From Phish to Tool to PBS, everyone is hopping on the Billy Strings train these days. The bluegrass guitarist appeals to a wide audience—reeling in fans of bluegrass, jam bands, metal, and much more—so it wasn’t much of a stretch to see Indiana electro-jam-funk band Dizgo debut a cover of Billy Strings’ “Stratosphere Blues” at a recent show. What was more surprising, though, was that Billy saw a video of the cover online and gave it his sterling endorsement.
Dizgo was in Atlanta on Friday for Mental Awakening, sharing the lineup with Eggy, Shadowgrass, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Clay Street Unit, Arkansauce, and others. For Dizgo’s prime-time set ahead of Shadowgrass, the band had a couple surprises in store, starting with its debut of Don Henley‘s “Dirty Laundry”. While ’80s dad rock might not be for everyone, Billy Strings’ spacey psychedelic ballad “Stratosphere Blues” has a much wider appeal thanks to its Floydian genes coupled with brooding piano and engaging breakbeats. “Stratosphere Blues” appears on Strings’ chart-topping 2024 album Highway Prayers, paired with the inspirational “I Believe in You” as a single track. Dizgo left off the latter half of the movement on Friday.
Following the show, Dizgo shared pro-shot footage of the cover on social media, noting that keyboardist Jake Evatt brought the tune into soundcheck for the band to try. Billy Strings himself was lurking in the comment section, heaping praise onto Dizgo as he wrote, “Wow this is better than the original ❤️🙌❤️🙌”.
Watch Dizgo cover Billy Strings’ “Stratosphere Blues” in Atlanta. Dizgo will get back on the road next week for a string of shows in Ohio and Pennsylvania, while Billy Strings is due in Tampa tonight, April 9th, for a one-off show ahead of a two-night weekend run in Savannah, GA. Find tickets and tour dates on Dizgo’s and Billy Strings’ respective websites.
Dizgo — “Stratosphere Blues” (Billy Strings) — 4/4/25
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