John Reischman & Old Acoustic


The grand master of the mandolin returns to Shady Grove with an exciting new quartet - John Reischman and Old Acoustic - to celebrate the music of his latest solo album 'New Time and Old Acoustic,' nominated for both a Juno Award and Canadian Folk Music Award. From his days in the early '80s with the original Tony Rice Unit, John has dazzled audiences across the globe with dozens of mesmerizing original compositions played with great power, taste and gorgeous tone on his rare and mighty 1924 “Lloyd Loar” Gibson mandolin. In addition to touring more than 20 years with his ongoing bluegrass band The Jaybirds, John has collected a Grammy certificate and three Juno nominations for his outstanding recording output, including seven Jaybird albums, four solo instrumental albums, and many other projects and sessions with John Miller, Todd Phillips and other top players.

Among them is Vancouver's Trent Freeman, the fabulous fiddler from the Juno-winning folk string quartet Fretless, and “folktronic” band Speaker Face. Trent’s amazing chops and unique solos are a joy to listen to as he soars through tunes with power and grace. The Comox Valley native, whose fiddling is on prime display on New Time and Old Acoustic, has collaborated with John on numerous projects including the Pine Siskins, and Tuesday night gigs at the hoppin’ Heatley on Hastings in Vancouver. The Fretless won the 2017 Juno for instrumental album of the year, has won two Canadian Folk Music Awards, and has two additional Juno nominations.

Flying in from the East Coast to round out the quartet are the very impressive players Bryan McDowell on guitar and Max Schwartz on bass. As a multi-instrumentalist, Asheville, North Carolina native Bryan had a brilliant triple win at the Winfield, Kansas National Flatpicking Championship in 2009, sweeping the guitar, fiddle and mandolin categories - the first time it’s ever been done. He later had a four-year tenure with the Claire Lynch band, and has logged many hours on the road with top musicians Molly Tuttle, Alison Brown, Sierra Hull, and Ron Block. His recorded output includes the album ‘Grit and Polish’ with veteran bass and banjo man Mark Schatz.

Max, another multi-instrumentalist based in Boston, has been called “an acoustic master” by the legendary Freight & Salvage venue in Berkeley, California. A composer and educator, Max is highly acclaimed as both a bluegrass and jazz musician, winning Downbeat Awards for performance and composition and winning the 2019 Rockygrass banjo competition. Max toured with Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands for three years, and has played in groups with Molly Tuttle, Keith Little, Bill Evans, Kenny Smith, Chad Manning and Tatiana Hargreaves.  You’ll also find him on John’s 'New Time and Old Acoustic.’

John Reischman and Old Acoustic Performance Schedule
Friday 8PM
Saturday 8PM