Billy Strings Unveils Live EP Featuring Otherworldly 38-Minute Jam

Guitarist Billy Strings unveiled a live recording today via Reprise Records consisting of a lone track from his March 4, 2023 concert in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The 38-minute sequence features a mighty “Meet Me At Creek” encompassing additional originals “Pyramid Country” and “Must Be Seven.”

Strings and his band — bassist Royal Masat, fiddler Alex Hargreaves, banjo wiz Billy Failing and mandolinist Jarrod Walker — settled in Winston-Salem’s Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum for a two-night stand on March 3 and 4. The first night was a celebration of Doc Watson's 100th birthday featuring guest appearances by Molly Tuttle, Bryan Sutton, ​​Ted Olson, Jack Hinshelwood, Jack Lawrence, T. Michael Coleman, Wayne Henderson and Wyatt Ellis. The Michigan native returned to the 14,665-seat arena on Saturday, March 4 for a show that saw Billy Strings use Tony Rice’s storied 1935 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar during the encore.

Billy Strings’ first solo release on Reprise Records is an example of the dynamic live performances which have helped the guitarist build an audience capable of filling arenas. The “Meet Me At The Creek” > “Pyramid Country” > “Must Be Seven” > “Meet Me At The Creek” run came before the “Red Daisy” that closed Strings’ second set in Winston-Salem on March 4.

While studio versions of both “Meet Me At The Creek” and “Pyramid Country” are featured on Billy’s 2017 record Tinfoil & Turmoil, Strings put out “Must Be Seven” on his Grammy-winning 2019 LP Home. The five-piece spent nearly 20 minutes on the improv-filled “Meet Me At The Creek” in Winston-Salem ahead of a transition into the instrumental “Pyramid Country.”

More jamming followed as the band moved from hushed tones to a strong peak with Strings utilizing an array of effects on his acoustic to introduce “Must Be Seven.” The guitarist and his bandmates soon returned to exploratory mode to connect “Must Be Seven” and the end of “Meet Me At The Creek.” A typically humble Strings thanked the crowd and honored fans for “making my dreams come true” to conclude the track.

Longtime Billy Strings FOH sound engineer Andy Lytle captured the recording, which was mixed by Brandon Bell and mastered by Brandon Bell. Listen to Billy Strings’ new live release below:

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Billy Strings resumes his fall tour tonight in Baltimore with the first of two shows at CFG Bank Arena. Livestreams are available for free with a nugs.net subscription.