who said, “this song will hit you right in the heart.” And “Monument” – a powerful song written by Anders Beck who remarks “this song is essentially about what it was like to have my life, career, and world slammed to a halt by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Greensky is currently in Mexico at their annual Strings & Sol festival, upon their return the band will round out the year for two NYE shows in Saint Louis and then will head to Denver for a two show run at The Mission Ballroom before heading out on a 19-date tour with very special guests The Infamous Stringdusters.
All up to date news tour info can be found at greenskybluegrass.com.
Tour Dates
Dec 30-31 @ The Factor | St. Louis, MO
Jan 7-8 @ The Mission Ballroom | Denver, CO
Featuring Very Special Guests The Infamous Stringdusters
Jan 20 @ The Palace Theatre | Albany, NY
Jan 21 @ The Met Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA
Jan 22 @ The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY
Jan 26 @ Flynn Theatre | Burlington, VT
Jan 27 @ The State Theatre | Portland, ME
Jan 28-29 @ House of Blues | Boston, MA
Feb 2 @ Stage AE | Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 3 @ Agora Theatre & Ballroom | Cleveland, OH
Feb 4-5 @ The Anthem | Washington, DC
Feb 17 @ The Pavilion at Pan AM | Indianapolis, IN
Feb 18 @ Fillmore Detroit | Detroit, MI
Feb 19 @ Riverside Theatre | Milwaukee, WI
Feb 20 @ The Palace | St. Paul, MN
Feb 23 @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall | Louisville, KY
Feb 24 @ Iron City | Birmingham, AL
Feb 25-26 @ The Tabernacle | Atlanta, GA
Since their 2000 formation in Kalamazoo, MI, the quartet—Anders Beck [dobro], Michael Arlen Bont [banjo], Dave Bruzza [guitar], Mike Devol [upright bass], and Paul Hoffman [mandolin]—have unassumingly progressed into a phenomenon on their own terms with the undying support of a devout audience. Rolling back and forth across North America on successive tours, they’ve sold out multiple dates at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Ryman Auditorium, the Fillmore Detroit, Riviera Theater Chicago, and many more. Beyond standout sets at Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, New Orleans Jazz Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and Austin City Limits, they co-own and have headlined 4848 Festival and Strings & Sol. During 2019, All For Money marked their second #1 debut on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums Chart and third straight Top 3 entry. They’ve also earned critical acclaim from Billboard, Parade, NPR, and Rolling Stone who hailed them as “representing the genre for a whole new generation.”
For the past century, bluegrass music has traditionally relayed real tales of American life, struggle, tragedy, and triumph. It gives a voice to the quiet, yet colorful stories woven into the fabric of the country itself. Greensky Bluegrass live these stories through their records and performances.
When touring ceased in 2020 in the face of the global pandemic, the band hunkered down and compiled demos individually at first, sharing emails and voice notes. In July 2020, they got together for the first time in four months, dedicating rehearsals to the development of the new material. Once circumstances safely permitted, they recorded what would become Stress Dreams during a session in Guilford, VT and two sessions in Asheville, NC with frequent collaborator “and old friend” Dominic John Davis as producer and “wizard engineer” Glenn Brown mixing. They preserved the hallmarks of their sound while widening its expanse.
“Greensky is and always has been very unique in our world,” says Paul Hoffman. “We put our love, energy, and focus into what we appreciate about our music. We come together as a band in a way that’s organic. We take a lot of pride in how we grow and challenge each other too. We’re maturing together. I think we get more Greensky all of the time.”
