Kyran Daniel

With her latest album, Highlander, bluegrass/Americana icon Missy Raines takes inventory of where she stands at this current juncture in her storied career—this melodic ode to her native West Virginia, which simultaneously serves as an ideal prism of time and space Raines peers through into the unknowns of tomorrow. “Making this record and having this band has been sort of a homecoming,” the legendary bassist/vocalist says. “I’m at a point in my life where I’ve been able to look back at what I’ve gone through, what I’ve done, and the path I ultimately wanted to take.” Throughout her storied career, Raines has garnered some of the biggest accolades in the music industry, including 14 International Bluegrass Music Association honors, with 10 being awarded for “Bass Player of the Year.” Raines’ 2018 release Royal Traveller was also nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Bluegrass Album” in 2020. Highlander brings together some of the finest musicians in Nashville and beyond, including country star and fellow West Virginian Kathy Mattea; fiddle virtuosos Michael Cleveland, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Darol Anger, and Shad Cobb; renowned bluegrass vocalists Danny Paisley, Dudley Connell, and Laurie Lewis; with dobro wizard Rob Ickes and banjo great Alison Brown also making guest appearances. “I’m embracing bluegrass again, and it’s all been incredibly good for me,” Raines says. “In every sense of the way, I almost can just go back [in my mind] and rely on those intrinsic things I learned as a 15-year-old in a field at a bluegrass festival—tapping into how I felt back then, and how I still feel today about this music.” With modern-day bluegrass currently experiencing another high-water mark as names like Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and Sierra Hull proudly carry the torch of tradition and evolution, Raines finds solidarity in the ongoing growth and progress of the “high, lonesome sound”—this fine line between respect and rebellion that Raines has seamlessly balanced since the beginning. “I watched that first generation of [bluegrass] people doing all that—creating traditional music, then breaking away from it to do their own thing,” Raines says. “And all of it is still surviving and flourishing. To me, there’s nothing more bluegrass than the act of absolute innovation—and that’s what we’re doing, because that’s what Monroe did from the start.” Website | Facebook | Instagram Kyran Daniel Guitarist, Composer, Producer and Musical Director, Kyran Daniel began his career performing alongside Grammy Nominee Tommy Emmanuel on stages spanning the globe. His debut album ‘Per Se’ became a highly influential work in the acoustic guitar world, opening the door to his attendance of the prestigious Berklee College of Music studying under the greatest songwriting & production professors in contemporary music. Following his time at Berklee, Kyran focussed on the roles of songwriter & producer for a cohort of Australian artists including G Flip, Gretta Ray, and Kingswood. His diverse musical palette and superlative musicianship saw him fast become one of Australia’s finest studio talents, and a go-to for artists & labels domestically & abroad, with credits including Gretta Ray’s ARIA Nominated Album ‘Begin To Look Around’ (EMI), G Flip’s #1 ARIA Charting Album ‘Drummer’ (4x ARIA Nominated), and Australian & European tours and televised performances with legendary rock group Kingswood. Recent years have seen Kyran return to his most authentic musical form as solo artist, with sold-out concerts spanning three continents in the lead up to the launch of his renaissance album ‘Like The Night Itself’, generously supported by the Australian Cultural Fund and Creative Australia via MATCH Lab. Expect a new chapter of emotive compositions drawing upon rich global influences, cinematic soundscapes, and virtuosic expression from the heart.