Bill and the Belles - Millennium Stage (March 3, 2022)

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Live Tonight on Millennium Stage: Happy Again isn’t exactly happy. But the delightfully deadpan new album from roots mainstays Bill and the Belles is full of life, humor, and tongue-in-cheek explorations of love and loss. Happy Again marks a new chapter for the group by featuring all original music penned by founding member Kris Truelsen. Over eleven tracks the group shows their knack for saying sad things with a bit of a smirk, and tucked amongst the grief and jubilation are some jingle-worthy oddballs for which the band is well known. The raw songcraft along with the deft production touch of Teddy Thompson gives Happy Again an emotional punch that deepens with each listen. Bill and the Belles is Truelsen on guitar, fiddler Kalia Yeagle, bassist Andrew Small, and banjo/banjo-uke player Aidan VanSuetendael. They revel in the in-between: deeply engaged with the stringband tradition and eager to stretch those influences to contemporary settings. Happy Again is the latest chapter of that ongoing story: what happens when a stringband from East Tennessee lays down a session at Motown. It’s a welcome evolution that feels familiar and timeless.

[@fredziffle447]

happy for the music they gave us but sad they have disbanded

[@angeloagosto3035]

I just heard their performance on Mountainstage and was just over the moon at what these folks sound like! As soon as I sat down I ran across this performance and was even more impressed. Fingers crossed they make it to the Northeast at some point.

[@davidsawyer988]

Tight!

[@debikerner635]

Saw them at Randy Wood’s Picking Parlor in Bloomingdale, Georgia! They are awesome!

[@felixdaoust8891]

Mighty fine shucking! Genuine Americana🤠

[@bobpegritz555]

Lovely concert. Those attendees at the Kennedy Center had a treat!!!! All the very best, guys.

[@stevepetz8892]

Is your last name German?? My last name is Petz, and I'm German 1/4!!