Tomorrow night, a very cool co-tour kicks off between two very cool southeastern, americana bands: the enigmatic mind trip that is Kendall Street Company, and the extremely promising jamgrass unit that is The Dirty Grass Players.

The two bands will start a seven night run of shows tomorrow, Saturday December 4, with a performance at Baltimore’s favorite live music spot The 8X10. From there through the next week and weekend after, the tour will hit New York City, Newmarket, NH, Cambridge, MA, Saratoga Springs, NY, Burlington, VT and end in New Haven, CT.

The kicker: Every night of the tour will see the two bands play not only a set of music each but ALSO a final collaboration set together to end.   

Kendall Street Company, growing at a fast and steady pace around the east coast jam scene since 2016, combine outright zany personality with brilliant musicianship, and at everywhere from LOCKN’ Music Festival to The Brooklyn Bowl to 9:30 Club, it’s made for an absolutely one-of-a-kind show experience. The Dirty Grass Players, meanwhile, blend the refined, Tony-Rice-in-a-suit serious kind of bluegrass with a live energy that is certain to be a perfect compliment to Kendall Street’s own live presence.

Their off-the-wall live essences aside, its the respective songbooks of these two bands that have really proven over the last several years why they’re as notable as they are. In anticipation of their co-tour, we decided to run through a few of our favorite jams from both The Dirty Grass Players and Kendall Street Company!

For more information about the tour, and to purchase tickets, head to Kendall Street Company’s official website here, or head to The Dirty Grass Players’ official website here.

Dirty Grass Players: “Grand Voyager”

Dramatic, Klesmer-style bluegrass, anyone? This funneling, fiery track off Grass Players’ most recent album Beneath The Woodpile channels a great likeness to The New Grass Revival with its breakdown-style solos.

Kendall Street Company: “Space For Days”

The title track and one of the best hits from Kendall Street Company’s second album, Space For Days. A little bit weird, and whole lot funky, with color and sharp riffs abound, this represents in whole why this band is so uniquely awesome.

Dirty Grass Players: “Mohegan Sun”

Okay, so maybe this one is on here primarily because my cousin and I would blast the song in our car on the way to Mohegan Sun Area in our home state of Connecticut, saying to each other, “We found our theme song!” But it’s a powerful and energizing song nonetheless.

Kendall Street Company: “Go on” 

The Stories We Write For Ourselves was a brilliant about-face for Kendall Street, showing a brand new depth of songwriting from a band that had previously addressed themselves to the music world as goofball party rockers. “Go on” is the epic, moving track that kicks that album off.

Dirty Grass Players: “Blue Sky”

Okay, cheating here: it’s not their song AND it’s a live cut. But from the vocals to the groove, this cover is just too good not to include here. And it sounds like something, should Dirty Grass ever do some kind of co-tour with Kendall Street Company,  that the two bands would shred pretty good together as a collaboration. Hmm….

Kendall Street Company: “Cars” (w/ “Car Wash” + “Chop Suey” mash up)

We did a live cut for The Dirty Grass Players, we’ll throw one in for Kendall Street, too. “Cars” is one of their originals, and its a gorgeous and heartwarming track—you should honestly check out the official music video to get its full effect. But this live version with a mashup of “Car Wash” and System of a Down’s “Chop Suey” is pure fun too.

Dirty Grass Players: “Backwards Drifting”

As far as instrumentals between these two bands go, this mighty adventurous song might take the whole cake. Put this one on, and wait for that sweet, satisfying bluegrass build to take hold! 

Kendall Street: “Laura, I’m Sorry About The Cobbler”

One of the songs that put Kendall Street Company on the map. Watch the video, feel the jam, and understand why.