You Are My Sunshine video from The Dead South

The Dead South are back with an announcement of two upcoming cover EPs, a winter tour of the US and UK, and a music video with a sample of their new music.

This decidedly non-traditional outfit will be releasing a pair of short form projects, Easy Listening For Jerks, Parts 1 and 2, where they apply their bearded alt-grass style to songs from both the early folk and bluegrass world (Part 1), and more contemporary pop and rock hits (Part 2). Both are set for a March 2022 release, though only information for Part 1 is being released at this time.

The track list suggests something you mighty hear at any bluegrass jam, standards from stalwarts like Earl Scruggs, The Country Gentlemen, and The Carer Family…

  • Keep on the Sunny Side
  • Pallet on the Floor
  • Will the Circle Be Unbroken
  • Flint Hill Special
  • You Are My Sunshine
  • Matterhorn

But knowing The Dead South, you can be sure that the sound isn’t what you expect to hear wafting across the campground at Bean Blossom late one night.

You can get a feel for what’s to come in their inverted take on You Are My Sunshine, turning this all-time classic of cheerfulness and positivity into a sinister and menacing number, perfect for Halloween.

The Dead South are Nate Hilts on guitar and vocals and Scott Pringle on mandolin and vocals, with Colton Crawford on banjo and Danny Kenyon on cello. Based in Saskatchewan, the band has earned a rowdy reputation through almost non-stop touring (until COVID), and alternately describe themselves as a rock band without a drummer, or a bluegrass band without a fiddle.

Details on their November tour of Germany and eastern Europe, plus US dates in December, can be found online. Likewise for 2022 dates in the UK.

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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.