We came across Billy Failing as we do so many other fantastic artists, through another artist that we love. Just back at the end of September I was fortunate to catch Billy Strings at Higher Ground in Burlington and while Strings is a marvel to behold perform live, the banjo player’s mind boggling licks and tasteful classic bluegrass harmonies had me nodding and saying “fuck yea” to myself multiple times over the course of the band’s set.

Failing is a multi instrumentalist and singer-songwriter in his own right as well. Earlier this year he released “Calling My Trouble By Name” and this week it is our featured album of the week. Failing succeeds tremendously in an environment where we sometimes see a lot of young artists fail, managing to take traditions and blend them with virtuosic contemporary playing the elevates the genre while paying respect to what came before.

As you will see in the video, the bluegrass community is a strong supporter of “getting by with a little help from your friends” and a few familiar faces are in this take of Billy’s “So Many Miles” with John Mailander on fiddle and aforementioned Mr. Billy Strings on acoustic guitar. The tune itself has a very traditional feel and Failing’s vocal lends itself beautifully to the genre. Simple but strong. 

Check it out below and be sure to pick up “Calling My Trouble By Name” if you are looking for some new music to scratch your contemporary bluegrass itch.