Jeff Austin Band (formerly of Yonder Mountain String Band) & The Travelin' McCourys featuring Billy Nershi (String Cheese Incident)

Mandolinist Jeff Austin is unstoppable. He is celebrated for his fleet fingers and penchant for improvisation on stage, but those qualities also speak volumes about how he chooses to live. Austin has cultivated his natural musical abilities and allowed himself to be driven by his boldest instincts. In this way, he has been able to build positive, exciting momentum around his life's greatest passion.

Austin's enthusiasm for the vast, vibrant world of music was rooted in him as early as he can remember: "I was always raised very musically. My mom always had music playing; she always sang." It's no surprise then that Austin himself grew up singing too. From beginning to end of his years in grade school just outside of Chicago, he sang in classes, choirs, and musicals, allowing his musical influences to lead him where they may. "I started listening to Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings," Austin says. "And then the Beatles, that turned into Bob Dylan, and then the Grateful Dead and Phish."

It is with this rich personal history at his back that propels Austin into a new creative direction as he prepares to step into the spotlight as a solo artist. On his forthcoming debut project, Austin's songwriting remains rooted in Americana inspiration and the frantic energy of the jam genre but also, reaches even further weaving in more mainstream themes, reminiscent of his co-write contribution "Fiddlin' Around," that was featured on the 2010 Grammy nominated Dierks Bentley album, Up on the Ridge. While the upcoming, untitled solo effort is still a work in progress, it can already be summed up succinctly as Austin's love letter to storytelling. "I love writing a three-minute song with a hook that would grab a five-hundred-pound marlin as much as I like writing something that goes, 'okay, after the bridge, it's going to open up and just go wide.'"

Indeed, "wide" is what Jeff Austin is all about. He wants new and different, complex and interesting. He wants everything the music world has to offer, and he's willing to work hard to get it.

Jeff Austin will head to the studio and hit the road with a new band, comprised of Austin, Danny Barnes (banjo and vocals), Eric Thorin (bass and vocals) and Ross Martin (guitar and vocals). They will be taking to the road starting in early May 2014 (new dates here) and also working on a new studio recording in March 2014. Please visit JeffAustin.com for more information and to download the live show.

Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Rob McCoury on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle, Alan Bartram on bass and featured guests on guitar and vocals is the latest incarnation of the most awarded band in the history of bluegrass -The Del McCoury Band. Known for their individual prowess on their instruments and their rapidly expanding reputation as collaborators with the members of numerous musical icons from Vince Gill to the Allman Brothers and Phish, this touring unit blends the best of the Appalachian tradition with the improvisational magic of jazz. Unique live collaborations are the hallmark of their performances, and demonstrates why critics and musicians across the country hail them as the best bluegrass band in the world.

As part of the Del McCoury Band, The McCoury's have appeared on the Grand Ole Opry stage countless times, in turn earning themselves a spot on the Grand Ol Opry Tour in 2004. They were also on the Down from the Mountain Tour in both 2001 and 2002. They have been nominated for 6 Grammy's, winning 1 for Best Bluegrass Album in 2006 and were named International Bluegrass Music Association's Entertainer of the Year 8 times. They have performed, recorded or toured with the likes of Phish, Warren Haynes, Steve Earle, Yonder Mountain String Band, Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Nanci Griffith, the Chieftains, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, moe, David Grisman, and on the list goes on!