NB: There are a lot of different musical influences that band members bring to the group, some more traditional and others more wide ranging.  What makes it work?

BG: I never had any bluegrass in my home growing up.  I didn’t hear my first Flatt and Scruggs tape until I was in high school.  Mom was a big Elvis fan and Dad loved southern gospel, so that’s all I ever knew.  I just happened to pick up a tape at a yard sale one time and my parents and I just wore that thing out.   With the guys it’s kind of a melting pot. Our banjo player is kind of into older country like George Strait.  Our bass player Britt likes rock and new country.  You might get in the vehicle with our fiddle player and he might have rap going.  When I first started listening to bluegrass I was into heavy metal at the time.  We kind of wanted to create a new sound and that’s kind of why we chose the name we did for our band.

NB: What does Breaking Grass aspire to in the next few years?

BG: We really want to do as much music as possible.  We love what we do, we get to meet so many sweet folks when we are out there and we play.  So no matter what we just want to play as much music as possible.  We have talked about doing a gospel album.  Sam Bush’s guitar player has worked on both albums with us and co-produced the second one.   

NB: What do you all like to do for fun while you are on the road?

BG:Well we don’t really have a lot of free time!  We’re usually at a show or at our jobs, but speaking for myself I’m an outdoors kind of guy.  We like to camp or get out on the water.  But not having a lot of free time is not a complaint!

NB: What is the strangest thing that’s ever happened to the band on the road?  

BG: It would be very hard to pinpoint that.  One time we got in a gospel talent search - whoever won got to open up for the Isaacs, and we were all big fans of the Isaacs so we entered the contest, and we were blessed to win the competition. But we didn’t get to meet them face to face – the only time we met any of them was when we were warming up back stage, and Ben Isaacs came and asked us to keep it down because they were recording something in the dressing room.   That was pretty funny.

NB:What else do you want readers to know about Breaking Grass.

BG:There are so many things I’d like to share about us. One is to let folks know that we’re not a gospel group but we’re definitely Christian, we know where our blessings come from.    The thing that might be different when you come to see Breaking Grass you’re going to see the same guys every show.  If we can’t all make it, we can’t book the show.  Same thing on our records, it’s going to be us playing, it’s going to be singing, and it’s going to be us writing our songs.  We may not be the best band but we sure have the best fans!