With a voice described as “smoky and seductive,” seven-time International Bluegrass Music Association bass player of the year Missy Raines is heading west with new band members and a fresh sound.
Missy Raines and the New Hip will cover broad territory on their Big Sky Tour, ranging from bluegrass virtuosity to ambient Americana-esque lushness over a jazz-tinged landscape. The compass is set by Raines, planted right in the center of the stage, directing with her upright bass every bit as much as she plays it. With Jake Stargel on guitar and vocals, David Benedict on mandolin and vocals, and Cody Martin on percussion, the New Hip’s new sounds are lush with a thick groove and infectious melodies.
The Big Sky Tour includes a performance on Sunday, May 8 in Cortez at the Sunflower Theatre, 8 E. Main St. and a debut of songs from Raines’ third album for Compass Records, scheduled for release later in 2016. Featuring tunes about the complex and enigmatic ties to home and family, and the winding path of love and loss and tested faith, the new album is Raines’ first all-original project.
Raines has long been one of bluegrass music’s most beloved musicians, but on her last album, “New Frontier,” (Compass Records 2013) she explored the next step in her musical vision with her band, The New Hip. She redefines herself as a charismatic lead vocalist on a set of Americana and newgrass-influenced songs. Sam Bush and The Farewell Drifters’ Zach Bevill appear as special guests on the project. A former member of the GRAMMY-Nominated Claire Lynch Band and the acclaimed duo Jim Hurst and Missy Raines, Missy is one of the most popular figures in the bluegrass community and a trailblazer in her field. Her rich pedigree reaches from legends such as Mac Wiseman, Kenny Baker, Josh Graves, Eddie & Martha Adcock, Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis and Dudley Connell.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and doors open at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance, and $20 at the door.
For more information, go to http://www.sunflowertheatre.org.