King Springs Road is an international outfit in every sense. Ironically, however, the band was birthed in Tennessee — specifically in a house on King Springs Road in Johnson City.
One night after a picking party, Tyler Griffith and Josh Meade, both from the US, began collaborating on some new songs and subsequently came up with the idea of forming a band, one that took its name from their original gathering locale. They then enlisted Josh Morgan and Kylie Anderson, also originally from the States, and Griffith’s roommates Owen Shinkel of the Netherlands and Max Silverstein, from the US, to complete the ensemble. At that point, King Springs Road was born.
The group focused on original songs written by Griffith and Anderson, as well as by the band as a whole. In 2018, they released an EP titled Time for the Blues. Shortly thereafter, Griffith met his future wife, a Dutch girl named Nienke Bruinsma. Trips to the Netherlands then became a regular occurrence as their relationship started to blossom. Eventually, she became became the band’s bass player. Shinkel and and Anderson began their own relationship as well and moved to Europe in 2019.
As time went on, the band underwent various personnel changes and ultimately became a European-based outfit. The group currently includes Lukas Grabe from Germany on banjo, and Katja Grabe, who is also from Germany, on rhythm guitar and vocals. Griffith plays guitar, Nienke plays bass, Schinkel plays dobro, and Anderson plays mandolin. All of the members contribute vocals.
These days, there are three different nationalities represented by King Springs Road. The Griffiths divide their time between East Tennessee and Boornbergum, Friesland in the Netherlands. Shinkel and Anderson call Meppen, the Netherlands, home, and the Grabes reside in Uplengen, Germany.
“Our focus is on original music,” Griffith said. “We blend traditional bluegrass with progressive bluegrass, country, and some rock influences. Recently, elements of Irish and old-time music have made their way into the band’s repertoire due to the fact that Owen and Kylie lived in Ireland for while.”
The various members’ influences are as disparate as their homelands. “For Owen, the bug started with Joe Val & The New England Bluegrass Boys’ Live in Holland album,” Griffith explained. “Lukas took to J.D. Crowe & The New South. Tyler was drawn to Flatt and Scruggs, The Bluegrass Cardinals, The Bluegrass Album Band, and Harley Allen. The first bluegrass band Nienke ever witnessed was a local Dutch group called, The Old Ditch River Hoppers. Katja grew up listening to country music, as her father is a country musician. The first bluegrass album Kyle heard was Will The Circle Be Unbroken Vol. 2 by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Adam Steffey and Sierra Hull were Kylie’s original mandolin influences, but now she leans towards Dempsey Young, Andrew Marlin, and John Reischman.”
As a whole, the band band lists the Lost and Found, Flatt & Scruggs, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Seldom Scene, Tony Rice, and the Bluegrass Album Band as influences they hold in common.
So far, they’ve mostly undertaken European tours, with a few American dates occasionally added in as well. “We’ve had tours in The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Ireland, and Northern Ireland,” Griffith added. “We also make weekend runs when we are all on the same continent. We play everything from house concerts — thank you, Mom — to old windmills and festivals. In the early days, we played SPGBMA and a few local gigs in East Tennessee. We’re excited to be back in Northern Ireland in January, and to be showcasing at the Your Roots Are Showing convention. We also hope to expand our playing field further. We want to one day make it to Japan, Australia, Canada, more touring in the United States, and who knows, maybe even South America!”
He added that they’ve also played some major festivals, including the Banjo Jamboree in the Czech Republic, GrevenGrass in Germany, EWOB in the Netherlands, OMAGH festival in Northern Ireland, the International Stage at IBMA, and they’ve showcased at SPBGMA. “We are hoping to add a lot more to that,” Griffith continued.
King Springs Road has also had several opportunities to share stages with some well-known bands. “We did a double bill with the Milk Eaters from the Czech Republic, performed with G’runs and Roses from the Czech Republic, and Red Wine from Italy,” Griffith noted adding, “We played Omagh with Rawhide from Belgium and Kristy Cox.”
Griffith mentioned that King Springs Road performs a combination of originals and covers. “Me and Kylie are the songwriters in the band,” he said, noting that they also play covers from various sources that include the Bluegrass Album Band, McPeake Brothers, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Kate Wolf, Gene Watson, and Tony Rice.
Asked how their music been received by people back home, Griffith replied with a wink, “Our mothers really like it.” He then turned serious. “This band has been together for eight years, and over that time we’ve gathered a loyal following, mostly in the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, and Ireland.”
Not surprisingly then, Griffith had a decided opinion as to why bluegrass music enjoys such widespread popularity.
“Because it’s real,” he responded. “People get together and play, and you don’t see that in other genres. It really connects people. It can go across cultures and bridge a gap. With bluegrass comes fellowship.”
