When I first got into the borderlands of bluegrass music music there were a few bands that hit me immediately. Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams, Del McCoury and Leftover Salmon were among those acts that made a big impact on me early on. I am really pumped to catch the band live this weekend at Freshgrass as they end Saturday’s festivities at 10:30 PM to lead us into the night.

I caught up with bassist Greg Garrison to talk about what the festival means for the band and some pretty exciting discussions around collaborations they have been stewing up. Check it.

RLR: So, why are you excited for Freshgrass this year?

Greg Garrison: Freshgrass is such a cool festival- a really interesting setting, great bands and music, and a fun hang for all involved.  Such a beautiful part of the country as well.  We’re always happy to spend some time up there!

RLR: A big part of what Red Line Roots stands for is collaboration, community and bringing folks together and fostering an environment where artists help each other. How do you feel about that preservation of unity and family sentiment as it applies to a festival like Freshgrass? How does it play into your own music and where you come from?

GG: We really enjoy interacting with the community at festivals like Freshgrass- both the musical community (through having artists sit in and collaborate), and the “festivarian” community by just being out and about hanging, picking, and integrating.  Nothing says family like “FESTIVAL!!!!!”.

RLR: If you could collaborate with anyone (dead or alive) musically, who would it be? How about seeing anyone on stage together or joining you for your set this weekend?

GG: Hmm, that’s a tricky one.  Probably Zamfir, the master of the pan pipes.  I’ve heard he plays a mean version of “Gold Rush” in the key of Eb.  As far as this weekend, we’re going to just let all of the other artists come sit in at any point in time.  We’ve been working up parts of Handel’s “Messiah” with the Sara’s and Aoife and the McCoury clan, so maybe we’ll get into some of that.  Grant Gordy might make an appearance on some reggae (comin’ up) music too, he’s the most underrated Wailer by far.

RLR: What is 1 record that shaped you when you first started playing and also, who is 1 ‘lesser known’/independent artist or an album that you are listening to now that you think folks really need to hear about?

GG: John Coltrane’s “Crescent” album was really big for me.  As was Iron Maiden’s “Live After Death”.  One lesser know artist you should know about is Black Catholic- a really underground experimental band, very drum focused, that plays mostly the music of Richard Dunn.  I’ve been around them a few times, and its incredibly groundbreaking stuff.  I don’t even think they have a website yet, it’s that new.

RLR: Anything else you want to plug?

GG: We’ve got a new live record called “25” that is coming your way in November.  We hand picked 25 tracks (for our 25 year anniversary) from live shows over the past few years and stuck them all in one place for your consumption.