Billy Strings Rounds Out VPAC Summer Series Lineup

Time to dust off those guitar strings, because there's an exciting new bluegrass player on the scene - and he's coming to Beaver Creek this summer.

Billy Strings is set to breakout in the world of bluegrass, already hailed as a "prodigy" and "the bluegrass star you don't want to miss" by Rolling Stone. Along with impressing audiences with his fleet-fingered guitar solos, Springs brings an energetic intensity to the stage, leaving listeners in awe.

As part of the 2019 Summer Concert Series, Billy Strings will perform at the Vilar Performing Arts Center on Friday, August 30th at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36 and are available now at the VPAC box office (970-845-8497; www.vilarpac.org). The VPAC is located under the ice rink in Beaver Creek Village (68 Avondale Lane, Beaver Creek, Colorado).

In his teens, Strings (a nickname given to him by his aunt) played in hard rock and metal bands before returning to the bluegrass music his father introduced him to at a young age. The Michigan native was awarded the 2016 Momentum Award for Instrumentalists of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. In 2017, Strings released his debut album, "Turmoil & Tinfoil," which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts. Despite his young age, Strings has already shared the stage with Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury and Sam Bush, and toured with Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters and Leftover Salmon.

In addition to his finger-picking prowess, Strings is a songwriter with much to say about the state of world. Songs like "Dealing Despair" aim to serve as a commentary on America's normalized culture of violence.

"The further I get along in my career, the less I care about the band itself and money and fame," Strings says in an interview Rolling Stone. "Now I feel like I'm starting to have a platform where I can make positive change. I think it's important for artists to focus on that right now. I'm not trying to write songs for the radio. I want to make art that might strike a nerve with somebody."

Infusing a punk rock ethos into traditional bluegrass, Billy Strings has managed to push the genre forward while staying true to the spirit of American roots music. This is one bluegrass band fans will want to say they saw live before gaining bigger fame. Get tickets now to see the unmistakably talented Billy Springs at VPAC on Friday, August 30th.