Pick and Howl 

Pick and Howl, winners of the 2022 Rockygrass band competition, cites its influences as coming from across the stylistic board: from Flatt & Scruggs and Billy Strings, to the Grateful Dead and Townes Van Zandt.  

The band wears these influences well, with provocative original songs and robust vocals and harmonies underpinned by a super-charged Americana vibe. Pick & Howl, which was founded in Denver, and recorded this outing in Dripping Springs, Texas, consists of lead vocalist Jeremy Richard, Paul Larson on Scruggs-style banjo, Melissa Stube on fiddle, Andrew Gordon on Dobro, and Eric Gordon on double bass. The songs run the gambit from soulful excursions like “Live Today” and “American Boy” to the jaunty “9 Mile Cigarettes” and the rollicking “Coyote.” “Cartersville” evokes sheer loneliness while “My Own Shoes” captures a sense of alluring wanderlust. “Dottie’s Dance” is a whimsical instrumental.

All in all, Pick & Howl has a compelling hybrid sound, with occasional flourishes of steel guitar, that makes for fine listening.