Biography
A quintet of expert instrumentalists from Missouri, the Hillbenders carved out their identity in progressive bluegrass during the 2000s through original material that blended rock and country melodies with precise acoustic settings grounded in tradition. Their early awards preceded the 2012 release of their debut album, Down to My Last Dollar, yet wider recognition arrived with the third album, Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry, whose inventive rendering of the Who's landmark 1969 rock opera drew fresh listeners in 2015. The band later returned focus to its own songwriting on the self-titled fourth album issued in 2018.
Formed in Springfield, Missouri in 2008, the lineup centered on lead singer and mandolinist Nolan Lawrence together with guitarist Jimmy Rea, Dobro specialist Chad Graves, banjo player Mark Cassidy, and bassist Gary Rea. National notice followed swiftly: the group captured the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition title and the 2010 National Single Microphone Competition crown, the latter honoring the single-microphone approach pioneered by Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. A six-song EP appeared the same year in tandem with the IBMA World of Bluegrass Festival.
After building an audience through road work and major festival appearances, the Hillbenders signed with Compass Records and issued Down to My Last Dollar in 2012, which included a guest turn by Jeremy Garrett of the Infamous Stringdusters; the follow-up, Can You Hear Me?, surfaced in 2013. Producer and South by Southwest co-founder Louis Meyers then recruited them for an acoustic bluegrass version of Tommy. A well-received 2015 SXSW live presentation led to the Compass studio recording that entered the national bluegrass chart at number three and attracted coverage across both bluegrass and rock outlets. Pete Townshend viewed performance footage, expressed approval, and invited the musicians to a Who concert in Nashville where the project was discussed afterward.
Although Tommy anchored set lists for the next two years, the members kept writing and began introducing new pieces, often in encores. Those songs reached the self-titled album cut live with producer Eric Uglum, employing no overdubs beyond harmony vocals; the 2018 collection contained nine originals, an acoustic reading of MGMT's "Kids," and "I've Got a Mind to Move On," which paired a Jim Rea melody with a 1971 John Hartford poem.
Formed in Springfield, Missouri in 2008, the lineup centered on lead singer and mandolinist Nolan Lawrence together with guitarist Jimmy Rea, Dobro specialist Chad Graves, banjo player Mark Cassidy, and bassist Gary Rea. National notice followed swiftly: the group captured the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition title and the 2010 National Single Microphone Competition crown, the latter honoring the single-microphone approach pioneered by Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. A six-song EP appeared the same year in tandem with the IBMA World of Bluegrass Festival.
After building an audience through road work and major festival appearances, the Hillbenders signed with Compass Records and issued Down to My Last Dollar in 2012, which included a guest turn by Jeremy Garrett of the Infamous Stringdusters; the follow-up, Can You Hear Me?, surfaced in 2013. Producer and South by Southwest co-founder Louis Meyers then recruited them for an acoustic bluegrass version of Tommy. A well-received 2015 SXSW live presentation led to the Compass studio recording that entered the national bluegrass chart at number three and attracted coverage across both bluegrass and rock outlets. Pete Townshend viewed performance footage, expressed approval, and invited the musicians to a Who concert in Nashville where the project was discussed afterward.
Although Tommy anchored set lists for the next two years, the members kept writing and began introducing new pieces, often in encores. Those songs reached the self-titled album cut live with producer Eric Uglum, employing no overdubs beyond harmony vocals; the 2018 collection contained nine originals, an acoustic reading of MGMT's "Kids," and "I've Got a Mind to Move On," which paired a Jim Rea melody with a 1971 John Hartford poem.
Albums
