Steamboat Magazine: You’re back again for year two! What are you looking forward to this year? Any tips from other artists for being on the main stage for the first time? 

DA: Really the location itself is beautiful, there isn’t really anything else like it. You’re outside at a ski resort in the middle of winter with a bunch of people who love the same music you do, it’s pretty cool. 

LB: I’m a little nervous about the harsh elements and being in the cold, but I’ve heard fingerless gloves are helpful and I think they have heaters, but that is all part of the fun. I’m super hyped to play in front of the main stage crowd. I remember last year watching Andy Frasco crowd surfing and the crowd was going absolutely nuts – I’m excited for that kind of energy. 

SM: You blend bluegrass with a whole mix of genres like country, jazz, rock, metal – what is the weirdest influence that has made it into your music? 

SW: The weirdest thing we do is a cover of a song called “Chicken in the Corn.” It was a joke between the band because of this famous YouTube video. After hours of traveling with the band you get a little delirious and certain things are funnier that way. It just became this inside joke so we always try to sneak it into some jams – just because it's fun for us. 

LB: We are influenced by so many things – jazz, reggae – but being here at Berklee, lately I’ve gotten into classical music, which I wasn’t a huge fan of to begin with, and having my ears open up to it has been a good learning experience. We’re all over the place, I’ve been listening to a lot of Allman Brothers and southern rock lately, kind of going back to those Alabama roots.

SM: Your song “Hey Mama” touches on life’s transitions. What’s an unexpected transition that has happened for the band that’s totally changed the game for you?

DA: We’re all in different locations, and I think at first we weren’t really sure what the gig situation was going to look like. From our first year to now, we’ve gained a team and we’re able to travel on the weekends to some really amazing gigs. Sure, it will be a lot cooler when we’ve all graduated this spring and can hit the road more, but we’re really thankful we get to do this the way we have been. We’re looking forward to playing in Asheville, Burlington, and obviously WinterWonderGrass.

SW: Another thing that has really changed the game for us was the addition of Josiah. He joined us last summer, initially for 10 shows, and after the third show we decided there was no way in hell we could go back. He was not only absolutely ripping the fiddle – but is just a great person to have along for the ride. He made our sound more complete, which has helped us with our sound. 

SM: Who are you most excited to see or sit in with at WonderGrass this year?

LB: I was going to say Shadowgrass, we actually went to school with a few of them, and taught some lessons with Madison and Luke so it will be good to see those guys again. There’s a bunch of people that we’ve been able to start doing shows with over the past few years that we’ve really looked up to, and now we get to be sort of friends with them. It’s awesome to cross paths and jam. Excited for Sam Bush, Daniel Donato too – I’d love to hang out with him. We got to open for Leftover Salmon, so we’re happy to see everyone. 

DA: I’m looking forward to the smaller festival vibe, we’ve done a few different festivals, and something special about WinterWonderGrass is that all the music is so close, everyone is jumping into other people’s sets, and it doesn’t matter what tent you’re in, there’s great music happening all over. 

SM: Speaking of festivals, you did WinterWonderGrass last year, Renewal, DelFest – do you have any good behind the scenes moments? 

JN: I mean Renewal pretty much has topped it all for me. You know, Billy Strings flying out on Ringo Starr’s private jet, and then their team asking us to step in. That was a huge moment for us. Luke and Drury had to go first because they were there the first night, so I think they had a more nerve wracking experience, even though it was so exciting. Thankfully we had done a tribute set to Billy over the summer, so we were as prepared as we could have been – although nothing makes you ready to play with Billy Strings’ entire band in front of thousands of people. 

SW: One of the funniest things I have ever seen was when we were at DelFest, and we were tucked back in this room jamming and getting ready for our set later in the afternoon. We’re in the middle of a jam and we hear banging on this side door, that isn’t really an entrance. Luke goes over there and he kicks the door open and ends up almost kicking Del McCoury in the face with the door. He felt so bad. 

SM: If you could only play one song from your set for the rest of time what would you pick? 

JN: I always enjoy when we do “Hey Mama.” That one is fun because I get to shred a little bit on it.

LB: One of my favorites to improvise and rip on is “Jericho” so I’m in that same boat.

DA: I’m a fan of the key of A so I’m going to go with “South Woodridge,” which is one of our originals that we haven’t done in a little while. We'll need to play that one again soon.

SW: I’d say something in the key of A too, but to be different than Drury, I’d say anything that mashes pretty hard. “Box Car” is always a good one or anything in D.