The 7th annual Strings & Sol got underway on Friday at Now Sapphire and Dreams Resort & Spa in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. The multi-day, bluegrass-centric destination event features the likes of Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth, Billy Strings, The Lil Smokies and Infamous Stringdusters. Last night Yonder Mountain String Band and Greensky Bluegrass kicked things off with guest-filled sets on Strings & Sol’s main stage.
Yonder Mountain officially got things underway with “Casualty” from their 2009 release The Show. The band would deliver takes on “Chasing My Tail,” “I Need To Know” and “Nowhere Next” ahead of inviting out Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone and Andy Hall. The augmented ensemble dug in on a take of “Traffic Jam.” The mid-point of the set was highlighted by a seamless stretch of “Just The Same” and “Bad Taste” with a freeform jam segueing into a string band version of Edger Winter’s instrumental classic “Frankenstein.” Andy Dunnigan of The Lil Smokies and Billy Strings emerged to help close out the set as they paired Del McCoury’s “All Aboard” with Yonder Mountain’s “Sidewalk Stars.”
Greensky Bluegrass was up next as they opened up their portion of the night with their take on Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town.” The Grand Rapids-based band would then sandwich “In Control” in the middle of “Leap Year” from their 2014 release If Sorrows Swim. Around the midway point of the set Greensky welcomed Lindsay Lou who assisted on a version of “Beauty And Pain” that was dedicated to Railroad Earth’s Andy Goessling, who recently passed away. Two songs later Billy Strings reemerged teaming up with his longtime friends on “Freeborn Man.” Later, The Lil Smokies’ Jake Simpson joined in for “Lose My Way” with “Kerosene” bringing the main stage festivities to a close. Check out the full setlist below:
Setlists
Yonder Mountain String Band
Set: Casualty, Chasing My Tail, I Need To Know, Nowhere Next, Traffic Jam (w/ Tim Carbone & Andy Hall), Dancing In The Moonlight, Just The Same > Bad Taste > Jam > Frankenstein, Hey Day, All Aboard (w/ Andy Dunnigan & Billy Strings) > Sidewalk Stars (w/ Andy Dunnigan & Billy Strings)
Greensky Bluegrass (via Camp Greensky)
Set: The Boys Are Back In Town, Leap Year > In Control > Leap Year, Wings For Wheels, Old Barns, Hit Parade Of Love, What You Need, Beauty And Pain (w/ Lindsay Lou & Dedicated To Andy Goessling), Past My Prime, Freeborn Man (w/ Billy Strings), Lose My Way (w/ Jake Simpson), Kerosene
Encore: Bone Digger
