In this feature, a different LEO staff member will share 7–10 of the songs they've got on repeat right now. (Songs by Louisville artists are marked with an asterisk.) Got a track that you think we'd like? Let us know at [email protected]. You can also keep up with our Tuesday Tracklist and Listen Local picks on our LEO Weekly Spotify account.
Festival season is finally here! I don’t know about you all, but this is my Christmas time. Eight days of magical, musical bliss. First up is Bourbon & Beyond. Started in 2017, Bourbon & Beyond has grown into the largest bourbon and music festival in the world! And it’s still growing, as this year they’ve expanded it to five music stages and 100 artists, plus the festival’s renowned culinary and bourbon workshop stages. This list was extraordinarily hard to narrow down, but here are a few of the bands/artists I’m most looking forward to seeing.
In addition, don’t miss the 7 Under-The-Radar Bands You Don’t Want To Miss At Bourbon & Beyond” piece in the latest issue of LEO Weekly, which has also been turned into Spotify playlists as well. Those artists have not been included in this tracklist for that reason.
Sam Bush - Eight More Miles To Louisville (Simply Bluegrass)*
I can think of no better way to start this list off than with Bluegrass legend Sam Bush’s cover of Grandpa Jones’ love letter to our city. My brother, who is Production Manager for the Louisville Orchestra, works very closely with all artists who do shows with the orchestra, and he says that the two-time International Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductee, (once as a member of New Grass Revival, and once as a solo artist), and 14 time Grammy Award nominee, (winning it three times), is one of the nicest, friendliest people he has ever had the pleasure of working with. In other words, he’s the real deal! And you owe it to yourself to see this living legend in person.
The Sam Bush Band plays Thursday, September 19 at 7:10 p.m. on the Bluegrass Situation Stage.
I’m expecting Beck’s set to be one of the highlights of Bourbon & Beyond this year, and I am definitely looking forward to catching him live for the first time. And although he has a million different memorable songs I could have picked for this, I’m going with the 2019 Pharrell Williams collab. A jangly, danceable, bluesy, folky, hip hop mash up that melds the best of both worlds from both collaborators.
Beck plays Thursday, September 19 at 7:50 p.m. on the Barrel Stage.
My favorite song by The Police, updated and re-recorded for Sting’s 2019 My Songs album. While I still prefer the original, there is a lot to love about this version too. There are quite a few small changes added that give it a little more of a contemporary feel, but without losing the integrity of the original. And while it’s not Stewart Copeland on the drums on this version, they did bring in Josh Freeze, so a close second.
Sting plays Thursday, September 19 at 9:15 p.m. on the Oak Stage.
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Crooked Tree
Although she was raised in Palo Alto, CA, you’d never know it. Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter extraordinaire Molly Tuttle plays bluegrass with as much, if not more, passion than anyone from around these parts. A future legend in the making, Tuttle’s “Crooked Tree”, from the Grammy Award winning album of the same name, is a beautiful number about embracing who you truly are. Check out LEO Weekly’s recent interview with Molly Tuttle here.
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway plays Friday, September 20 at 2:00 p.n. on the Oak Stage.
From his breakthrough Crash album in 1996, #41 is a track inspired by a lawsuit a former associate and manager of the band had filed against them. The title comes from the fact that it was the 41st song they’d written and it just stuck. This is the favorite DMB track of both my father-in-law and my brother-in law.
Dave Matthews Band plays Friday, September 20 at 8:55 p.m. on the Oak Stage.
Robert Finley - Souled Out On You
One thing Bourbon & Beyond is sorely lacking this year is blues and soul artists. And by far the best they’ve booked this year is Robert Finley. Produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and featuring an all-star cast of studio musicians, (including Auerbach), Finley’s 2021’s third album Sharecropper’s Son explodes right out of the gate with this bluesy, soulful number.
Robert Finley plays Saturday, September 21 at 4:00 p.m. on the Yonder Stage.
Tony Trischka's Earljam - Dooley (feat. Molly Tuttle & Sam Bush)
When one of the greatest banjo players of all time pays tribute to perhaps the greatest banjo player of all time, you need to pay attention! After coming into possession of rare recordings of Earl Scruggs, Tony Trischka meticulously transcribed and recorded Scruggs’s note-for-note solos from a number of these. Many were songs that Earl had never recorded. Together with his band, they trace the story of Scruggs from his childhood to his final years. I forbid you to miss this!
Tony Trischka's Earljam plays Saturday, September 21 at 7:10 p.m. on the Bluegrass Situation Stage
The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
Inarguably one of the absolute greatest songs ever written from one of the greatest albums of all time. You know it, you love it, and you probably got married to it.
The Beach Boys play Sunday, September 22 at 4:00 p.m. on the Barrel Stage.
The National - This is the Last Time* (Basically locals)
The pride of Cincinnati! A lesser-known track from their 2013 Trouble Will Find Me album, “This is the Last Time” may be about holding back feelings in a friends-with-benefits relationship, or it may be about heroin depending on who you ask. This track is a favorite of my wife.
The National plays Sunday, September 22 at 6:35 p.m. on the Oak Stage.
My Morning Jacket - Phone Went West*
Finally! The one band that has been consistently requested for Bourbon & Beyond since its beginning gets to grace the stage, and I cannot wait! Their 2008 show at Waterfront Park, (which saw the band play for a staggering three and a half hours), is still one of my all-time favorite shows. And while there are certainly no shortages of amazing songs I could have picked for this tracklist, “Phone Went West” from 2001’s At Dawn album was always my first choice. With its easy, laid-back reggae beat, heartbreaking lyrics about looking for connection, and the band’s penchant for jamming this one out live for several minutes, how could it not be? Here’s to hoping we hear this one live Sunday night!
My Morning Jacket plays Sunday, September 22 at 7:40 p.m. on the Barrel Stage.
