Billy Strings is a bluegrass virtuoso with three Grammys and a signature Martin acoustic to his name, but don’t put him into a box: he’s just donned a Charvel Superstrat to rip riffs with death metal veterans Cryptopsy.
The performance took place at Ionia Freak Air, a festival which Strings both curated and headlined. Held at the Ionia Fairgrounds in Ionia, MI, in Strings’ hometown, the two-day event featured bands as far-ranging as Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon, and the aforementioned brutal metal troupe. And Strings played with all three of them.
For this Cryptopsy cameo, Strings wielded a relic’d Charvel Pro-Mod SD1, and showed off his absolutely menacing right hand with some pretty relentless playing.
Open Face Surgery is fast approaching 30 years old, and remains a death metal cult classic. The song has just added a surprise new chapter to its legacy.
“I still can’t believe it happened,” Strings said after the set. “When we made the line-up, I threw it out there like, ‘Man, we should try to get Cryptopsy.’ I didn’t think it would happen.”
Yet the story from the other camp couldn’t have been different,
“I saw the email come in, and it was immediate shock and awe, and it was an automatic yes,” added the band’s vocalist, Matt McGachy. “Having him show up and play all of Open Face Surgery with us was mind-blowing; he was up there shredding, making it look so easy.
“I’m honored to play with them. It’s one of my wildest dreams come true,” Strings develops. “They really are one of my favorite bands of all time.”
Those are big words from a man who once got to play All Along the Watchtower with none other than Bob Dylan. But it’s not the only time he’s flexed his metal guitar chops. Strings nailed an Ozzy cover last Halloween, while dressed as a werewolf, no less.
Recently, Strings stepped onto the stage wearing a helmet after being hit in the head by a lighter thrown from the crowd. He’s been taking health and safety more seriously after a skateboard accident saw him cancel a run of shows earlier this year.
