Ice and Iceland have inspired Greensky Bluegrass guitarist Dave Bruzza. 

Growing up in Kalamazoo, ice beckoned and Bruzza played and adored hockey. 

“I loved playing hockey (in Fort Wayne) and I remember going down to Fort Wayne to watch the Kalamazoo Wings play the Fort Wayne Komets,” Bruzza said while calling from Baltimore. “It’s not that long of a drive.”

It’s about two-hour trek from Kalamazoo to Fort Wayne, so it’s surprising Greensky Bluegrass have only played Fort Wayne once during their 20-year existence. 

“It’s hard to believe we’ve only been to Fort Wayne once,” Bruzza said. “We played The Clyde Theatre (in 2018) and loved it. We’re looking forward to coming back to Fort Wayne. You would think we would have been there more since we’ve been to so many places, which are not easy to get to.”

Greensky Bluegrass’ next trip to the Summit City will be outdoors at Sweetwater Performance Pavilion on Tuesday, June 11.

Unique opportunity

As for Iceland, the Michigan natives actually recorded The Iceland Sessions EP, which was released last month, during their 2023 tour in the charming country. 

The four-song EP was cut with pianist Holly Bowling in a remote studio five hours from Reykjavik.

“We were presented with this great opportunity to play some shows in Iceland,” Bruzza said. “We said yes and then we had the option of recording in this studio. It was a different, outside-of-the-box opportunity. We decided to collaborate with our good friend, Holly. We created something more raw than we’re used to creating.”

“Distracted” is a quirky tune, which features an inventive piano solo. “Entirely Mine” is a lush ballad, while “Solstice” is a heavy tune with shades of Weather Report and “Born Again” is a lovely, hopeful cut with terrific harmonies.

“It was well worth the effort to drive the four hours to the studio to make this project happen,” Bruzza said. “We were there for a week and didn’t see another human being for that span until we got back to Reykjavik. It was a wild time we’ll never forget. There was nothing but sun and such raw beauty.”

Expect to experience some of The Iceland Sessions cuts when Greensky Bluegrass performs at Sweetwater. 

It’s not easy to put together a setlist with nine albums and a couple of EPs to draw from. 

“That can be a difficult thing to do, but it’s a good problem to have,” Bruzza said. “Who knew that we would still be together all these years later?”

Rubbing shoulders with icons

Bruzza, banjo player Michael Arlen Bont, and mandolinist Paul Hoffman got their start jamming at a Kalamazoo open mic night in 2000. Cellist Michael Devol joined in 2004 and the band was established. 

Greensky Bluegrass, which also includes Anders Beck on Dobro, has performed with such luminaries as The Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh, Billy Strings, Sam Bush, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Railroad Earth.

“It’s been an amazing time,” Bruzza said. “We’ve had such a blast in this brotherhood. We’ve been very fortunate.”

It was extra trippy for Bruzza to play with Lesh since his first concert experience was a Grateful Dead show in 1992 at Chicago’s Soldier Field. 

“I’ll never forget that show, but it wasn’t like I was inspired at that moment to become a musician,” Bruzza said. “It happened eventually, and I’m eternally grateful. I can’t imagine being anything but a musician. It’s been great meeting guys like Phil, but I’ve always remained calm meeting my musical heroes.”

He might stay cool around his music heroes, but when it comes to his Chicago Cubs, the same can’t be said. 

“When I met (Cubs Hall of Famer) Ryne Sandberg I was literally shaking,” Bruzza said. “I’m a huge baseball fan and a huge Cubs fan. There was nothing like when the Cubs finally won the World Series (in 2016). The Cubs have always been this borderline obsession.”

For some, Greensky Bluegrass is an obsession. 

“We appreciate all of the devoted fans,” Bruzza said. “Without them there’s no Greensky Bluegrass. I don’t know where I would be without this band.”

Perhaps Bruzza would be drumming for another group. Prior to Greensky Bluegrass, he was a percussionist: “But I learned how to play guitar when we were starting this band. It all worked out for me and the band.”

Authenticity

Part of Greensky Bluegrass’ appeal is that the band morphs with each album and features eclectic tracks on each release. 

“If we didn’t do that we would get bored,” Bruzza said. “It’s just natural for us to be on different sides of the spectrum. In one moment it gets really dark and in others it can be pretty lighthearted.”

Greensky Bluegrass is a bit of a misnomer since the band isn’t a straight-ahead bluegrass band. 

“That’s why you won’t see us at many bluegrass festivals,” Bruzza said. “We’ve played festivals like Bonnaroo, and that’s been good for us.”

It’s also a good time for Greensky Bluegrass since there is a burgeoning audience for acoustic music. 

“I think fans want music that’s authentic,” Bruzza said. “They want something that feels genuine. You look out at the landscape from when we started and it’s so different.”

The aforementioned Billy Strings was a Michigan teenager when he discovered Greensky Bluegrass. Strings has praised Bruzza as a unique guitarist.

“It’s been nice hearing good things from musicians and fans,” Bruzza said. “The coolest thing is that we get to continue doing what we enjoy most, which is playing and creating with each other.”

The bar is high for Greensky Bluegrass since The Grateful Dead are never too far from Bruzza’s mind when creating. 

“The reason I do what I do is because of The Grateful Dead,” Bruzza said. “To me, The Grateful Dead is traditional music. You’ll be hearing bands play The Dead’s music 100 years from now. They set a certain standard and have inspired so many people.”

It’s not surprising the band is open to improvisation live, which pleases its fans, who are known as “Campers.” A healthy amount of the Greensky Bluegrass faithful follow the group around, ala “Deadheads.” 

“We appreciate how supportive the fans have been,” Bruzza said. “Their support allows us to do what we love.”