Three mainstay groups in Western Colorado’s bluegrass scene will take the stage at Rifle’s Ute Theater next Friday for an evening of energetic live tunes, dancing and freshly-poured drinks.

The Bluegrass Showcase will feature Grand Junction-favorites Stray Grass and the Clayton Yeazle Trio, with Still House String Band as the event’s headliner. 

“Bluegrass is very much a Colorado genre that people love,” said Bruce Strasinger, who is producing the show in collaboration with the Ute Theater. “I was looking to find…bluegrass bands that we could highlight that hadn’t been to Garfield County before and introduce them to a new audience.” 

Hailing from Grand Junction, Stray Grass is known for its classic “handmade” Americana and heartfelt acoustic sound, while singer and song-writer Clayton Yeazle specializes in soulful vocals and original, folk-influenced tunes. 

“​​Stray Grass, along with Clayton Yeazle, both played before at the Ute, and one reason they were quite willing to come back is because they had good experiences there last year,” Strasinger said. “Stray Grass is a progressive-style bluegrass band, playing new grass revival type music and blending some modern music into the bluegrass style.”

Fresh off the release of a self-titled EP that was recorded at E-Town Studios in Boulder, headliner Still House String Band has been on a performance hot-streak since winning the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Contest in 2024. The group — which features Kyle Lockhart on mandolin, Clinton Knorpp on banjo and vocals, Everitt Merritt on guitar and vocals, Jeanette Adams on bass and vocals and Kyle Elliott on dobro — is a regional bluegrass powerhouse that blends traditional Appalachian sounds with a twist of modern jam-grass. 

“These are young, enthusiastic bands that are very much excited about coming up here and playing for a new audience,” Strasinger said.