Song Review(s): Billy Strings - “Leaning on a Travelin’ Song” and “Lumpy, Beanpole & Dirt” (Live, July 21, 2026)
From pristine harmonies to fulsome grooves, Billy Strings can pack a week’s worth of styles into two songs.
In Massachusetts July 21, those numbers were “Leaning on a Travelin’ Song” and “Lumpy, Beanpole & Dirt,” the show openers and the giveaways from the pay-per-view webcast.
They began a cappella before morphing into the pure-bluegrass “Travelin’” (read: drivin’) “Song.” When the music kicked in American cities flew by, guitarist Strings, mandolinist Jarrod Walker, bassist Royal Masat, banjoist Billy Failing and fiddler Alex Hargreaves leaned into the story amid ensemble playing and solo spots.
Masat got his chance to shine in laying down the funky intro to “LB&D,” which was soon joined by his bandmates. With the rest of the band on board, the music turns double-jointed and wobbly, sounding like it could stumble if not for its inherent sturdiness.
And when Strings dials in electric-guitar sounds and shreds, the audience goes bonkers until he dials it back. The acoustic sounds thus re-emerge and anyone who didn’t already realize it discovers that bluegrass music can seriously rock.
Grade card: Billy Strings - “Leaning on a Travelin’ Song” and “Lumpy, Beanpole & Dirt” (Live - 7/21/26) - A/A+
7/22/26
