Biography

Dynamic Bluegrass super group Sideline has developed from an offseason project band to one that has become a tour de force.

Since the 2018 release of their critically acclaimed album, Front and Center — which featured the #1 most played song of 2018, “Thunder Dan” — Sideline has climbed to the top of their ever-growing and evolving field, with their energetic live performances and refined musical prowess. Now, this forward-looking powerhouse of award-winning musicians teases an upcoming album with a high-octane, Southern-Grass-Jam single for the summer, “Crash Course in the Blues.”

With guitarist Skip Cherryholmes on lead vocals, Sideline takes the early 90’s Steve Wariner Country hit and transforms it into a Southern Blues-Rock inspired acoustic opus. Allman Brothers-style twin guitar leads by Cherryholmes and Troy Boone along with arresting solos by guest mandolinist Aaron Ramsey, bass breakdowns by Jason Moore, and the athletic fiddle of Daniel Greeson, show a band pushing the edge at the forefront of their genre. With rhythm guitar by Bailey Coe and vocal harmonies from the group's banjo player, Steve Dilling, “Crash Course in the Blues” pulses with the drive of the speeding foreign car on the freeways of L.A. described in the lyrics. The imagery of the country boy out of his element in the big city and his resulting fate, makes for a classic tale of heartbreak as a fast-paced, Blues-Rock ballad.

At a time when acoustic music is expanding as a result of multi-genre influences, Sideline is a seasoned group that embraces both the progressive side and the traditional roots of American music. With high energy, the band delivers a perfected foundation of timing, tone and flat picking finesse.

Dilling talks about choosing “Crash Course in the Blues,” saying, “I had been searching a long time to find a song to feature Skip and Troy on the twin guitar work, and I remembered this great Steve Wariner song from many years ago. It’s bluesy and allows for the band to really spread out and jam. It has live energy in this recorded version, but it’s still tight and strong.”