By KAYLIN PICKETT
BG Independent News
As childhood friends, Shadowgrass has been jamming together for over a decade and now they are bringing their music to BG as one of Friday’s headliners at the Black Swamp Arts Festival.
Shadowgrass first began playing together in 2014 as a jam session at the Grayson County Fiddler’s Convention in Elk Creek, Virginia. They started with just Clay Russell, Luke Morris and Kyser George playing the banjo, mandolin and guitar, respectively.
The group grew up playing bluegrass music together at various conventions and eventually began securing gigs outside of the conventions at different festivals. Though the band has grown and is now touring and producing their own music, they have stuck to their roots of bluegrass.
“I honestly think like we just gravitated towards it, even growing up before all this boom of bluegrass that we’re seeing right now,” Maddison Morris, a newer band member, said. “There’s just such a community behind the genre, and I just love that aspect.”
After a small hiatus during COVID-19, they added Morris on the fiddle and Evan Campfield on bass to the group. Since then, they have released two albums, the first being a collection of bluegrass covers and their sophomore album a collection of originals.
Many of Shadowgrass’s songs reflect the stage of life that the members are in at the time. The themes of their second album are strongly influenced by their experiences of navigating their early 20s and trying to discover who they were as individuals and as a group.
“The theme was just like, who am I, who do I want to become? And that feeling of just navigating your 20s, even though you’re doing something that you love, you’re still just searching,” Morris said.
While touring in the summer, Shadowgrass can often be found at festivals throughout the country. The band is on a 20-day tour, with BSAF being the first festival in the lineup. They are looking forward to the change in atmosphere that festivals provide.
“We’re all looking forward to it so much, because we just love that change of pace versus coming to the venues. The energy is different, and it’s just exciting,” Morris said.
This year has been their biggest touring year, performing around 100 shows. They are also workshopping content for their next album and are looking forward to getting back in the recording studio.
Shadowgrass is performing at the Main Stage on Friday, Sept. 5, at 10 p.m. after AJ Lee & Blue Summit. They will be the last band for the night.
Full BSAF Main Stage schedule
Friday, Sept. 5
- 5 p.m.: Leadfoot Granny
- 6:30 p.m.: Telula
- 8 p.m.: AJ Lee & Blue Summit
- 10 p.m.: Shadowgrass
Chloe and the Steel Stings, Chloe Wagenhauser, front, and back from left, Pete Rodriguez, Anna Garrison, and Connor Ward. (Photo provided)
Saturday, Sept. 6
- Noon: Sam Shaba
- 1:30 p.m.: Chloe & the Steel Strings (Click to view video)
- 3 p.m.: Miller & the Other Sinners
- 4:30 p.m.: Paul McDonald and the Mourning Doves
- 6:15 p.m.: Kendall Street Company
- 8 p.m.: Alejandro Escovedo
- 10 p.m. : Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel
Sunday, Sept. 7
- 11 p.m.: EMP Group
- 12:30 p.m.: Chris Canas
- 2 p.m.: Cristina Vane
- 3:30 : LADAMA
