North State Grass

Formed only in late 2025, Charlotte quartet North State Grass has already placed third in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival's band competition and picked up a Josie Awards song of the year nomination for its single "Toad." Steven Davidson plays mandolin, Cooper Eades guitar, Levi Austin banjo and Angel Chantel bass, and their progressive bluegrass takes as much from Jimmy Martin and the Tony Rice Unit as from Billy Strings, with rock, funk and even metal leaking in at the edges. Jack Lawrence, Doc Watson's longtime guitarist, and Peter Rowan are among the elders they have shared a stage with. The band reaches Fogartyville with a debut album already behind it.