Saturday, September 11

5pm - 8pm - gates open at 4pm

The Wayward Bills

The Wayward Bills play harmony-rich music of Virginia's Piedmont, a blast of Americana with hues of folk, bluegrass and alt-country. Formed in 2012 and based in Richmond, the band features a layered, acoustic sound that is modern and authentic but also colored by influences old and new. The band mixes its original material with carefully selected covers that pay tribute to artists from Johnny Cash to Radiohead. In late 2012, the band started a do-it-yourself recording project with longtime friend Dan Massey that embraced experimentation and led the band to dust off old instruments and learn new ones. The effort continued in fits and starts through 2014 before jelling into “The Wayward Bills.”

The 13-song record – a collection of original songs reflecting on family and the wonders and weirdness of life – was released by Comfort Records on CD and digital formats in October 2014. The Wayward Bills features Mark Gormus on mandolin, guitar and vocals; Will Jones on guitar and vocals; and Scott Richards on bass and vocals. The Wayward Bills continues a musical partnership between Gormus and Jones that began with The Eccentrics (“All Our Days,” 1988, High Horse Records) and resumed with Van Driver (“My Own Yard,” 2009).

The Wayward Bills found its critical, final piece in Richards, formerly of The Waking Hours (“The Waking Hours,” 1999, Time Bomb Recordings).