Billy the Squirrel has a reputation as one of the best psychedelic bluegrass bands to grace the stage in Lawrence and beyond, but the band just outdid themselves Thursday night when they performed two mind-blowing sets at Fatso's for a crowd of fans and friends.
The band's story goes back over years, transforming and changing as different instruments added their voices and new styles were adopted. Starting off as an acoustic trio, then going on to an electric stringband, Billy the Squirrel is now a six-piece Newgrass band. The sound of Newgrass is a progressive rock, bluegrass experience. Combined with psychedelic trips of Billy Wassung's flowing, expanding guitar solos and the fast and intricate folk jams with Mike Hannah on mandolin, the band's blend of sounds is remarkable. Top that off with some funk between the bass, keys and drums and the band's range of sounds is deep and wide as an ocean of music.
Electric guitar, bass, keys, drums and mandolin are a perfect jam band combination. With this lineup, Billy the Squirrel rocked out brilliant covers of songs by Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and others. Their own original tunes are even more epic, allowing the band to flex their jamming muscles as they rock out together, complimenting each other with instrumental solos and vocals that brought the crowd up to the dance floor and filled the venue.
Fatso's has a perfect set up for a jam band to rock out at. The patio has a garage door that the bar opened so smokers could see and hear the band while they enjoyed the nice weather. Inside, the bar has great drink specials that kept the crowd happy while they danced in front of the stage.
By the second set, Billy the Squirrel had a huge audience packing the bar and cheering for more. The show completely satisfied the crowd and left fans eager for the next time Billy the Squirrel takes the stage. If you missed this fantastic exhibition of Newgrass, be there next time!
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