The young bluegrass scene in England and Ireland has been rightly praised of late, with strong new acts emerging monthly it seems.
Equally strong is the action in old time music, as evidenced by this video from Hot Rock Pilgrims. It’s their version of Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom, an entirely different tune from the similarly-named number so common in bluegrass circles, which serves as the final track on their new album, Squirrel Hunting.
The Pilgrims have been playing together since 2014, and don’t follow the rules of old time music enforced in Appalachia. They also perform bluegrass and folk music, and include the reso-guitar as a primary instrument in the ensemble. You can also see how they trade off solos more like a bluegrass band.
Hubert Murray is on guitar, Bruno Pickler on reso, Kieran Towers on fiddle, Dan Edwards on banjo, and Sam Rose on bass.
You can sample the tracks below, or at bandcamp where the album can be purchased on CD or as a download.
