Bluegrass
Charlottesville, VA
Photo courtesy of artist
The Bluegrass Destroyers story begins in 2018, when a group of ace musicians launched a weekly show at a restaurant in Charlottesville, VA. Adam Larrabee (banjo), Darrell Muller (bass), Jay Starling (dobro), and Andy Thacker (mandolin) are all members of Love Canon, the pathbreaking bluegrass interpreters of 1980s pop hits. Jay, the son of John Starling of the original Seldom Scene, is heard around the world with jamgrass band Leftover Salmon, and Jared Pool (mandolin/guitar) toured for many years with Larry Keel and is known to occasionally strap on the Telecaster with Richmond’s Legendary Ingramettes. Gabe Robey (guitar) grew up in a beloved family band in Franklin County, VA, before becoming a stalwart of the Charlottesville music scene, and Richard Will (fiddle) established the bluegrass performance program at the University of Virginia. Their combined talents make for a show full of rippin’ hot licks, soaring vocals, and musical surprises.
All veteran performers and teachers, they set out to explore the infinite possibilities of the bluegrass band—the time-honored lineup of banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, dobro, and bass. They play anything that suits the instruments, including country, folk, rock, jazz, and of course bluegrass, from its classic period in the 1940s & 50s through its most recent transformations. Avid singers, the group also celebrates great songwriters from Gordon Lightfoot to Gillian Welch, Tom Paxton to Tom Petty, Townes Van Zandt to Lucinda WilliamsTheir weekly performances have built a community of musicians, students and fans who share their eclectic musical tastes and passion for acoustic music.
Nearly a decade later, the Destroyers’ Wednesday night shows are a beloved Charlottesville institution, drawing multi-generational crowds year-round to the patio at Lampo Pizzeria. Their playlist numbers in the hundreds, and the core group of 5-7 musicians is often joined by other fine players from Charlottesville and beyond.
The Center for Cultural Vibrancy is delighted to give Richmond festivalgoers a rare opportunity to hear Charlottesville’s best-kept secret, the Bluegrass Destroyers!