Greensky Bluegrass

When playing live, which they do a lot, Greensky Bluegrass are a new-grass beast capable of picking some heady jams. On record, however, the Midwest group is driven by well-crafted tunes, smart lyrics and tight harmonies. In this sense, Greensky Bluegrass share more in common with alt-country dudes like the Jayhawks and Son Volt than Leftover Salmon. Outside a few instrumentals and a cover of the standard "Freeborn Man," Five Interstates is all about earnest meditations upon love, roots and rambling.