Welcome to the Plaidgrass website
PLAIDGRASS is an acoustic band that plays a unique mixture of traditional Irish instrumentals with a bluegrass improvisational blend. Although PLAIDGRASS is primarily an instrumental group, they are equally adept in vocal power. Band members’ vocal and songwriting skills have been acclaimed in magazines such as Music Row, Dirty Linen, Bluegrass Now, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine and Bluegrass Unlimited.
At the core of PLAIDGRASS sit multi-instrumentalist Tim May and and his wife, fiddler Gretchen Priest. The union of Gretchen's Irish and Old Time Music background and Tim's strong Bluegrass and Country roots formed a fresh and exciting musical expression that has others describing them as "New Traditionalists." When asked about their music, Gretchen said, "I'm a tune-hound. I like to work with an old tune and create an arrangement for the band and then let the rest of these excellent improvisational pickers take it to a new level."
The band just released their first CD -- Gretchen Priest and PLAIDGRASS -- in January 2008. You can find information about this and more on our CDs & Merchandise page.
The PLAIDGRASS CD is getting some nice reviews. Check out this one at Celtic MP3s Music Magazine.
Fiddle master Stuart Duncan recently complimented the group, saying, "It is refreshing to hear a group of musicians draw from a myriad of influences. PLAIDGRASS has created powerful renditions of Celtic and Bluegrass instrumentals."
Joining Gretchen and Tim are a group of equally talented and diverse instrumentalists, including 8-string banjo phenom Tom Saffell, Al Goll on resonator guitar, and Brian Christianson on mandolin and fiddle. The band can function as trio or quartet at smaller venues or pubs and often has up to six musicians for larger venues or festivals.
A core group performs the second and fourth Saturday night of each month at McCreary's Pub, 414 Main Street, Franklin, TN, beginning around 9 pm. Please come out and join the fun.
FIDDLE & PICK is now open
Hope you'll have time to stop by the new Fiddle & Pick, home of the Musical Heritage Center of Middle Tennessee. Gretchen and Tim purchased a historic building in Pegram, Tenn., and have opened a music school there. It's a place where you'll find great acoustic music and dance on a regular basis. Location: 456 Highway 70, in Pegram. The Westview published an article.