There’s no real “right” way to ring in the New Year. However, it would be hard to find a better way to start a trip around the sun than by watching Billy Strings and his band debut three new songs during a three-set show in New Orleans. One lucky audience got to do just that as the time ticked closer to midnight on New Year’s Eve.
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Strings and his band—Royal Masat (bass), Alex Hargreaves (fiddle), Jarrod Walker (mandolin), and Billy Failing (banjo)—took the stage at New Orleans’ UNO Lakefront Arena on New Year’s Eve for three sets of covers, originals, and mind-blowing jams. The band debuted one new song per set as the night went on. Check them out below.
[Billy Strings Tour 2024: Get Tickets]
Billy Strings Tells a Story of Incarceration with “Seven Weeks in County”
About halfway through the first set, Strings and the band broke out the first of three new songs. “Seven Weeks in County” sees the band tapping into the classic bluegrass sound that they do so well. However, more than just the arrangement harkens back to the days of Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. Lyrically, the song tells a story of a man who is spending time in county jail.
[RELATED: Billy Strings Extends 2024 Tour Dates with Arena Shows]
It’s more than a song about incarceration, though. Look just below the surface of the song and you’ll find a tune about owning your mistakes and accepting the consequences without placing the blame elsewhere. In the opening lines, Strings sings, I’ve got seven weeks in county, boys but I won’t blame the man. / I’ve won and lost some poker chips but I don’t blame the hand. / It’s been seven years of famine and I never blamed the land. / Just give me peace and quiet boss, I’ll take it where I can.
“In the Clear” Was Brand New
During the second set, the band debuted “In the Clear.” Before launching into the song, Strings joked about how new it was. He said he just taught the rest of the band the song “two hours ago or some sh-t, right before we walked out here, so cut us a little slack,” he laughed. “I’m just bullsh-ttin’ about cuttin’ us slack but I really did just teach this song to these fellers.”
This is another example of what makes Strings’ music so great. It showcases the band’s classic bluegrass style and Strings’ smart, poetic songwriting.
Billy Strings Salutes a NASCAR Great with “Richard Petty”
The band gathered around a single microphone for “Richard Petty,” the third and final new song of the night. Accompanied only by Strings’ guitar, the guys harmonized beautifully on a song about making positive changes in one’s life.
“I wrote this song Thursday, on the bus on the ride down here,” Strings said, introducing the song. “I was thinkin’ just about New Year’s Eve and resolutions and maybe even trying to, like, take it a little seriously this time. Like, maybe, this year I’m gonna do somethin’ right. I’ve got to,” he explained. Then, he dedicated the song to “anybody who’s trying to make a New Year’s resolution or something like that and also for folks who are fans of Richard Petty.”
Featured Image by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music Association
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