SIDELINE—BLUEGRASS GREATS

What’s in a name? Some (well, Mr. Webster in fact) might suggest that the name Sideline means   “an activity done in addition to one’s main job”. Alternately, many people think it’s the section of a football field just to the side of where the main action happens. This band may be an additional activity for the guys and they may stand to the side of the stage in their “regular” bands, but when they get together, it’s all front and center, main stage bluegrass. Sideline plays songs you love. Some are bluegrass classics, some are destined to be classics, and all of them are performed in a way that makes audiences understand why these pickers and singers are A tier bluegrassers, loved and adored by fans the world over.

STEVE DILLING
Steve Dilling plays like he was born and raised in a crib where only Earl Scruggs and Tony Rice played on the twirling mobile above him. In love with the banjo at 10, playing by 12, starting with the Bass Mountain Boys, then on to the Lonesome River Band, Steve’s career has had a solid, steady trajectory of success and respect. Of course we have to talk about Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out. You know that Steve Dilling’s Carolina-awesome banjo playing and hilarious emcee work is one of the main reasons you always go see them when they’re in town. IIIrd Tyme Out has certainly brought his talent to the forefront of the bluegrass community. But his work with Sideline allows Steve to show audiences that he’s the real deal in any setting.

JASON MOORE
The bass player’s bio is always last but we just couldn’t do that to the incredible Jason Moore. Jason usually holds down the low end for the bluegrass-loving and genre-melting Mountain Heart. But if you look back before he went wireless, Jason played with the legendary James King and recorded on Michael Cleveland’s albums and managed to get nominated for four IBMA Bass Player of the Year awards. He didn’t win any of them so you might not want to bring it up when you go see Sideline. But since his playing seamlessly bridges a gap between every imaginable kind of bluegrass, and his timing and groove are unequaled, you’ll mostly want to tell him how amazing he his.

SKIP CHERRYHOLMES
If you were being honest, you’d admit you were wondering what Skip was going to do after the Cherryholmes Family decided to move on from the family band thing and on to their own musical pursuits. Skip doesn’t disappoint. He’s touring with the vocal powerhouse Lou Reid. His Skip Cherryholmes Quintet already plays a stout schedule and continues the furthering of Skip’s love for traditional bluegrass as well as his desire to move the music forward with great original material. He’s an incredible picker and singer, destined to be called a legend someday, born in California but raised on the road and he knows nothing else but performing and giving audiences everything he has, every time.

BRIAN ALDRIDGE
Born in 1981 and raised in Saxapahaw, NC, Brian grew up in a musical family. He got started on mandolin at age three, and graduated to banjo at thirteen. His father, Mike, now with Al Batten & Bluegrass Reunion, was a long time member of the Bass Mountain Boys. It was with that group that Brian first played on stage. His favorite banjo players include Earl Scruggs and Jim Mills, and his picking reflects their precise, dynamic style. Brian is also a master of the Scruggs style of finger picking guitar. His wife’s grandfather, award-winning North Carolina banjoist/vocalist A. L. Wood, was also a major influence. Brian’s hard-driving mandolin style and heartfelt vocals are the centerpiece of the Sideline sound. Brian’s hobbies include hunting and picking, and he’s a natural-born mechanic. When he’s not playing music, Brian can be found at Adams Automotive where he works as a service technician.

NATHAN ALDRIDGE
17 year old Nathan Aldridge has had a fiddle in his hand since he was two years old. His first real fiddle was given to him by his cousin at the age of four and he hasn’t put it down since! For several years he has been playing onstage with his dad, Mike “Precious” Aldridge from Al Batten & Bluegrass Reunion. Nathan has taken a few lessons from the great Dewey Brown, but for the most part he has taught himself how to play. His influences on fiddle go from great classics like Chubby Wise and Benny Martin, to more modern icons like Stuart Duncan and Mike Hartgrove. Although the fiddle is his instrument of choice, he is well rounded in guitar, banjo, and mandolin.

BRAD HUDSON
Born and raised in eastern N.C., Brad was blessed with the God-given talent of singing and playing music at the early age of three. He began singing and playing guitar in church. Eventually he started experimenting with the banjo and dobro, and started playing with several different bands across the state. Brad eventually went on to work with people like The Larkins, Don Cox, The Gaithers, Jeff & Sheri Easter, and the great Dolly Parton. He was also a huge part of shows like The Crystal Coast Jamboree and Country Tonite. Brad joined touring group Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road, where he was able to land nominations for several awards including Dobro Player of the Year and Bass Player of the Year, and got to work with some of Country Music’s greatest names in the collaboration project “Country Grass”. After knowing all of the guys in Sideline for several years, he joined the band in the summer of 2016, and has brought so much to their sound and show. Brad now resides in Seymour, TN with his wife, Crystal, and children, Riley, Jordan, Caden, and Wesley.

http://www.sidelinebg.com