Hometown: US

Jim & Jennie met in 1998 in the wilds of Pennsylvania. Jennie Benford grew up in a bluegrass-lovin' family, full of Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe and the like, but spent her teen years trying to figure out the meaning of the cover of Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy." Jim Krewson spent his formative years immersed in hardcore punk and experimental rock, not flipping for the 'grass until he heard his dad's Flatt & Scruggs Mercury recordings. After meeting up with banjo-prodigy Brad, they set out to fulfill their ambition of winning over both the bluegrass crowd and a broader audience that wasn't necessarily familiar with it.

Since then, they have released two studio albums, a live, tour-only CD, toured the world, contributed backing skills to Neko Case's recent live CD, and made good on their promise to rocket bluegrass into the 21st century. They remain respectful of the traditions of the genre, but are not constrained by them. The band is now based out of North Carolina and upstate New York and are wildly regarded as unfailingly nice folks, so don't be afraid to have them stay over when they come to your town.

“Jim and Jennie and the Pinetops are raging against the dying of the light while at the same time dragging the carcass around with them.” Jason Nickey, Pitchfork

"[They] should be lifted above the narrow-thinking traditionalists and placed alongside their more progressive contemporaries, such as Gillian Welch, or the Crooked Jades (with whom Benford sometimes tours)." Brian Barr, Harp

Compilation Tracks:

"Down in the Arkansas on The Bottle Let Me Down

"Call of the Wreckin' Ball" with John Doe on For a Decade of Sin: 11 Years of Bloodshot Records

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