As we are just a couple weeks out from 2019’s Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots Festival we thought it would be a good idea to catch up with some of the artists returning for the fest’s second year for a quick fire round of questions about what they loved about the inaugural event and their hopes for this years weekend of bluegrass, roots and celebration of music.

Today’s featured artist is Carling Berkhout, half of the rootsy instrumental duo Carling & Will and a third of the trio Surplus Daughters.

RLR: You performed at the festival last year for its very first event. What were the highlights for you as an artist performing at the first GMBR and also as a lover of music, what were the highlights that you saw on stage (or off) from your friends and contemporaries?

CB: We played early Friday morning and it rained; like, was pouring, and there was something so cool about looking out from the stage and seeing people standing listening to our set in a rainstorm. It was a pretty beautiful moment. As a lover of music, there were so many highlights –– watching an entire, packed field of people go silent as Mandolin Orange played “Take This Heart of Gold,” stage lit up, sky full of stars, and all else dark… that was incredible.

RLR: What are your hopes for this year as a returning artist? Any thing you would like to see play out? Collaborations you hope to see?

CB: I loved seeing Andrew Marlin and Eli West play a Sunday gospel set last year, so I’m pushing for that to happen again!

RLR: Similarly…what set are you most pumped for?

CB: Oh man, definitely Mandolin Orange. I’m psyched for all of the sets, but I absolutely cannot wait to see them play, especially after releasing Tides of a Teardrop. I specifically want to hear “Time We Made Time.” That’s what I’m most pumped for down to the exact five minutes.

RLR: The biggest piece of GMBR is this collaborative community mindset. Bluegrass and folk music in and of itself really lends itself to that and last year it was kind of a family reunion of sorts back stage with artists that hadn’t seen each other in a while. What does that sensibility mean to you as an artist in this scene?

CB: Ha, I’ve been a full-time student for my entire life thus far and music has been something I do on the side when I can find the time to, so I really don’t have a lot of close friends in the scene. For me, last year’s festival was more so about meeting a bunch of people who I had heard a lot about, or talked to via social media, which was awesome. It’s less so of a reunion, but I’m excited to meet even more musicians this year!

RLR: What else do you have going on? Anything you want to push?

CB: Carling & Will is releasing our long-awaited, debut album hopefully by the end of 2019. It’s primarily electric guitar and banjo, all original tunes, and we’re psyched at how well the instrumentation is blending. We’re really looking forward to putting it out there.

Also, I released a self-titled album with my friends, Surplus Daughters, this spring. It’s mostly traditional songs and ballads. Hope you’ll check it out.

Carling & Will were another act from last year that I was lucky enough to film a session for GMBR with. Check it below…