Watch Billy Strings & Michael Cleveland Swap Sit-Ins At Bourbon & Beyond

Grammy-winning bluegrass artists Billy Strings and Michael Cleveland were both on the bill at last night’s Bourbon & Beyond festival kickoff. The guitarist and fiddler swapped sit-ins in their respective sets.

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Billy began the sit-in swap with fiddler extraordinaire-led Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper. Guitarist Josh Richards introduced a song of his called “Mescaline” saying, “There was a guitarist and singer who had a song about cocaine, something about a little bag of cocaine or something, and I thought if he can sing about that I can sing about peyote, right?”

Strings conveniently emerged not long after and received a big cheer from the audience as well as a congratulations from Michael as the guitarist recently got married. “This is really gonna get crazy,” Cleveland said as the collab got into “Mescaline.”

Richards led the band through the song before Billy and Michael traded riffs to cap off the 10-minute rendition. Strings stayed on to add to a tune he contributed to in the studio, “For Your Love,” off Cleveland’s latest album Lovin’ Of The Game — originally written by Joe Ely.

Watch Billy join Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper below:

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Billy Strings got his own set underway with the Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe’s “I’m Going Back To Old Kentucky,” last time played nearly a year ago for a 103 show gap, as per BillyBase. Billy’s Bourbon & Beyond set included favorites like “Away From The Mire,” “Dust In A Baggie” and a three-song seamless sequence of “Fire Line,” “Taking Water” and “Ice Bridges.”

Cleveland came out after “Ice Bridges” for Red Allen and The Kentuckians’ “Hello, City Limits” and teamed up with Billy Strings’ fiddler Alex Hargreaves for some tasty dual fiddle action before laying down a smoking solo of his own. Billy Strings then dusted off the Bill Monroe-recorded “With Body & Soul,” last played on July 18, 2020 for a 300 show gap.

A big fiddle finale then came on Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys’ “Roanoke,” with Cleveland and Hargreaves teaming up once again to conclude the collab. Billy and the band then went it alone for “Love and Regret,” “Wargasm” and “Little Maggie” to seal their set.

Watch video of Michael Cleveland’s sit-in with Billy Strings below:

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Billy Strings Setlist (via BillyBase)

Set: I’m Going Back To Old Kentucky[1], Bronzeback, Away From The Mire, Hellbender, Dust In A Baggie, Fire Line > Taking Water > Ice Bridges, Hello City Limits[2], With Body & Soul[2][3],Roanoke[2], Love and Regret, Wargasm, Little Maggie

Notes:

• [1] Last Played 2022-09-24 | 103 show gap
• [2] Michael Cleveland on fiddle
• [3] Last Played 2020-07-18 | 300 show gap

Source: JamBase.com