Richmond is home to many up and coming bands spanning all genres. On the bluegrass scene one of the hottest bands at the moment is The Green Boys. Formed in 2008 by brothers Ryan and Sean Green, the band has seen their fortunes steadily rise in recent years. In 2012 they won the band competition at the Watermellon Park festival in Berryville, Virginia. 2013 found them on stage at Floyd Fest and releasing their latest CD, “Oh Delia” comprised of mostly self-penned tunes that have a decidedly new take on traditional bluegrass roots. The CD also includes the fun, crowd favorite “I Wanna Be Like You” from The Jungle Book movie. This March they will be recording a Daytrotter session which will expand their audience to a national level.
Both the Greens sing. Ryan is usually on upright bass and Sean on guitar. As brothers, their vocals have that sibling harmony reminiscent of the Everly Brothers. Michael Emmons plays anything with strings (typically banjo and dobro) and latest addition, Zack Miller, rounds out the quartet on mandolin. Occasionally, Jonathan Burkett adds drums to the mix.
An excellent opportunity to catch them will be at the Bluegrass Marathon Jam, 2/22 at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. Some 30 bands, including the Slack Family Band and Jackass Flats, will be playing with proceeds benefiting the Richmond Fisher House. Musicians are encouraged to bring their own instruments, as jam sessions breakout throughout the day-long event.
In June the band will head west to the 41st Telluride Bluegrass festival in Colorado. Ryan Green calls that the “big boy” of festivals and considers it an honor to have been selected to compete, since he feels their style stretches the festival’s box a bit. They’ve strung together a month-long series of shows along the route and hope to even expand the tour south. Catch the band before they hit the road; you may one day be able to say, “I knew them when”.
PHOTOS BY JIM STEWART