The Boxcars were founded in early 2010 by five veterans of the bluegrass world: Adam Steffey on mandolin, Ron Stewart on banjo and fiddle, Keith Garrett on guitar and lead vocals, Harold Nixon on upright bass, and John Bowman on fiddle. With collective stints spanning Alison Krauss & Union Station, J.D. Crowe & The New South, Blue Moon Rising, The Isaacs, and the Dan Tyminski Band, this quintet started out with an impressive collective resume – and immediately delivered.
The Boxcars’ sound was a decidedly perfect merger of traditional and modern bluegrass: all stringed instruments, no drums, spirited musicianship and immense precision, paired with vocal harmonies that drew from folk and country more than the classic “high lonesome” tradition. Their debut self-titled album (2010) was followed by All In (2012), It’s Just a Road (2013, Grammy-nominated), and Familiar With the Ground (2016). Along the way they collected multiple IBMA Awards including Instrumental Group of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year.
When John Bowman departed in 2014 to pursue music ministry, Gary Hultman joined on dobro and tenor vocals. The band disbanded at the end of 2017 after a celebrated seven-year run widely regarded as one of the finest in 21st-century bluegrass. Their reunion brings together this all-star lineup for a return to the stage.