We heard recently from Justin Mason, a prominent Florida bluegrass artist and personality, who has relocated to the nation’s capitol, and is taking up the bluegrass baton in his new region. He wanted to introduce us to a new group he’s formed with two of the area’s long-time grassers.
In the Sunshine State, Justin lead a band called Justin Mason & Blue Night, and picked up the moniker, “Mr Florida Bluegrass,” for his efforts to promote the music in the state. He was also a popular MC at bluegrass events in both Florida and Georgia.
Now in DC, Mason’s new band is called Crossroads, which finds him on guitar, with Wally Hughes on fiddle and reso-guitar, and Lisa Kay Howard Hughes on mandolin. All three sing, with three-part harmony as their specialty.
Justin explained how the three of them got together.
“When I moved to DC, Ernie Evans put me in touch with the legendary Tom Gray. I got to jam and hang with Tom and he introduced me to Lisa and Wally, who were fresh off the road with Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike. We clicked immediately during the jam, and that’s when I came to them with the band idea.
Lisa was a long time radio host at Bluegrass Country and does MC work at festivals across the country.
While Wally and Lisa are still involved in other projects, we are excited to bring those MC skills to the stage, and blend that southern bluegrass style with the DC vibe in something that is shaping out to be fun and unique.”
Here’s a video of them sharing a Seldom Scene classic, He Rode All The Way To Texas.
You can get in touch or follow Crossroads on Facebook or Instagram.
