Greensky Bluegrass: Stress Dreams
Photo by Dylan Langille
Most performing artists found themselves at a collective loss when the COVID pandemic brought touring and recording schedules to a screeching halt in 2020, and Greensky Bluegrass was no different. After months of separation, individual notes, ideas, and demos culminated in full band rehearsals and development, ultimately bringing forth Stress Dreams, the band’s eighth studio album.
A new GSBG listener might marvel at the mix and match of sounds, images, and vibes on Stress Dreams. Over thirteen tracks, though, from the first note of “Absence of Reason,” to the final chord of “Reasons to Stay,” the sound is as consuming and recognizable as ever.
“Until I Sing” feels very GSBG but with a refreshed sense of self, and speaks to how the pandemic has affected the band’s ability to perform for their fans, as well as a personal introspection. In fact, in this listener’s opinion, the lyrics of “Until I Sing” seem to perfectly summarize what so many artists have expressed throughout 2020 and 2021:
“Missing what I haven’t lost, mistaking what is gone for cost, forgotten what I’ve earned for every heart I broke / Waiting on a prayer I fought for and drove all night for only to hold it and have to let it go / And I feel worthless, without a purpose until I can sing for you”
“Stress Dreams” gives the listener a multitude of lyrical and musical layers to unpack from its 8:01 play time. Bassist Mike Devol, writer of the title track says of the song:
"This sounds like a quarantine song - and it truly became one - but was originally based on a recurring experience. I’d have what I began to call stress dreams, in which I’d need to be somewhere, often on stage, but for reasons beyond my control, I was unable to do so: my bass was in my car, the backstage door was locked. Sometimes in the dreams, I would need to text, but my phone wouldn’t type. I'd wake up and just be so relieved to not have to deal with the annoyance of whatever inconvenience I was facing.”
An extended instrumental arrangement mid-track gives new listeners a wide sampler of the musical textures of Greensky Bluegrass. Seasoned listeners will find a few moments to mentally jam with the band and appreciate the expansive nature of their talents as individuals and a group.
“Grow Together” is the personal favorite track for this listener, featuring subtle changes in instrumentation, and lyrics that truly speak a wish for the future. The song’s backstory only serves to make it more meaningful. Paul Hoffman (mandolin) recalled writing the song while watching his five-week-old daughter: "I reflected on the amazing gift her mother had given me and 'Grow Together' just fell out of my heart. It's a testament to a new chapter in my life and a love song for the woman who made me a father."
Indeed, Stress Dreams is a new chapter for Greensky Bluegrass and their fans, and everyone is here for it. The band wrapped up the “Strings and Sol” festival in Mexico in December 2021, and opened their Winter 2022 touring schedule with two shows in Denver, Colorado, with multiple dates already calendared through July 2022.
Stress Dreams is due out on January 21 via Thirty Tigers.
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