Thru
April

GRAND OLE OPRY

Show Schedule & Tickets
Find the BEST Seats!

June
2025

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Nissan Stadium | 4 Day Pass, Fan Fair X!

Thru
April

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Game Schedule & Tickets
Find the BEST Seats!

Photo by Molly McCormick

CAVEFEST FEATURED ARTIST: The Sweet Lillies

TWO DAYS! Today’s “Cavefest Featured Artist” are The Sweet Lillies, Julie Gussaroff, Becca Bisque, and Dustin Rohleder. With their acoustic string-band lineup of guitar, viola, and upright bass, they have old-time soul with a forward-looking eye.

The Sweet Lillies have incorporated all of their cumulative life-experiences into their music, their songwriting, and their artistry, crafting an uncommonly-beautiful style they have christened “String-Americana” – a nod to the band’s all-encompassing musical tastes and willingness to experiment with genres.

As Gussaroff explains, “Some musicians learn from teachers, some learn from family members, and some are self-taught. Some musicians are classically trained, some come up through folk, some draw from multiple springs, from hip hop through pop to bebop. In the Lillies’ all of these skill sets are valuable, relevant, and appreciated.”

The Sweet Lillies are built upon their collaborative ideals and are always ready to share a stage or develop a project with any musicians who share the same no-holds-barred creative approach. This has made each one of their inventive, energetic live-shows a wholly unique event, as setlists are changed on the fly, songs are given new life and shape, and guests are always welcome to join in the creative explosion.

Over the years the band has been joined onstage by a number of legendary performers including, Sam Bush, George Porter Jr., Peter Rowan, Sally Van Meter, Andy Hall from the Infamous Stringdusters, Kyle Hollingsworth and Jason Hahn from the String Cheese Incident, Jennifer Hartswick, and Natalie Cressman from the Trey Anastasio Band, among many others.

Andy Thorn from Leftover Salmon who has sat in on many of those live adventures says, “It’s always a joy to play with the Sweet Lillies. Over the years, 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.”

The Sweet Lillies were born from Gussaroff’s desire to form a band in which each member would be an equal participant in terms of songwriting, singing, and creative input. After years of accompanying other artists, serving as a side player, and writing songs for others, multi-instrumentalist and classical trained vocalist Gussaroff wanted to establish a true musical-collective that would highlight the best qualities of all involved. In 2014 Gussaroff met Bisque, who was a classically trained violist. The two found an immediate and deep musical connection and The Sweet Lillies were born. In 2017, at a campground jam at the Hangtown Ball, they heard guitarist Rohleder. That night the three played for what they remembered as, “Ten magical hours.” The following year in 2018, Rohleder joined The Sweet Lillies full-time. Most recently, Jones Maynard has come on board on drums, completing Gussaroff’s vision.

Since forming in 2013 The Sweet Lillies have released three albums, 2016’s self-titled release, and 2018’s A Lighter Hue produced by Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman. Their third and latest album, Common Ground, produced by Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone, was released in 2021. The band’s newest release, Equality, was produced by Grammy-award winner Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters and will be out on Americana Vibes On June 2, 2023.

Equality is an intrepid collection of songs that fully represents the current and evolved sound of the band. The instrumentation is primarily what you will hear at a live show with the exception of Pandolfi on banjo for a few select tracks and Kyle Hollingsworth of The String Cheese Incident on keys. The record truly sounds like a live Sweet Lillies experience, with Jason Hann of The String Cheese Incident filling in on drums for the entirety of the album. Powerful rapping next to layered vocals and instrumental solos are only one of the aspects that give this album an original sound.

Through the recording process, Pandolfi challenged the band to find their more ‘savage lillies’ side which is present throughout the music. Each song is a unique composition that blends into the concept of the album which is Equality. Social Justice, self exploration, and evolution of the spirit are the guiding feelings of this new record.

The band will be playing Sunday 8:00 to 9:00 on Oct. 11th at the Amphitheater. See you at The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road, Pelham TN, 37366

GET TICKETS HERE!

BEST Nashville Concert Tickets!

Nashville.com
The Visitors Guide to Nashville!

About Jerry Holthouse

Music editor for Nashville.com. Jerry Holthouse is a content writer, songwriter and a graphic designer. He owns and runs Holthouse Creative, a full service creative agency. He is an avid outdoorsman and a lover of everything music. You can contact him at JerryHolthouse@Nashville.com

Check Also

Trisha Yearwood To Celebrate 25 Years As Opry Member

Trisha Yearwood Announces New Songwriting Album

Trisha Yearwood gave fans an up-close and personal look at her upcoming songwriting album during …

LISTEN: Larry Fleet's “Hard Work & Holy Water”

LISTEN: Larry Fleet’s “Hard Work & Holy Water”

Larry Fleet has always put in the work—pouring concrete by day, playing bar gigs by …