Chris Abell says that bluegrass often brings people together for impromptu music sessions. These sessions slowly built the four-person progressive bluegrass band Lowland Ramblers. They’re now competing for a chance to play at Bourbon & Beyond, a festival that includes the likes of Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers.
With Abell on guitar, the band is completed by Blythe Dahlem on mandolin, Alex Abend on double bass, and Sam Sanford on banjo. They define their sound as traditional bluegrass with a twist.
“We’re rooted in tradition but not altered by it. I think that we show our reverence for those that came before us, but we also want to show all of our musical influences,” Abell said.
Each band member brings a slew of individual tastes to the music they produce. For example, Abell is rooted in R&B, funk, and pop punk, while Dahlem finds ties to jam bands and bluegrass.
With this diasporic sense of sound, Abell said it makes for a unique blend that even longtime bluegrass fans may not have heard before.
“We show all of those sounds in our show. So it’s really a unique and energetic experience that I think that anyone can enjoy,” Abell said.
The group found their way to the Louisville-based competition Battle of the Strings as a chance to build confidence. They originally worked together to create a pristine audition tape with a contracted videographer, but ultimately, life got in the way, and they couldn’t tie it all together in time.
Not wanting to miss the chance to compete, they grabbed a short clip from a live show — during which they were missing Sanford — and hoped for the best.
Even though he knew it wasn’t the group’s best performance, Abell said they still held on to hope that they could get the chance to compete. The email came just a few days later letting them know the whole band — including Sanford — had qualified for the competition’s semifinal round this Saturday in Louisville.
There, four bands will compete head to head for a shot to play at Bourbon & Beyond 2024 on September 19-22. They are competing against other bluegrass bands from across the Commonwealth.
The headliners for Bourbon & Beyond have already been announced and included big-name acts such as Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, the Dave Matthews Band, Sting, and more.
Reflecting back, Abel said the bluegrass landscape doesn’t feel now like it did when was growing up — and that’s extremely welcoming, he said. All four Lowland Ramblers are native Owensboroans, and Abell said the bluegrass push wasn’t there much when they were younger.
“Other than ROMP and, before that, the World of Bluegrass Festival, there wasn’t really a lot of push for bluegrass here. It’s kind of a new thing that the city is grabbing a hold of, and I think it’s great,” Abell said.
Abell said they feel that renewed push as a band, and it’s making it fun to find other bluegrass acts in the area. They are thankful for the support the band has already garnered locally.
“We’re so fortunate that we’re in a time where Owensboro is really embracing the regional heritage that we have with bluegrass music and that it’s worked out for us,” he said.
They Lowland Ramblers will perform at Friday After 5 on August 9, with more local shows to come. Stay up do date by visiting their Facebook page.
