NEPA Scene Staff

Young bluegrass phenom Billy Strings returns to Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Jan. 29

Young bluegrass phenom Billy Strings returns to Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Jan. 29
Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

From a press release:

Seen at the Susquehanna Breakdown Music Festival in Scranton earlier this year, Billy Strings averages more than 200 live performances each year, so with a brand new new album in tow, the Nashville-based bluegrass sensation is doing what he does best – hitting the road.

Billy Strings will bring his virtuosic guitar skills back to the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Monday, Jan. 29, 2018 at 8 p.m. as part of the venue’s “Live from the Chandelier Lobby” concert series, sponsored by City Market & Café.

Tickets, which are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the show, plus fees, go on sale this Friday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at the Kirby Center box office (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre), online at kirbycenter.org, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A Kirby Member pre-sale begins this Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m.

Whether sharing stages with acoustic music royalty, crisscrossing the nation playing as a solo artist, or performing high-energy, jaw-dropping sets at festivals, the reaction to Billy Strings tends to come in two varieties: “Who is this guy?” and “That kid can play!”

Raised in Michigan and based in Nashville, Strings – real name William Apostol – learned music from his father, who had learned it from his father and his father before him. Maybe that’s why, at 24, Strings’ songs, his articulation, and his entire approach sounds so authentic and steeped in tradition.

While Strings’ profile as a guitarist and singer in the acoustic/bluegrass scene continues to grow, he has already earned some landmark achievements.

He has been invited to play on stage with Del McCoury, David Grisman, Larry Keel, Sam Bush, Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters, Leftover Salmon, and more. He’s landed coveted slots at festivals like Pickathon, Merlefest, DelFest, High Sierra Music Festival, and Grey Fox, to name a few, and he’s shared bills with popular touring acts Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters, Yonder Mountain Stringband, Leftover Salmon, Cabinet from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and more.

And the industry has taken notice: Strings won the IBMA 2016 Momentum Awards Instrumentalist of the Year for guitar, banjo, and mandolin and was voted No. 1 in scene tastemaker Bluegrass Situation’s Top 16 of ’16.

On Sept. 22, Strings’ first full-length album, “Turmoil & Tinfoil,” was released to critical acclaim. While the album boasts his usual flare on the six-string, it also showcases Strings as a talented lyricist. On all 13 tracks, he explores his more psychedelic side, with spoken word and trippy lyrics intertwined with heartache, pain and, of course, turmoil.

See NEPA Scene’s photos from the 2017 Susquehanna Breakdown here.