Local band Lowland Ramblers competes for spot at Bourbon & Beyond music festival

Chris Abell says bluegrass often brings people together for impromptu music sessions. Those sessions slowly built the four-piece progressive bluegrass band Lowland Ramblers. They’re now vying for a chance to play Bourbon & Beyond, a festival that features artists like Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers.

With Abell on guitar, the band is completed by Blythe Dahlem on mandolin, Alex Abend on double bass and Sam Sanford on banjo. They define their sound as traditional bluegrass with a twist.

“We’re rooted in tradition, but not changed by tradition. I think we’re paying respect to those who came before us, but we also want to show all of our musical influences,” Abell said.

Each band member brings a range of individual flavors to the music they produce. Abell, for example, is rooted in R&B, funk, and pop-punk, while Dahlem finds ties to jam bands and bluegrass.

According to Abell, this diasporic sonic sensibility creates a unique blend that even seasoned bluegrass fans have never heard before.

“We feature all of those sounds in our show, so it’s a really unique and energetic experience that I think everyone can enjoy,” Abell said.

The group found their way to the Louisville-based competition Battle of the Strings as a chance to build their confidence. They originally worked together to create a flawless audition tape with a contracted videographer, but life eventually intervened and they couldn’t string it all together in time.

Not wanting to miss the chance to compete, they grabbed a short clip from a live show – missing Sanford – and hoped for the best.

Even though he knew it wasn’t the group’s best performance, Abell said they were still hopeful they’d get the chance to compete. The email arrived just a few days later, announcing that the entire band — including Sanford — had qualified for the semifinals of the competition, which would be held in Louisville this Saturday.

There, four bands will compete for a chance to play at Bourbon & Beyond 2024 from September 19-22. They will compete against other bluegrass bands from across the Commonwealth.

The headliners for Bourbon & Beyond have already been announced and include big names such as Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, Dave Matthews Band, Sting and many more.

Looking back, Abel said the bluegrass landscape doesn’t feel the same now as it did when I was growing up — and that’s extremely welcoming, he said. All four of the Lowland Ramblers are native Owensboroans, and Abell said the bluegrass push wasn’t there much when they were younger.

“Other than ROMP and the World of Bluegrass Festival before that, there hasn’t really been a lot of focus on bluegrass here. It’s kind of a new thing that the city is picking up, and I think it’s great,” Abell said.

Abell said they’re feeling that renewed push as a band, and that it’s nice to find other bluegrass acts in the area. They’re grateful for the support the band has already received locally.

“We’re so glad that we live in a time where Owensboro is really embracing the regional heritage that we have with bluegrass music and it’s worked for us,” he said.

The Lowland Ramblers will be performing at Friday After 5 on August 9th, with more local shows to come. Keep up to date by visiting their Facebook page.