Sideline celebrates five years

Sideline is celebrating their 5th anniversary this weekend with a hometown show in Raleigh, NC. Not bad for a group that formed with a mission to only play a few shows in the fall of each year as their various schedules with other bands allowed.

The band was the brainchild of Steve Dilling, during the time he was playing banjo with IIIrd Tyme Out. Their habit was to take the month of December off, so Steve would book some shows in an around his home near Raleigh during that period each year. He called on some of his best music friends to assist, including Jason Moore, then bass player with Mountain Heart, and his son-in-law, Skip Cherryholmes on guitar, who was playing with several groups at the time.

When concerns about his diabetes led Dilling to depart IIIrd Tyme Out in late 2013, the idea came to keep Sideline together as a regular group. Moore announced his departure from Mountain Heart the following summer as dates for the new band began to pile up. Membership has changed a bit outside of these three founders, and the sextet now also consists of Troy Boone on mandolin, Bailey Coe on second guitar, and Daniel Greeson on fiddle.

The guys put together this video to tell the story of how they came to be, and where they are headed.

If you’re in the Raleigh area this weekend, you can catch Sideline on Saturday, December 1, at Lorraine’s Coffee House in Garner, NC from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.