Hailing from Denver, Colorado, Clay Street Unit mixes the Newgrass spirit of the Rocky Mountains with the country-folk traditions of the Appalachians. The result is a modern, amplified version of American roots music that blurs the borders between genre and geography, driven forward by drums, sharp songwriting, and the chemistry of multiple road warriors who've shared countless hours on stage. Mandolinist Scottie Bolin, bassist Jack Kotarba, banjo player Jack Cline, pedal steel guitarist Brad Larrison, drummer Brendan Lamb, and singer/guitarist/ringleader Sam Walker don't just nod to their influences; they reshape them into something new. With a follow-up to the band's career-launching EP, A Mighty Fine Evening, on the horizon, Clay Street Unit are staking their claim as torchbearers of something both fresh and familiar, nodding to the foundations of American music while sharpening their own progressive edge.

Brad Parsons was born in the low desert Lewis Clark valley tucked in the border of Washington and Idaho. He grew up and learned the ways of the Lord from his daddy who spent his Sundays behind the pulpit. As well as the good word, in church Parsons also learned the power of communicating with others through music. He went faithfully each Sunday and sang to his fathers congregation from the old hymns and gospel standards. Growing up and away from the music of the old gospel and diving into the secular classics forbidden to him in his youth, Parsons left the church to pursue music free from the boundaries his religion put on him. In 2008 he moved to Portland, OR and entrenched himself in the burgeoning Americana scene expanding his roots to rock, bluegrass and country music. The next few were years spent traveling, busking on street corners and playing in dive bars. This led to a stint with the band Horse Feathers. He toured with them for three years as a multi instrumentalist and recorded with them on their album “So It Is With Us”. In 2016, he compiled songs he had written in vans, spare bedrooms and on front porches and enlisted co producer and engineer Tyler Thompson (Fruition, TK & The Holy Know Nothings) to make his first full length record. He recorded with various musicians in studios in Colorado and Oregon to make “Hold True”. The album mixed heartbreak and haunting social commentary with Parsons’s wry sense of humor. He toured throughout the country and became a yearly mainstay at festivals like Northwest String Summit and Sawtooth Valley Gathering. He relocated to Atlanta, GA where hope the high temperatures would stoke the heat within his heart. His time in Atlanta led to “The Starbird Sessions” , another collaboration with Tyler Thompson recorded at Studio 110 in Pittsburgh, PA and released in 2020. Parsons has collaborated with Bart Budwig, John Craigie, Fruition, Cabinet and numerous others throughout his career. He has written, co-written and produced dozens of tracks while earning a reputation as a talented songwriter and dynamic live performer. He is like a warm shoulder to cry on in a cold and weary world.