Old Salt Union

A modern progressive string band, Old Salt Union merges respect for bluegrass tradition with acoustic instrumentation while incorporating jazz, jam-band, and alternative-rock influences into an organic yet boldly exploratory sound. Their willingness to address unconventional subjects and apply rock-oriented production stands out even as the core acoustic approach remains central. The group kept things relatively direct on the independent 2014 album Bridge, then moved toward greater sophistication on their first Compass Records effort, the self-titled 2017 release, without forsaking that acoustic base.

Based in Belleville, Illinois, the act began attracting notice during the mid-2010s through self-released projects and festival appearances; word-of-mouth momentum grew from slots at Stagecoach and LouFest. Banjoist Ryan Murphey and guitarist Dustin Eiskant founded the band in 2012, soon adding mandolinist Justin Wallace and fiddler John Brighton. Bassist Jesse Farrar—Eiskant’s cousin and nephew of Son Volt’s Jay Farrar—joined in 2014 after the EP Western Skies appeared. That same year Old Salt Union issued the full-length Bridge and the EP Woodshed, recordings that elevated them within the national bluegrass circuit and helped them claim the 2015 FreshGrass competition. Extensive touring as openers and festival performers—more than 200 shows in a single year—paved the way for the 2016 Cut and Run EP. Following that release Eiskant departed, succeeded by Rob Kindle. Early in 2017 the band signed with Compass Records and delivered their label debut that August. After two years of consistent touring they returned to the studio, resulting in the August 2019 Compass album Where the Dogs Don't Bite.