BIO

With a nod to the past and a wink to the future from behind their sunglasses, Baltimore's The Dirty Grass Players have been pushing the leading edge of bluegrass music since 2015. As convincing on a 10 minute jam as they are on a 2 minute classic, they find an intersection between progress and tradition that in one set could inspire Flatt & Scruggs to reunite and then break up all over again. With harmonies to please any purist, compositions fresh enough to have been written tomorrow, and improvisations that fearlessly stride to the end of every limb, this band can play as clean as anybody but isn't afraid to get a little dirty.

After starting with jams between founders Ben Kolakowski (guitar) and Ryan Rogers (mandolin), DGP quickly made a name in the Baltimore scene before hitting the road. Since then, they've toured the US and Europe and made appearances at festivals like Grey Fox, DelFest, Dark Star Jubilee, ROMP, Bristol Rhythm & Roots, and the Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival. With Connor Murray on bass since 2021 and the addition of Sam Guthridge on banjo in 2024, a reinvigorated lineup is on the road and coming your way.

With two albums and a slew of singles, their latest full-length, “Shiny Side Up”, was produced by Travelin' McCourys guitarist Cody Kilby and reveals a band probing the possibilities of bluegrass with dark themes and adventurous playing. In its praise of the album, Bluegrass Unlimited says, “Shiny Side Up validates the arrival of the Dirty Grass Players onto the scene and shows bluegrass is in good hands going forward." Their first single with the new lineup, a cover of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by Jimi Hendrix, reimagines the rock classic with a driving bluegrass arrangement which makes a compelling argument that sometimes looking to the roots is the most inventive approach a band can take.

PRESS PHOTOS

MUSIC

LOGO

The Dirty Grass Players: Arguably the surprise breakthrough performance of the weekend belonged to Baltimore-based jamgrass upstarts The Dirty Grass Players. Fueled by the dexterous fret-work of guitarist Ben Kolakowski, along with members Connor Murray, Alex Berman and Ryan Rogers, this quartet lived up to their name, delivering a blistering set of psychedelia-fueled newgrass that focused mostly on original material from their 2017 eponymous debut album and upcoming studio LP (which just so happens to be produced by Travelin’ McCoury’s guitarist Cody Kilby and features a cameo from renowned McCourys fiddle player Jason Carter), along with a small handful of choice covers, including a raucous medley consisting of Lorde’s “Royals” and Johnny Paycheck’s “I’m the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)” that helped close their set on a high note. Perhaps most impressive about this performance is the fact that the Dirty Grass Players managed to fill the intimate music hall to standing-room-only capacity, a nearly unprecedented feat for a band making their DelFest debut with a pre-noon timeslot.
— Dave Goodwich, Glide Magazine

Contact us.

BOOKING

Jesse Dunn, Blue Sun Entertainment | jdunn@bluesunartists.com

415-509-9591

MANAGEMENT & PRESS

Dustin Pet, Fatback Artist Management | dustin@fatbackmanagement.com

240-393-8010

Melissa Hersh, Fatback Artist Management | melissa@fatbackmanagement.com

703-268-6535