beatlegras

Beatlegras In Washington DC area!

We head to our nation's capital on June 23rd to play in the DC area! (see below)

June 24  •  Columbia Festival of the Arts  •  Belmont Conference Center  • Elkridge, MD   •  7:00pm

June 25  •  Jammin' Java  •  Vienna, Virginia   •  7:00pm   •   tickets

July 28  •  Wenonah Park  • Bay City, Michigan   •  7:00pm

July 30  •  Detroit Institute for the Arts  • Detroit, Michigan   •  7:00pm

July 31  •  Wilmette Theatre  • Chicago, IL   •  7:00pm

Sept 5  •  Levitt Pavilion  • Arlington, Texas   

Sept 16  •  The Arboreteum  • Dallas, Texas   •  Cool Thursdays

October 14  •  Arts Northwest  • Port Angeles, Washington   •  (private event)

October 15  •  Mansfield Wine and Music Festival  • Mansfield, Texas

October 22  •  Sculpture Garden  • Hamilton, NJ   •  8:00pm

October 23  •  Garde Arts Center  • New London, CT   •  7:00pm

November 6  • Polsky Theatre  •Overland Park, Kansas  •  8:00pm  •  tickets

November 7  •  Prairie Window Concerts  • Hesston,Kansas   •  7:00pm

the story of beatlegras...

The band Beatlegras was first formed when I asked both George and Milo if they wanted to do a studio project with me, taking Beatle songs and doing bluegrass arrangements with them. Knowing they were both very busy musicians I told them we would be 3 equal partners in whatever happened but meanwhile, I would pay them whatever I could. I also told Milo that George Anderson was going to do it while I was telling George the same thing about Milo. Thankfully they both decided to give it a try and it wasn't long before we realized we had something special.

I remember my first session with Milo, I showed him a list of possible songs to start with. He stared at it for a while, then his head started moving to a rhythm in his mind and he finally said, "Let's do Back in the U.S.S.R." He grabbed my guitar and started playing this really fast guitar solo line which I thought sounded really cool but I wasn't hearing anything that sounded like Back in the U.S.S.R. I said "that sounds awesome" thinking I would be playing some simple vamp behind it I asked "What do you want me to play to go with it?" He said, that's YOUR guitar part I'm gonna double it on mandolin. I've been hangin on like an innertube behind a boat ever since. At the end of the session I pulled out my check book and and started to write when Milo said, "What are you doing?" I said I want to pay you your normal rate. He said "You're trying to cut me out aren't you". I knew He was in.

When I first asked George, I said "Hey George I got this idea. I want to do this project that I hope turns into a band. It's gonna be doing Beatle songs on bluegrass instruments" He was smiling and listening until I said "and I want YOU to play Bass." He stopped smiling and just stared at me for a while then very uncomfortably said "But Dave I didn't grow up listening to The Beatles and playing bluegrass is not what I really do." I said "and that's why you'll be perfect for this! It's gonna be all about thinking outside the box and being true to our own influences and ideas." I asked George to listen to some Beatle songs, most of which he had never heard of. I knew he was in when he called back later and enthusiastically said "Dave, these are GREAT songs we've GOT to do this". I said "I know and the good news is there's about 200-300 to pick from!" Anyway- that's how we got started and I hope you hear and see the joy and passion we have in doing this. The Beatles were truly a phenomena that changed everything from a musical and cultural point of view. We truly hope to honor their music in our own way.

Dave Walser

Reviews

"If I had a mop top I'd be shakin' it!" -Ralph McLean, BBC Radio Ulster

"Beatlegras isn't just for Beatles fans, but for those of us who love great musicianship played out as one of the sweetest sounds imagineable.
A sound that remains constantly in my CD player"
-Gary Cogill, Movie Critic, WFAA

"With such a varied musical background, their approach initially sounds interesting and their own songs fit in very well, since they are very Harrison- or Lennon-like. The beautiful vocals may remind you of Gerry Rafferty's and are a highly appreciated element of their acoustic performance...to be continued, I hope."

-Tom Weel, Beatles Unlimited, The Netherlands

"There are so many Beatles cover bands around that we were starting to become bored with mundane versions of Back in the U.S.S.R. Until we heard Beatlegras do that song on National Public Radio a few weeks ago. Their fast-picking version actually had us singing along, which no other group, aside from the Fab Four themselves, have managed to do....They’ll have you tripping like you just discovered Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds."
-Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star Telegram

"...you might want to call Beatlegras the Fab Three...they have a sense of humor, too!"
-Mario Tarradel, Dallas Morning News

When a cover band approaches the original material with a style and sensibility all its own, they can establish themselves as artists in their own right, building on existing material to create something entirely fresh and unexpected. That's exactly the effect that fans of the Dallas trio rave about....
-Krys Boyd, KERA National Public Radio