Looking forward to playing Bell’s and Founders breweries this week, see you there!

- Thursday Feb 9 – Founders Brewery. Founders is anawesome venue/micro brewpub in Grand Rapids, as you’re probably well aware!  Misty Lyn and the Big Beautiful will open up the set and we’ll be hitting the stage around 10.

- Friday Feb 10 – Next stop is Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, sharing the stage with Cornmeal. Need we say anything more?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhboFnyB-8g

The past couple weeks we’ve made quite a bit of headway.  We’ve been working intently at Big Sky studio in Ann Arbor, and are pleased to announce two new (and, to a certain extent, still in the works) songs on our Music page.  One is an old favorite, Cedar Hill, and the other, In My Arms, a bit newer to the band.  Recorded live with very minimal editing, these takes capture a very natural and true Wayward Roots sound.  Enjoy!

New shows are in the books and coming up quick.  On October 28, Jason will be playing a solo guitar set at the Crazy Wisdom Tea Room.  Following his performance, various combinations of the Wayward Roots gang will be joining him on the stage for the second set.  Expect a fun time, and something a bit different from what you might find at a typical Wayward Roots show.

In November we’re pleased to announce a double-bill with friends and fellow Ann Arbor musicians Lake Folk, taking place at the Canterbury House.  A couple days later we’ll be playing at our favorite watering hole, the Old Town Tavern.  Both will prove to be very fun (yet very different) experiences!  For more information on these and other performances, please check out our Shows page.

This album is going to take a different approach than we are used to.  Still in the beginning stages, so there is a lot that needs to be done.  Without wanting to give too much away – we are shooting for an organic, live sound that captures both the natural quality of the instruments and the dynamic musical collaboration of an acoustic group.  So far we have been very impressed with what is coming out, and are pumped to be able to share this.

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be sharing our progress in the Music section of the website.  We’ll also have video coming as well.  Shows are currently being booked, so expect a lot of exciting stuff heading your way in that regard.

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“Really liked their smooth sound and original songs.  Cedar Hill, a song which wonders what it was like way back when and Colorado, a new song they wrote when they realized they’d be traveling here from Ann Arbor, Michigan, were hits with the crowd and presumably the judges. “

Read more at Telluride Bluegrass: Saturday Recap

With your help, we journeyed our way to Telluride, CO and competed in one of the most prestigious competitions in the global bluegrass community.  To our amazement, we left the festival grounds Sunday, June 19th with the experience of a lifetime and the achievement of “Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition Finalists.”

First, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for your support.  From the fundraiser over a month before the competition at Hathaway’s Hideaway to the text messages of encouragement received immediately prior to earning 2nd place, there is nothing else to say other than we couldn’t have done it without you.  Thank you all for helping turn this fun project into something real.

We arrived in Telluride on Thursday, June 16th.  The beautiful drive in to town alone would have made the trip worthwhile, winding around scenic mountain passes, through small resort towns, and ending in the legendary town of Telluride.  It is best described as a small village resting in a bowl of mountains – from any point in the town you can look up and see humbling peaks, snow capped pines, and glacial waterfalls.

The competition took two parts.  The first was on Friday at 10am.  Twelve bands warmed up around the side stage tent before the event started, and we could tell that we were up against some serious competition.  The rules were simple: three songs under three minutes each, one slow vocal, one fast vocal, and one instrumental.  Four bands would be chosen to advance to the finals.  We got up on stage in the third slot and gave it our all, playing In My Arms, Poor Boy, and Off the Handle.  After hearing we won the first round and would be playing Saturday on the Telluride main stage, we were amazed and floored – full celebration mode was in effect.

Saturday morning came fast.  We met the other bands outside of the festival gates: Taarka, Backwater Opera, and Run Boy Run, all great people and excellent musicians.  We waited patiently backstage until the order of the bands was called – Wayward Roots would play 2nd.  With the rules the same as the first round, we soaked it in from backstage as Backwater Opera performed first on the legendary Telluride stage.  Our three song set – Cedar Hill, Amanda Jewel, and Colorado – flew by as we took in the mountains, the crowd of thousands, and the experience of a lifetime.

Now here we are.  More shows will be added very soon, so please stay tuned.  Videos of our Telluride experience will be added as soon as they are ready.  New tracks will become available as we finish writing and record our upcoming material.  Sign up for our mailing list and follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with all of our most current news!  Thanks once again.

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