“These guys are apostles of hillbilly boogie”
“From fiery barn burners to heartbroken ballads, this talented string quartet is celebrating the region’s rich bluegrass history, carrying the torch for the Old-Line legends who came before.”
“Many of today’s bluegrass bands have players that have listened to music other than bluegrass, but these influences show themselves in the tunes being converted to bluegrass tunes. The High & Wides weave their influences directly into the fabric of the music. ”
“Their confidence and credence are immediately apparent, and their ability to write original material and execute it so adroitly clearly bodes well for whatever lies ahead. Indeed, it should only be a matter of time before this talented bunch find themselves standing proudly at the fore of today’s festival favorites.
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The High & Wides were formed in 2015, and have roots both in Baltimore and the rural Delmarva peninsula. They draw on a shared background playing straight ahead bluegrass, but weave in influences from new wave to old time to make music that evokes the era before country, bluegrass, rockabilly, western swing, and rock'n'roll broke off into separate and strictly defined genres. The band's music imagines an alternate timeline - if instead of the electric-guitar and drums driven band format that took off in the 50s, the stringband lineup had dominated across genres of popular music in the 20th century, what would be happening now?
They have released two full-length albums of original music, 2018's "Lifted" and 2019's "Seven True Stories". In March 2022 they released their first album of covers, "Blood", which pays tribute to exemplars of the two-part "brother duet" singing style that first inspired the formation of the band.
Members are Marc Dykeman (guitar, vocals), Sam Guthridge (banjo, mandolin, vocals), Nate Grower (fiddle), and Mike Buccino (bass).