Don’t You Dare Forget: Watch Paul Hoffman Join The Lil Smokies For ‘California’ In Iceland

The Lil Smokies were among the acts who performed in Reykjavik last month at Camp Greensky Iceland. The Montana-based five-piece was augmented by Greensky Bluegrass mandolinist/vocalist Paul Hoffman for the majority of their show at Reykjavik’s Indo on June 4 including a stellar version of “California” which can be viewed below.

The band — dobroist Andy Dunnigan, guitarist Matt “Rev” Rieger, fiddler Jake Simpson, bassist Jean-Luc Davis and new addition Sam Armstrong-Zickefoose on banjo — played the late-night set at Indo on the Sunday of Camp Greensky Iceland. In addition to phoffman, The Lil Smokies were joined by Greensky banjoist Michael Bont for a few tunes.

On June 4, The Lil Smokies presented a mix of songs from their three studio albums, a few new tunes and a handful of choice covers. Dunnigan handles lead vocals on “California,” an excellent staple that dates back over a decade to the band’s early days. A studio version appears on the group’s 2013 self-titled debut album.

phoff’s mandolin fit nicely into “California,” which came towards the end of The Lil Smokies’ main set at Indo. Hoffman took a rousing solo after Armstrong-Zickefoose lit it up.

Watch high-quality footage of The Lil Smokies and Paul Hoffman’s “California” performance from June 4, 2023 at Indo in Reykjavik captured by Max Berde below:

The Lil Smokies return to the stage next weekend in Crystal Bay, Nevada. A series of festival appearances comes ahead of an extensive fall tour that includes dates with Town Mountain.

Setlist (via The Lil’ Smokies Fan Page)

Set: Sharpest Edges, Decades, Movies, All The Time In The World, Wheel On The Water, The City, Rain In Durango, Washed In The Blood, Carry Me, When My Time Comes, Harlem River Blues, California, Echo Park, Winded, World’s On Fire

Encore: Feathers

Notes: Paul Hoffman played for 90% and Michael Bont sat in for a few tunes.