On The Fringe
Bands Blurring the Lines of Bluegrass
“Roots music incorporates so many different cultures that it is bound for a glorious future,” says Julie Gussaroff, vocalist and bassist of the Sweet Lillies. “Our place is right in the middle of it, alongside everyone else.” Gussaroff’s statement, while a recognition of the Sweet Lillies’ place in the ever expanding roots and bluegrass musical universe, is also a declaration of purpose for a band who has never stood still since first forming in 2014. The Sweet Lillies formed when classically-trained vocalist Gussaroff met classically-trained violist Becca Bisque at a bluegrass jam in Golden, Colorado. The pair recognized an immediate chemistry and a shared desire for musical exploration. They wanted to start a female vocally-led band that would feature high-level instrumentation and original songwriting. The two began playing and writing music as a duo. They eventually added guitarist Dustin Rohleder, helping solidify Gussaroff’s vision of a collaborative musical collective that relies on the individual strengths of each band member to benefit the whole group. “Our music is truly collaborative,” explains Gussaroff. “We write together by bringing our unique ideas to the table and working together to realize our songs. We write from our hearts and don’t put limitations on each other. We are willing to be vulnerable in front of each other to create our artwork.”
The trio, while rooted in bluegrass, has never been tethered to one sound or idea, instead using bluegrass as a base for what they do. They freely explore all corners of the known musical realm and incorporate it into their own infectious, high-energy, mesh of musical worlds, guided by their gorgeous, lilting harmonies, and given life by their mix of acoustic guitar, viola, and upright bass.
The band has long looked to other roots and bluegrass mavericks for guidance and inspiration, but are not limited to simply roots-music musicians for inspirations. “We are certainly guided by music we love from all genres,” says Gussaroff. “For inspiration we look to artists who are unapologetically original and outspoken and who are not afraid to take risks. We look to artists who use their art to speak out about injustices and speak out for the love of all people, cultures and artistry, George Porter Jr., Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchelll, Tracy Chapman, Infamous Stringdusters, Cypress Hill, Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth, and so many more. As a band we are guided by our inner impressions and own creative ideas.”
The Sweet Lillies’ fearlessness and willingness to try anything musically is well recognized for the loose, free, atmosphere that is created at their live shows. Leftover Salmon’s Andy Thorn who has sat in with the band a number of times over the years says, “I’ve seen them evolve from a folk-and-bluegrass group into a genre-bending powerhouse. Today, at a Lillies’ show, you’ll hear everything from their beautiful, soulful originals to creative reinventions of your favorite 90s hip-hop tracks. They’re always ready to have fun — on stage and off — without losing an ounce of their professionalism. Their songs flow effortlessly from lush female-led harmonies to original hip-hop tunes that are already stuck in my head.”
As the Sweet Lillies prepared to record their last album, 2023’s Equality, they began to explore the idea of further expanding their sound with the addition of a drummer. Chris Pandolfi, of the Infamous Stringdusters who was producing the album, also suggested the addition of a drummer and they eventually brought in Jason Hahn from the String Cheese Incident to play on the album. The album proved to be an important moment for the band, as all the disparate sounds they had mined for so long seemed to finally come together in a mature evolution of their music and songwriting. The recording process with Pandolfi and Hann helped solidify the band’s decision to move in the direction of adding a drummer full-time, settling on Jones Maynard, to fully flesh out their sound. “The drums are really an essential part of our sound now and free us up to take our music in lots of different directions,” says Gussaroff.
Right now is such a rich time for bluegrass-inspired, string band, and roots music, and the Sweet Lillies are firmly among the forward-thinking faction of those bands. Gussaroff acknowledges the path blazed by those that have come before and the guidance those bands have shown for the Sweet Lillies. “Our musical community has taught us to explore our musical creativity with trust and fearlessness. We have learned that producing original music is most important to our artistic journey and being kind and supportive to others within the community is most important to our collective journey. Our community shows us that these things are intertwined.”
String band music is compelling and universally appealing in the way it lends itself to being able to effectively fuse diverse styles, skill sets, and conceptions into a coherent sound. For the Sweet Lillies this is never more true than on their latest album, Cover to Cover, that finds them playing everything from Guns ‘n Roses “Welcome to the Jungle,” to Cyndi Lauper’s “Time after Time,” to Cypress Hill’s “Insane in the Brain.” The album is a collection of some of the band’s most often covered and favorite tunes all remade in the Sweet Lillies distinct voice. “We chose songs that we love and love to play but also songs that make sense to our instrumentation and vocal styles,” says Gussaroff. “(Phil Collins’) ‘In the Air Tonight’ and (Cypress Hill’s) ‘Insane in the Brain’ probably capture who we are the most on this record. These songs really speak to our interest in genre bending and diversifying our sound as well as incorporating progressive ideas into our work.”
With their Americana, roots, and Newgrass style, the Sweet Lillies are continually searching for new ways to evolve their music. As part of this continuing journey the band has looked to not just their sound, but how that sound is made, the people who they make it with, and the message they share as all equal components to the Sweet Lillies. They have found their greatest impact in bluegrass is their continuing diversification and inclusion of differences as they recognize that at the end of the day, “we are all one musical community.” “Our plans are vast,” explains Gussaroff. “We want to tour everywhere. We want to play and record with people from all over the world, expanding our recording collaborations to include as many different people from different cultures and countries as possible. We really want to play on Saturday Night Live, just a little lifetime goal. We want to just keep on playing and growing together. We want to keep loving the music, each other and everyone else.”
