20 things you didn't know about Water Tower

Water Tower is a unique bluegrass act from the west coast that performs with a decided punk influence. They go so far as to include twin banjos! That’s something you won’t soon forget. The band is currently bringing its high-energy show to the southeast, with stops in Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas over the next week.

Kenny Feinstein is on fiddle and guitar, Tommy Drinkard on banjo, Taylor Estes on bass, Jesse Eads on banjo, and John Seltzer on mandolin.

Here are some further details about the group that may have escaped your notice.

Water Tower is the first bluegrass band in history invited to play the Vans Warped Tour.
The band introduced Sierra Ferrell to Nick Hexum of 311 onstage in Hollywood at a square dance.
Water Tower blends the tradition of bluegrass, the culture of hip hop, and the attitude of punk rock.
Their first name was Water Tower String Band and there is an album on streaming under that name.
Their second name was Water Tower Bucket Boys, but they “kicked the bucket.”
They started as a Foghorn Stringband tribute band.
They have had 47 bass players.
The band was founded by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kenny Feinstein in 2005, while members were still in high school.
Water Tower produced Acacia Forgot who was on MTV as a featured queen for “Ru Paul’s Drag Race.” Michael Cleveland is a special guest on the album.
Kenny is on a Netflix series called Country Ever After.
Band members met while busking in Los Angeles.
They meditate and do breathing exercises before shows.
Water Tower fans are called “The Owls.”
They love busking for freeway offramp traffic as opposed to foot traffic.
The band relocated from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles.
They release 100 limited edition shirts at a time and do not do reprints, but they do give away stickers at shows.
Water Tower made its debut at World of Bluegrass in 2024, playing around Raleigh as part of the Bluegrass Ramble.
There are a few animations of Water Tower music. Most notable is Anthem.
They fell in love with square dancing and as a result started the band.
They have slept in ditches while on tour.

Kenny addressed his belief in the parallels between bluegras, old time, and punk, saying…

“The idea of self-reliance is inherent throughout both of these genres—the DIY ethic. To create a scene from the friends around us, to schedule our own square dances and house shows, to train-hop, and to learn how to play and sing through the aural tradition. Also, the speed of the music. Generally, old-time and bluegrass are played fast, just like punk rock.”