Greensky Bluegrass is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a fresh take on an old favorite. The progressive bluegrass veterans have unveiled a reimagined version of their beloved track “Old Barns”, accompanied by a new video, as they gear up to release their anniversary album, XXV, on October 31st via Big Blue Zoo Records/Thirty Tigers.
Mandolinist Paul Hoffman reflected on the song’s lasting impact: “This song marked the beginning of a new writing style. I started listening to things around me more than trying to control all the ideas. This song is special because it’s a survival story about my friend’s father from his perspective. I learned something really special about love and being a parent. Now that I am a father, the power of the lesson is even more profound, and I carry it with me.”
XXV compiles newly reimagined versions of Greensky classics with help from an impressive lineup of collaborators who have shaped the band’s 25-year journey. Billy Strings, Sam Bush, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lindsay Lou, Holly Bowling, Aoife O’Donovan, Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, and Jason Hann all lend their voices and sounds to the record. “We’ve reinvented the sounds of some of our (dare I say) ‘hits’ because after a quarter century of Greensky Bluegrass, with plenty of new music on the horizon, we believe it’s worth celebrating what the five of us have created together… and we want you to have a damn good time listening to it,” dobroist Anders Beck said.
From the band’s beginnings at an impromptu jam in Kalamazoo, MI in 2000, Greensky Bluegrass—Anders Beck (dobro), Paul Hoffman (mandolin), Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), and Mike Devol (bass)—has grown into one of the premier live acts in the Americana and progressive bluegrass world. Known for its marathon tours, exploratory jams, and fiercely loyal fan base, the band has become a staple on the live music circuit and at iconic venues like The Ryman and Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where the group will notch its 20th performance this September.
Greensky Bluegrass is currently on the road with summer and fall headline dates across North America, including stops in New England, the Midwest, the South, and two special hometown anniversary shows at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo on October 31st and November 1st. The year caps with a return to Mexico for the band’s co-headlined festival, Strings & Sol. Click below for a full list of upcoming tour dates and head here for tickets.
Watch the new “Old Barns” video below, or stream the track on your preferred platform. Scroll down to view the full XXV tracklist.
Greensky Bluegrass – “Old Barns”
XXV TRACKLIST:
1. Can’t Stop Now (feat. Sam Bush)
2. In Control (feat. Lindsay Lou)
3. Reverend (feat. Billy Strings)
4. Broken Highways
5. Old Barns
6. Last Winter in the Copper Country (feat. Holly Bowling)
7. Past My Prime (feat. Nathaniel Rateliff)
8. 33443
9. What You Need (feat. Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman)
10. Who is Frederico? (feat. Jason Hann)
11. Lose My Way (feat. Aoife O’Donovan and Ivan Neville)
12. Windshield (feat. Holly Bowling)
13. Drink Up and Go Home