
The Grass Is Dead
Jacksonville, FL · formed 1998
Billy Gilmore started The Grass Is Dead in 1998 after hearing the first Pickin' on the Dead record, pulling in Bubba Newton and Corey Dwyer from Crazy Fingers for a weekly Wednesday that dug deep into how well the songbook takes to bluegrass. The band went quiet around 2005 and re-formed with new purpose after Dwyer's death in 2014. Today it is Gilmore on banjo, mandolin, guitar, and fiddle, Brian Drysdale on drums, Drew Matulich on guitar, Jared Womack on dobro, and Ed Richardson on bass, and it has shared stages with David Grisman, Del McCoury, Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon, and Billy Strings. Fall 2026 runs from the Carolinas to Suwannee Roots Revival and Gainesville.