Photos: The Hillbenders and Front Porch picked and twanged with purpose at Knuckleheads

1 hour ago

Allison Scavo,

The Hillbenders. // photo by Allison Scavo

The Hillbenders
with Front Porch
Knuckleheads
Friday, January 16

I walked into my favorite venue for my first live show of 2026 to the strains of the Grateful Dead’s “Brown Eyed Women,” and I just instantly felt at home. Then Front Porch took the stage with smooth bluegrass that ranged from intense jams to almost silent whispers of a familiar twang. Front Porch is always a talent-based act rather than a performative one, positioning the audience as participants in a shared narrative space rather than passive observers. Their disciplined approach to music prioritizes narrative integrity, musical cohesion, and audience intelligibility. This is not background noise one can simply talk over and still have a semblance of understanding what the lyrics are teaching, preaching, and celebrating.

The Hillbenders walked out at Knuckleheads without a need for an introduction, and they played like they didn’t need forgiveness either. No easing in. No “how y’all doing tonight.” They hit the first tune tight, fast, and already locked in together, like they’d been mid-set all day and just decided to let the room hear it.

The Hillbenders know exactly where the line is between bluegrass precision and rock muscle, and they walk it without wobbling. Nothing collapses into novelty, even when they’re flipping between originals, Grateful Dead covers, and playing their own renditions from The Who’s Tommy that leaves people in puddles. Their never-ending setlist piggybacks each song off the one before, easing the crowd into the next tune without a pause. When they played “Man Smart, Women Smarter,” I set my equipment down and made my way to the front row just to stomp with everyone. The Hillbenders aren’t just a band, they’re visionaries.

All photos by Allison Scavo

The Hillbenders