When the summer of 2026 rolls in Breim , we are joined by one of the most exciting bands to emerge from East Tennessee in recent years: The Bays Mountain Cut-Ups. This young, energetic bluegrass band has grown out of one of the most important traditional music environments in the United States – and now they are ready to take the Norwegian audience by storm.
The band hails from East Tennessee State University, one of the few universities in the world with a dedicated program in traditional music and bluegrass. It is here that the members met, developed their playing, and fell in love with the same musical values: precision, rhythm, mountain harmonies, and the soft yet powerful intensity that characterizes true Appalachian bluegrass.
The name The Bays Mountain Cut-Ups is taken from the famous Bays Mountain ridge in East Tennessee – the home of one of the band's members. Here, in the shadow of the southern hills and forests, they have shaped their expression.
After their time at university, the members interned at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery, a place Bluegrass Today describes as a bluegrass bootcamp . Here, they played multiple shows a day, throughout the week – sharpening their skills, interaction, and stage experience in record time.
When the time was right, they reunited – not as students, but as a professional band. Thus, The Bays Mountain Cut-Ups were born.
The Bays Mountain Cut-Ups combine traditional bluegrass with their own, newly written songs. The audience is treated to a mix of:
raw banjo riff
elegant acoustic guitar playing
drifting bass
modern, yet traditional mandolin
and the iconic multi-part vocal harmonies that define the genre
They are described as fresh, genuine and unusually confident in their playing, and Bluegrass Today describes them as a band with both "smarts, charm and picking power." They play with a joy and energy that is contagious - and which gives their music a clear identity.
In particular, mandolinist Josh Gooding is highlighted as a musician with a "unique and energetic style" that lifts the entire band.
The band has clear ambitions to tour extensively, and they are already well on their way to becoming a regular fixture at festivals in the US. That they will be Breim in July 2026, is both a highlight for the band – and a highlight for us.
This is bluegrass the way bluegrass should be:
tight, energetic, technically strong, musically courageous – and deeply rooted in tradition.
The Bays Mountain Cut-Ups are not just a young band doing everything right. They represent a new wave of American bluegrass, where high quality, joy of playing and respect for tradition go hand in hand. At the same time, they have the freshness, energy and hunger that only a band on the rise can have.
For bluegrass fans, this will be a gift.
For curious audiences, it will be a discovery.
It will be a musical highlight for the festival.
