5PTS Outdoors at The Dog Bowl 2026 Season's first show is in excellent hands with handwritten, homegrown Americana troubadours Chatham County Line. Rock trio Pressing Strings hold down the opening slot with harmonies and heart.
Launched a little more than twenty years ago in Raleigh, North Carolina, Chatham County Line built a devoted local following on the strength of their genre-bending live show—an intoxicating blend of bluegrass, folk, country, and rock and roll—before breaking out internationally with their 2003 self-titled debut. In the years to come, the band would go on to release eight more critically acclaimed studio albums, top the Billboard Bluegrass Chart four times, collaborate with the likes of Judy Collins, Sharon Van Etten, and Norwegian star Jonas Fjeld, earn two gold records in Norway (where they were also twice nominated for the Spellemannprisen, Norway’s equivalent of a Grammy), and share bills with everyone from Guy Clark and Lyle Lovett to Steve Martin & Martin Short and The Avett Brothers. NPR hailed the group as “a bridge between bluegrass traditions and a fresh interpretation of those influences,” while Uncut lauded their “powerful melodies and gorgeous harmonies,” and Pitchfork dubbed their music “timeless.”
The band’s latest release, Hiyo, marks the band’s first release since the departure of their longtime banjo player and serves as something of a reintroduction to the roots stalwarts, complete with new sounds, new collaborators, and a whole new lease on life. Recorded at Asheville’s Echo Mountain studio with co-producer/engineer Rachael Moore (Kacey Musgraves, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss), the collection finds the trio—Dave Wilson (lead singer/guitarist), John Teer (fiddle/mandolin) and Greg Readling (bass/pedal steel), embracing change at every turn, experimenting with fresh sonic palettes and innovative approaches to their core instrumentation. The songwriting remains classic Chatham County Line here—rich, evocative tales of love and heartbreak, joy and sorrow, righteousness and revenge—but the settings have evolved to incorporate synthesizers, drum machines, and more electric guitar and percussion than ever before. Given the group’s string band roots and decades spent singing around a single microphone, the results are nothing short of revelatory, taking an enduring sound and injecting it with a thrilling new spirit of discovery and vitality.
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Hailing from Annapolis, Maryland, the powerhouse trio Pressing Strings, led by guitarist and vocalist Jordan Sokel, has earned a loyal following with their genre bending blend of blues, rock, and folk, wrapped in soul-stirring storytelling and toe tapping grooves. Their music resonates with the emotional grit of blues, the laidback swagger of folk, and the urgency of modern rock.
Whether delivering heartfelt ballads or energetic anthems, Pressing Strings weaves lyrical introspection and high-caliber musicianship that feels both fresh and familiar. Sokel’s smokey voice and intricate guitar work is complimented masterfully by a star rhythm section. Held down tightly by drummer Justin Kruger, an energetic and charismatic performer whose style mirrors his outside the box personality and unique approach to the instrument, and bassist Nick Welker, a solid and stoic figure who picks melodic lines and chordal voicings that makes the trio sound full and lush. All three members sing, adding harmonies reminiscent of southern California in the 70’s. Together they push the limits of what a trio can do, and provide an immersive, feel-good vibe that hits the audience’s heart as hard as it does the ears.
Recently, the band has been touring the US coast-to-coast, headlining clubs and delighting audiences at festivals such as Palisade Roots and Bluegrass Festival, FloydFest, Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival, Firefly, Sweetwater 420Fest, and Cavefest, while sharing the stage with major artists like Gov’t Mule, Toad The Wet Sprocket, JJ Grey, and Neil Francis.
Kids 12 & under are FREE!
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