Mountain Grass Unit are a Birmingham-born modern bluegrass and roots band known for high-energy live shows, adventurous musicianship, and the rare chemistry that comes from years of playing together. Built around the longtime musical bond of mandolinist/vocalist DruryAnderson, guitarist Luke Black, and bassist Sam Wilson, and completed by fiddle player Josiah Nelson, the band brings a forward-looking spirit to bluegrass tradition, blending instrumental firepower, improvisation, jamgrass energy, and song-driven roots music into a sound made for the stage. Mountain Grass Unit’s debut studio album, Appalachian Smoke, arrives on August 28, 2026 via Dualtone Records. Produced by six-time Grammy winner Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Phish), the band approached the project with a new level of focus and intention, broadening both their songwriting and sonic ambitions. Joined by guests including Greensky Bluegrass’ Anders Beck, pedal steel player Karl Smakula and Grammy-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland, MGU created what fiddler Josiah Nelson calls “a celebration of all the music we love.” Bassist Sam Wilson adds, “We wanted the album to feel like our live show.” After selling out more than 30 shows in 2025, winning IBMA Momentum Band of the Year, and building a following that stretches from bluegrass traditionalists to newgrass fans, jam-band devotees, and a new generation of roots listeners, Mountain Grass Unit have become one of the most exciting young forces in American acoustic music. With a nationwide tour and a Grand Ole Opry debut on the horizon, alongside major festival appearances including Bonnaroo and Railbird, they are carrying bluegrass forward with the fire of a live band, the instincts of lifelong friends, and a future that feels wide open.