When the COVID-19 pandemic ground the touring industry to a halt in mid-March, Billy Strings was, in many ways, on top of the world. The widely loved young bluegrass guitarist and singer-songwriter was midway through a partially sold-out tour in support of his acclaimed second album Home. He felt a degree of momentum growing for him and his band that he hadn’t yet felt in the eight years he’d spent tirelessly touring.
“The album was doing so well, and we were playing all of these sold-out shows,” Strings tells the Scene, calling from his home in Nashville. “The energy was just on fire. Then all of a sudden we couldn’t play any shows. … I didn’t know what to do with myself at first.”
After a couple months at home in Nashville spent fishing and tinkering on cars, Strings is returning to the stage with his band for a series of streaming concerts. The Streaming Strings Tour is a nine-date run that visits some of Nashville’s most beloved venues. It kicks off Thursday and Friday with two nights at the brand-new Brooklyn Bowl Nashville. Strings began planning the series in late March when he and his band realized that live shows wouldn’t be returning any time soon.
“I don’t think gathering large groups of people is going to be cool for a while,” he says. “So I got to thinking about that, and how there are so many cool venues right here in town. The band could all get together and live together for a while — we could quarantine together.”
In addition to two nights at Brooklyn Bowl, Streaming Strings will run Saturday and Sunday at the Station Inn and pick up with shows July 22-23 at City Winery, July 24-25 at Exit/In, and July 26 at 3rd and Lindsley. Fans will be able to watch each show, played to an empty house, via streaming services like Fans and Nugs TV. Strings explains that each show will be tailored to its venue. The Station Inn dates, for example, will feature covers of some of Strings’ favorite bluegrass songs, while the Exit/In shows will lean more heavily on his punk and rock influences.
“To me, the Station Inn is one of the best venues in the world,” he says. (See our feature on the Station Inn and proprietor J.T. Gray, who’s been inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.) “It’s a little hole in the wall where all of my heroes have played: Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, all those guys. Hopefully we’ll be able to bring out more bluegrass for those shows — try to dig up some old songs that would fit the Station Inn.”
A portion of proceeds from each night’s ticket sales will be split evenly among three nonprofits: the ACLU, Backline and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In light of both the pandemic’s effect on musicians’ mental health and the recent protests against racial inequality, it was important to Strings to use his platform to give back to causes he believes in.
“I live among hippies and freaks and tie-dye people, lovely people who don’t have hatred in their hearts,” Strings says of donating funds to ACLU and NAACP. “But I have experienced white privilege. I mean, come on, I make a living playing guitar. I feel like I’ve just hopped, skipped and jumped to where I’ve gotten. … I’ve been let off easy compared to a lot of people who have brown and black skin. I’m really happy that we can help raise money for those organizations.”
Backline, which provides mental health resources to members of the music community, is near to Strings’ heart, too. With the pandemic taking a catastrophic toll on many musicians’ livelihoods, Strings recognizes that having access to mental health care is of paramount importance.
“I know a lot of people who are in traveling bands who struggle with anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies and shit like that,” he says. “I’ve lost a lot of friends that way, and I’ve battled with anxiety and smaller bouts of depression myself. … For myself personally, I’ve been through therapy, and it really has helped me a lot.”
Home followed Strings’ debut album Turmoil & Tinfoil and marked his first release for Rounder Records. The album showcases Strings’ singular brand of bluegrass-inspired music — which draws as deeply from punk and psychedelia as it does from genre traditionalists — as well as his virtuosic guitar playing. In addition to those sold-out shows in support of Home, the album netted Strings four IBMA nominations, including a nod in the coveted Entertainer of the Year category. Strings was caught off guard by such a major nomination, but says he’s thrilled that he and his band are being recognized for the passion and energy they pour into their music.
“It’s wild,” he says. “Entertainer of the Year — not to sound anything less than humble, but I’ll take that. We worked our asses off. We played a lot of shows and put a lot of miles and sweat into what we did last year. … And I really put myself out there with Home, and it really makes me happy that people connect with it.”
