Please check out this Japanese metal band Ningen lsu the song is called heartless scat. These guys have been around for over 30 years. Very unusual trio. If you do the video make sure you do the lyrics they are amazing. m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CbI79e5iZKs.html
Regarding "Thunder", the performance from Louisville is stunning... I see a lot of people are requesting Turmoil and Tinfoil.... It's a MUST-SEE... And on the same level is Train..... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hC5bUipLGds.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-W4hrE42-l-I.html You also should really listen to the lyrics of his own compositions....very relevant to the state of affairs these days... Some of my favorites are Dealing Despair, Meet me at the Creek, Taking Water and Watch it Fall.... Watch the official music videos....they're all masterpieces.
Jerry Garcia and Merle Saunders cover Expressway to Your Heart 2-6-1972. Includes Billy on drums from the Dead. Starts about 7.50 into the show. True Jerry jam!
As much as you have delved into the classics, this young man is part of what's happening now. This is why I keep having hope for the future. By the way, there is a video on here where Billy went back to his elementary school and personally handed out two hundred and fifty guitars to the kids in the school. He personally put them in the kids hands. Billy Strings is a good human, and a name you will hear for a long time to come.
I'll have to go look up that video! Billy Strings is great, and as an older artist who plays a lot of the same styles he plays for most of my adult life, it's so refreshing to see this kind of thing happening now! It gives me hope for the future as well. And what you describe was a wonderful thing for him to have done. It's funny, I once won a top-make acoustic guitar (a dreadnaught-style like Billie is playing here) in a raffle at a festival. Only raffle I ever won, and it was a big one. The next year I paid into the raffle again, and some folks asked me "why are you paying for a raffle ticket? you already won the top prize last year." I replied: "The raffle is for a good cause, so I want to keep supporting it, and if I won another guitar, I will find some kid who's family was struggling but who showed talent, and give that kid the guitar." And so every year I pay into the raffle, and hope I can give a guitar to a kid someday. Ironically, that year's festival was where I saw Billie Strings for the first time!
We love him so much. We're from Michigan to so it gives us a small sense of pride. We watched that video of him at his old elementary......my gosh his a great guy, and he played with the kids outside ❤ we saw him at Summer Camp this past summer and he just melted everyone's face off!! Love him!
"Dust In A Baggie" is not about "booger sugar". He's singing about a baggie that used to have pot in it, but all that's left is dust. ..Enough to get him busted!
I grew up loving Bluegrass. All music really. What's a trip is that most people think that only people in the country listen to Bluegrass, but I grew up in Buena Park CA, "The Center of the Southland", and I know many people who love Bluegrass like me. Great music knows not time or distance. ✌️ Peace
@@kevinl.johnson4549 Billy is great. I'm going to assume by "beyond bluegrass" you meant steeped in music other than bluegrass and not "better than bluegrass". There's a whole community of virtuoso-level musicians who may play progressive music but are steeped in traditional bluegrass, which in and of itself is a genre with a history of great players and songwriters. If anything Billy is very much a traditional player and singer compared to others like Bela Fleck and the late Tony Rice that also play jazz, world music, etc.
@@brandonknight6104 I am sorry my statement was misconstrued. Billy could be a classical musician or a metal head and he would still be a force to be reckoned with. His progressive innovations are truly remarkable, the fact that he is based in bluegrass only adds to his mystique. I was paying him a complement about his musicianship. If you felt I was insulting the genre by my “beyond bluegrass” statement, I’m afraid that’s on you.
I'm one of those lucky people who get to say, "I knew him when." I'm so lucky to have seen him back in his days with Don Julin in northern Michigan probably a dozen times. My first time was at a local business's anniversary celebration. Don introduced him and at the end of that song, the crowd went wild. I think we all recognized he was going to blow up some day. Michigan has such incredible talent!
@@robertgorney9408 He's originally from Muir, in the Lansing area but he moved up here to Traverse City. He joined up with the right bunch and got him headed in the right direction. I'm sorry you folks still don't have safe water in Flint. :-(
TC here I got to see his real first time playing here. My cousin hosts open mic night at the The Hayloft he came in one night and blew the doors off. I saw him every chance I had , Lil Bo’s, The Workshop, Fountain Point , the basement at Horizon books and anywhere else he played. So glad to see his success.
To see Billy Strings playing Dead songs with an electric, check out his appearances with Bill Kreutzmann's band Billy & The Kids. There's the Grateful Mahalo stream sets or the Red Rocks shows from last summer, all of those have videos available to watch. The one beginning with "China Cat Sunflower" from Grateful Mahalo is my best recommendation out of those, and includes a Robert Hunter song called "Thunder" that Billy Strings wrote the music for.
DUUUUUUDE I’ve been meaning to request this guy for months. I’ve seen him 4 times in the past few months and it’s the wildest experience I’ve ever had. He covers Grateful Dead songs all the time at his shows. His studio albums are equally as amazing and definitely worth checking out
Their shows are absolute perfection! I saw them in Indianapolis in August, and seriously didn't hear a note out of place the entire show from any of the guys. Can't wait to catch them again.
You're about to go on a great musical journey... Watching Billy Strings has opened my eyes to a lot of amazing music I just didn't know about... Like Molly Tuttle, Marcus King, Doc Watson and more... I highly recommend Bill Strings playing Summertime with Marcus King
"Cluck Old Hen" and "The Cuckoo" with Don Julin is absolutely beautiful. I think I'm going to make a cup of coffee, finish the rest of my joint and play those 2 song's right now. Peace be unto you my friend.
I'd never heard his music before but went to his concert this summer. It was fantastic. The crowd was a chilled out bunch of dead/fish heads. The musicianship was outstanding. It was a great night.
The look on your face when Billy started singing was priceless!!!! Billy is wonderfully fierce!!!!! More of Billy!!!!!! Any video/song of his is awesome!!!!!
This is William Apostol. He lived with my good friend here in Michigan. He used his money to give every child at the elementary school he attended a good guitar
Billy came up where I reside; he was a frequent at our local establishments. It’s always amazing to see his growth, and the reactions of his growing fan base.
I love the genuineness of your reaction when he starts playing, and then when you catch the meaning of the lyrics. Fun fun! Billy is definitely the real deal and a joy to watch perform.
What I love about you sir. Is the fact that you are open to all forms of music. You recognize true talent no matter what kinda music it is. To me, you can't get anymore basic than this. Just a man and a guitar. No studio arrangement no nothing. Just flat out picking and singing.
Cluck Old Hen. The Cuckoo. 2 great songs that are a great introduction to this young man's talent's. Please give them a listen. I believe that you will be pleasantly surprised. ✌️
@@jbf4184 I have to agree. I hope he stays true to his roots, but talent like his has a life of it's own. Whoever put the current band together is a genius. They are all absolutely up there in talent. Billy benefitted greatly, in my opinion, with the time he spent with Don Julin. All of these people are and have been a great example for him. I'm fortunate to have been here to see him do his thing
Turmoil and tinfoil. Billy has so many great songs I would just just started the beginning and keep going this is a rabbit hole I fell into almost 2 years ago I’m still in the rabbit hole. Do yourself a favour even if you don’t make a bunch of reaction videos check out his catalogue. Billy strings is the real deal. Also worth mentioning check out when he plays with Billy and the kids.
Saw him in June, 2018 and have been hooked ever since... Saw them again in chicago in november, but was real bummed red rocks sold out..... Might head out to Innings festival and catch BMFS AND the Foo's....
Happy to have happened upon him when he was a street musician playing and singing on the street corner...tossed a few bucks in his guitar case and just listened (Traverse City MI) good to see him make the "big time"
One of your next Billy Strings reactions should be this same song done at the Grand Ole Opry. It shows the evolution of the song and Billy. I love when folks like Billy Strings and Teddy Swims are signed to recording contracts in large part to them showcasing their immense talent on RU-vid.
I had pretty much the same reaction the first-time I heard this song & I've been hooked ever since, with a name like Billy Strings he's got to play the guitar, which he does extremely well.👍
An amazing talent he is! His real name is William Apostol, this video is probably at least 6-7 years old before he went to Nashville. His voice and his playing have grown immensely since this. He grew up outside of Lansing Michigan got into some trouble there and moved to my hometown of Traverse City where he really started to work hard on his career. I saw him the first time he played at an open mic night my cousin hosts at a little dive bar and he blew my mind. I went and saw him every chance I had before he left for Nashville, probably a few dozen times at least. He played on the streets and small local bars until it was time to hit the big time in Nashville. So happy for him to achieve the success he has. You need to dig deeper in his music he won a Grammy and sells out everywhere he plays! His newer videos are really mind blowing he is one of the best flat pickers there is!
Just saw him last November on my birthday with my daughter. She has not been shown bluegrass music but she loved the show and the happiness and love vibe in the crowd was beautiful to see and experience.
That excitement of watching him from a "wow, this kid is the real deal, I hope the biz don't wreck him" to " I'm sure glad they didn't" is what I felt watching his progression over the last 6 years. And I just got on the bus when he put his own band together after his run with Don Julin; I can only imagine how his childhood friends feel. He has stayed true to himself. Doesn't drink anymore, never really abused hard drugs from what I've read, and doesn't seem to let the industry or anyone else tell him how to do it. He has certainly worked hard, appears to have surrounded himself with mostly wonderful people, and has definitely been true to his artistic soul. His singing is inspired, he writes beautiful music, he covers other artists with originality but a nod to respect their vision, and most of all, he flat picks a guitar better than anyone on the planet right now.
Goosebumps Brother…. Goosebumps. I grew up in West By God Virginia, right smack in the heart of Appalachia. Folk Music and Bluegrass is highly loved and revered to Appalachian Folk. When I heard that mighty fine guitar “pickin” and his voice took me right back home in 2.3 seconds.
You need to react to Billy Strings and Marcus King doing Summertime. Also Billy has a lot of really great songs. Turmoil and tinfoil is another one by Billy that gets a lot of attention.
You should definitely check out his Grateful Dead cover songs.... also the "Billy and The Kids" shows at Red Rocks that he played with Billy Kreutzmann from the Dead. ⚡
Jamal, I love your channel because you articulate the joy I find in music so much better than I can. And, you remind me so much of my best friend from so many years ago, the best man at my wedding, who I just reconnected with recently. Thank you for bringing smiles to my face!
The first time I saw him was at a festival several years ago. When his set was over, the crowd would not stop chanting for more. We didn't even care about another band starting on another stage. Billy came out into the crowd and did an acapella gospel song, and it was amazing. Check out Molly Tuttle, another great musician.
Hi Gramma gave him the name-he picked up the guitar as a little boy-his dad's a great player but Billy outshines everyone. Billy could play anything with strings and that's why his Gramma gave him the name
You need to hear something from the whole band recently. He put years of hard work into putting together the exact band members who can follow wherever he wants to go. Bluegrass->metal->Grateful Dead And he managed to hold on to that authenticity even now.
Just saw Billy Strings a few months ago. although curfew cut the show short and they never got to play dust in a baggie, it was one of the most incredible shows I’ve seen in my 45 years. Top class musicians. I’m such a fan, “in the morning light” was the song my wife came down the isle to when we got married last September.
So glad you found him! Check out away from the mire, or his cover of Pearl Jam’s elderly woman behind the counter in a small town. Just saw him live in Greensboro, NC a few days ago. Was my first concert since the pandemic hit. Been a fan so long, that night meant a lot to me!
They're like 80 bucks a Pop. He came around my area ON MY BIRTHDAY, and I just couldn't afford to go at the time. Now, he's coming back but I read on the site that sells the tickets that you have to be vaccinated or some such nonsense, so I'm assed out again.
@@jeffalbillar7625 you could just fuckin get vaxxed like a sane human. That is the stupidest reason to miss a show. Fighting bots to get tickets, that is the issue.
@@imawallass I used to see him for a few years at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival before he made it big. Man those were the days. One time I saw him for 30 bucks at the Saint in Asbury Park some years ago, there was maybe 100 people there. One year later he started blowing up. Now he sells out everywhere, good for Billy!!
@@stealyourboognish In June 2018, i saw the band for FREE at a local music festival near Chicago… After that show, i was hooked… And i was lucky enough to catch a show in November, but now i’m bummed red rocks was gone….
Bigger than the Dead? He’s got a few more years, albums, and shows to get under his belt before we start throwin that around, he’s got the potential though, that’s for sure!
Just went to my 1st Billy Strings show last week. Mesmerized... I've seen the greats, the legends but this kid just took me to 11 His band is the best, lyrics are masterful, and he's a genuine person
I started following Billy Strings about 4-5 years ago. Was on a drive back to Massachusetts from Florida and stopped at a bar In Tennessee and Billy was playing…. Kid has some damn fine picking skills!! Can make that guitar sing!!
When he was little his aunt used to say look at little Billy Strings when they were playing. She died right before he started playing at open nights. He wrote on the list Billy Strings in her honor and it stuck. Billy's hair gets long and then short and then sag and it changes over and over
I got to see Billy Strings live in Norfolk, VA about two weeks ago. (2/12/22) He was freakin' awesome!! So are the guys in his band. I would describe him as early New Grass Revival on steroids with a dash of Tony Rice thrown in. He's that good.
Amazed every time I hear this, it is almost unbelievable all that sound coming from 1 guitar and a 19 year old. That is talent and luckily he was found and has now won a grammy etc let's hope as you mentioned the industry and fame doesn't destroy him like it has so many others!
FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY, you got to BMFS!! Been recommending him to you for ages... While this is his most "famous" song, his repertoire goes WAYYYY beyond this....and rest assured, he's still a down to earth dude like he was in this vid.... Search up his guitar giveaway in his hometown in Michigan.... Anyway, this was the perfect vid to start you down this VERY DEEP rabbit hole.... Hope you get to do some more BMFS vids.....he and the fellas in the band will hook you in like the Grateful Dead did...trust me. PS--the "dust" is meth, and the song was based on real life experiences......
@@bubbazanetti84 Yes and no. He was around 19-20 during this perfomance… He wrote this song about a FRIEND who got busted twice for meth. After the 2nd time, they slapped him with 20 years….
Bluegrass is a cool music genre and typically doesn't get hardly any airtime on the radio. These guys like Billy and Molly Tuttle get found playing at local music festivals and county fairs. It's mind blowing how much super talent is out there in this world that just sit on the porch and pick and sing their hearts out.
Billy Strings is the REAL DEAL! I had the opportunity to see him and his band (all incredible musicians) play in Tucson a couple years back....blew my mind. Check out “Must Be Seven”, “Wargasm”, videos. He also played on Jimmy Kimmel recently..song “Red Daisy”....so good.
Every time you see Billy it will be the best show you’ve seen to date, even nights in a row it will be an all new set list. IMO, by far, the best band on the road today, any genre
He's awesome! This was the first vid I saw of his a few years ago. I've been hooked ever since. Great choice! He has a Grammy now. I think this should be the first video people watch to start the journey.
Check out "Turmoil and Tinfoil" by Billy Strings I was lucky enough to see him in 2019 before he took off and then again early 2020. He puts on a great live show with his band.
Absolutely loved your reaction to that. Mine was the same which prompted me to learn about the sad sad life this kid was forced to live. He was born into drug addiction, lost family members to it, and sings about it an awful lot. He signs about the negatives of drugs which I believe is a good strong message. But man man man can this kid play! He also can bass fish like nobody’s business! If he was in a local smallmouth derby, I’d consider him a stick to watch out for!
Here's an excellent live video of Meet Me at the Creek... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EEzWuT1RyQk.html I particularly like when he taps back into his heavy metal roots and does some head banging while playing.
I had listened to his biography just last night. He grew up in horrible conditions as many of us have. He taught me a new word that fits a mindset I’ve tried to live by in failure at various points during my youth. “Sublimation”. If you’ve cared to read this far, look it up and appreciate the young mans efforts in life. It’s good to see any human pick themselves up and make a life. His step dad taught him how to pick. The influences were far from perfect in other areas of the life they led, however Billy Strings refuses negative memories and emotions to prevail over the appreciation he has for the positive. That’s the honest hood work. Take the hood leave the bad behind.
Cool that you had a chance to check out Billy. The answer to has the industry changed him? No it has not. This dude is the real deal and works hard to be real with people and real with himself. He is one of those rare artist that you see that just spills out and channels his talent. Very rare to and very fortunate that we get to witness his journey. As the others have already said, if you like Phish, the Dead? Billy is right up your alley. He blends bluegrass with jam band. Jerry Garcia is one of his idols and Billy will often pay homage in his concerts to cover a plethora of dead tunes. Like others have already said, just check out his live at red rocks with Billy and the kids from 2021. Thunder, china doll, me and my uncle, Peggy-O. He co wrote the song Thunder which the lyrics were unreleased dead lyrics given to him by Bill Kreutzman. Billy wrote the music in one day and shot it back to Bill which absolutely blew him away. As others have also said, check out Billy’s own newer music. Turmoil and Tin Foil would be a good next one to go to, highway hypnosis, meet me at the creek, hide and seek, taking water, home, in the morning light, heartbeat of America, Show me the door. There’s a ton he has now. He’s won a Grammy for the last album, nominated for a couple more for his new album that he will probably win. Amazing talent.
JAMAL! When you mention what it’s like knowing people that take off like that. I watched Tyler Childers play open mic night for the first time to like 12 people here in Huntington WV. His core band members, Craig, James and Rod used to play in a super aggressive rock band called Deadbeats & Barkers. I watched them play countless shows to tiny, drunk ass crowds. When they got together it was explosive and my childhood homie took them on as a manager and they freakin took off! It’s surreal, I went and saw em in an arena in Tyler’s hometown on New Years year before last and was almost in tears the entire time. Watchin over 10,000 people going nuts for your friends, singing every word at the top of their lungs, dancing their asses off, and I just remember times like Tyler playing an afternoon show at a local bar/restaurant that was packed but only about 7 people even turned to look at him and now homies playin Red Rocks. It’s an amazing feeling.
More Billy Strings! Credit to Billy's Mom, what with him holding onto that guitar when he was being born! Tinfoil and Turnfoil Watch it Fall While I'm Waiting Here
