# Billy Strings and Outlaw Country **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 27, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449 "2021-07-27T19:33:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/41 "2023-03-14T17:10:34Z")
Man, that’s too bad. I’m not a big jam band fan and he usually only does that to 2-3 songs, usually at the end of the 1st set and somewhere in the middle-late 2nd. He’s been playing a lot of originals too, so I am unsure why the show you saw was like that. I hate the excessive noodling too, and also don’t care for bluegrass. You also have the distinction of being the 1st person I have ever encountered that said they didn’t enjoy one of his live shows. But I get it…you do have to endure some unpleasantness if pot smoke bugs you for sure. Damn, that sucks you didn’t like it! I’m genuinely surprised and surprised at the reason. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/42 "2023-03-14T17:24:07Z")
Tbh, I don’t mind pot smoke (Hell, my friend was lighting up - he snuck some stuff in), but it definitely made it feel a lot more like a Grateful Dead concert. Some of the songs just went on and on with just jamming out (they stopped singing for like 5 mins at a time, which made me think this is a jam sess). My friend asked me what I thought in the middle of set 1 and I was told him ‘meh’, which I don’t think he expected lol. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/43 "2024-05-14T13:20:22Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > I saw him this past Saturday night at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville I was supposed to go to the Feb 24th this year’s show from here in Cincy, I was gonna drive down early Saturday morning, go to the show, crash after, get up and drive home Sunday morning. Ended up selling my tickets and refunding my room because I was worried about my son’s budding alcoholism, the child of a recovered alcoholic. Sins of the father and all that. Damn. I don;t know when I’lll be able to see him again now. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/44 "2024-05-14T14:47:54Z")
Billy is a teetotaler (except for pot) by the way. I am so happy for his success. Several years ago I saw him at little venues and the next time I’m going to see him will be at an arena. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/45 "2024-05-14T16:00:38Z")
I can’t wait to go see him some more.! Steve ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/46 "2024-05-21T17:34:40Z")
My son and I saw Billy three nights in a row Dec 29th, 30 and 31st 2023-24. First night the band came out in old time clothes and played traditional folk/country/bluegrass tunes… second and third nights much more jammy. We had a blast in the big easy. Billy is playing this coming Friday and Saturday in Chicago. My son is going but I can’t take off work, damn. There is a festval in Las Vegas we are going to in September, with String Cheese, Leftover Salmon, the String Dusters and many more likeminded groups. If any of ya’ll are going we will see you there! [Bender Jamboree](https://benderjamboree.com/) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/47 "2024-05-21T18:02:15Z")
I am very strongly considering going to that. Amazing lineup. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/48 "2024-05-24T00:18:07Z")
Let me know if you decide to go… It would be great to meet you. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/49 "2024-05-24T01:06:18Z")
I guess I will need to ask you all for some reccos on bluegrass as I am a BMFS fan and not really a traditionalist. Lately my listening has been consumed with Stu Simpson, Colter Wall, Billy S, Black Pumas, etc but I want to focus on bluegrass because I am having a tough time “getting into” a lot of it. So far I really like the John Hartford song “I’m Still Here” better than the BMFS cover of it, which is about the only thing I have heard besides “Nutshell” that I preferred the original artist over Billy. I think the live stuff Billy did with Chris Thile is beyond belief (CBS morning and there’s another with that dude on the piano that escapes me atm-they do “Stewball”). So Billy covering traditional b-grass songs makes them better to me in almost every instance. What’s BMFS-adjacent that I would immediately like? I don’t need the superfast guitar playing so much as songs that are similar to those. I tried Greensky and they didn’t do much for me. “Burn Them” is okay. I have this same dynamic with the Dead. I don’t like them very much, my favorite tunes by them are like “Friend Of The Devil”, “Fire On The Mountain” and “Uncle John’s Band” and I think BMFS improves their music too when he covers them, even tunes like “Wharf Rat”, which I didn’t like too much. I don’t mean to be picky I just have oversaturated exposure of a few things and not enough of anything else similar and I haven’t had a lot of luck. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/50 "2024-05-24T01:58:52Z")
I would be very happy to do that. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/51 "2024-05-24T01:59:59Z")
Infamous Stringdusters and Greensky Bluegrass off the top of my head are great jam grass bands. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/52 "2024-05-26T15:41:06Z")
So I just am not sure about the Stringdusters yet as I haven’t listened to them and I had already said that Greensky is just okay-this is all album stuff though, I am certain I would have a great time if I saw them live as I have heard how great that is and I’ve been to a couple Dead shows and I’m not their biggest fan either but I enjoyed both shows I got to see and am glad I got to go back then. I sit in a very weird space with guitar music I think. I love guitar-driven music I believe most of all, I believe this to be true. But I lean harder towards songs (with vocals most of the time) than I do extended jams or straight guitar wankery Yngwie Malmsteen stuff. People have been playing extended classical progression scalar-modeled music faster and faster for centuries now, the guitar facilitates that further, its reached its endpoint of being interesting to me anymore. But as I say that, I worship at the altar of Billy Strings, but-he’s humble, writes great songs, and while he’s indeed technically proficient and super speedy-he’s musical in ways Yngwie is just stiff and is a stiff. I am blabbering on. I don’t know where this guitar nether regions of Pergutory came from, but I am in it. I think in the end is why the confluence of BMFS and bluegrass and guitar forma space in my head where my brain operates at this speed, but I love parsing and hearing all the vocal harmonies and other instrumental parts being a complex only as a whole, rather than as a sum of their parts. And of course, all the taking turns of solo-taking, done in brief, and often furious, flurries of flatpicking. I am making no sense. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2024, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/53 "2024-05-26T15:50:51Z")
Railroad Earth, Leftover Salmon, Kitchen Dwellers ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/54 "2024-05-28T15:46:43Z")
I will try. Thank you for the reply! ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/55 "2024-05-28T23:52:52Z")
Been a big Billy fan for years. I stumbled across him randomly on YouTube: > **[Dust in a Baggie - Billy Strings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFEZOjtrwls%2F)** > > In a quiet room at a loud party. William Apostol also known as Billy Strings before his rise to fame. This was originally filmed on 9/16/2012 around 3am in f... He’s a good songwriter. One of my favorites: > **[Billy Strings - While I'm Waiting Here | OurVinyl Sessions](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PMHmOvtp6E%2F)** > > Get new music in your inbox every Friday - https://bit.ly/3tm817hPlease click those like and subscribe buttons. It helps us keep doing what we are doing!We'r... ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/56 "2024-05-28T23:55:23Z")
That first link is before he was famous. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/57 "2024-05-29T03:55:00Z")
He was interviewed by Marc Maron on his WTF podcast recently, worth a listen. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449/58 "2024-06-11T23:50:12Z")
The Theo Vonn one was interesting too, even if Theo is kind of an unfunny meathead sometimes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-strings-and-outlaw-country/947449.md?page=2)