ABOUT the band

Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, Mountain Grass Unit brings razor-sharp bluegrass picking, four-part harmony, and fearless improvisation into a sound that stretches from tradition to psychedelia and jamgrass. The quartet—Drury Anderson (mandolin, vocals), Luke Black (guitar, vocals), Josiah Nelson (fiddle, vocals), and Sam Wilson (bass, vocals)—first drew national notice with 2024’s Runnin’ From Trouble EP. Their 2025 breakout brought nearly 100 tour dates, more than 30 sold-out headline shows, standout sets at Telluride Bluegrass, DelFest, Northlands, and WinterWonderGrass, and the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Band of the Year award.

Released August 28, 2026, on Dualtone Records, Appalachian Smoke is the band’s debut full-length album and its first studio chapter as a full-time group. Produced by six-time Grammy winner Vance Powell, the 13-track record was captured almost entirely live and without a metronome, preserving the quartet’s spontaneous interplay while opening into psychedelic textures and expansive roots music. Guest contributors include Greensky Bluegrass’ Anders Beck, Grammy-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland, and pedal steel player Karl Smakula.

The album’s release year has brought a run of landmark moments. After Del and Ronnie McCoury joined the band on DelFest’s main stage, Del surprised them with an invitation to make their Grand Ole Opry debut, which followed on August 26. Mountain Grass Unit also made its Ryman debut, performed at Bonnaroo—including Kesha’s pop-focused SuperJam—supported Dierks Bentley, and contributed to Shania Twain’s 2026 album Little Miss Twain. In October, the group performed for the Nashville Predators’ Jerry Garcia Night at Bridgestone Arena.

This year’s coverage has included a Rolling Stone profile, a WBHM public-radio feature, and stories or interviews from The Bluegrass Situation, Whiskey Riff, Relix, JamBase, Bluegrass Today, Saving Country Music, and Live for Live Music. Now headlining the coast-to-coast Appalachian Smoke tour, Mountain Grass Unit is helping shape bluegrass’s next wave.