Blue Canyon Boys joined Neil Smart for KGNU’s Old Grass GNU Grass for a live performance and conversation about what’s next for the Colorado bluegrass favorites. The band shared updates on two upcoming albums, including a new brother-duet project, and discussed songwriter Jason Hicks’ selection as a finalist in the 2026 Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase.
The group also previewed upcoming appearances at the Lyons Concert in the Park and the SnowyGrass Music Festival in Estes Park. Along the way, they performed a mix of new material and classic-inspired harmonies, offering a glimpse of the music fans can expect to hear on their forthcoming releases. (Air Date 6/6/26).
Listen to the local gold here:
Transcript:
Neil Smart: But right now it’s 11 o’clock in the morning. Good morning, boys.
Blue Canyon Boys: Good morning.
Neil Smart: Good morning. Take it away.
Blue Canyon Boys:
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear—
Happy birthday.
[“Walk Out in the Rain” performance]
Neil Smart: Mighty fine. Too bad that first part didn’t get out on the air. I lied, it did.
Blue Canyon Boys: Happy birthday, Neil. Neil had a birthday yesterday, so it’s always fun to celebrate that.
Neil Smart: You guys are too kind. Welcome back to KGNU, Blue Canyon Boys, live in the Cabaret Room. Interestingly, we’ve been talking today about this being probably my last show in this location, and as near as I can recall, a couple of decades ago Blue Canyon Boys were the first band I had on one of my Old Grass New Grass shows. It’s kind of fitting that they’ll be the last.
You guys are here plugging a whole bunch of things. You’ve got new records coming.
Blue Canyon Boys: Yeah.
Neil Smart: Talk about that.
Blue Canyon Boys: We’re working on two albums right now, and one of them is going to be done very soon. We’re playing a few songs from those today, and we’re excited about it.
We don’t have an official title for the new album yet, so feel free to send us your ideas for album titles.
Neil Smart: I got one.
Blue Canyon Boys: What is it?
Neil Smart: Eight.
Blue Canyon Boys: The last one was Seven, and we thought about doing Eight, but spelling it A-T-E. That’s almost too predictable.
Neil Smart: Since you had the chance to embarrass me, now I’m going to embarrass one of you. Jason Hicks is perhaps my favorite songwriter anywhere in the Western United States, and there is some big news on the Folks Festival front and the songwriter competition. Why don’t you tell us about that?
Blue Canyon Boys: I’m one of the ten showcase finalists for Folks Fest this year at Planet Bluegrass. I entered a song, somebody liked it, and it made its way through the layers of scrutiny. I get to go up there, stand on a stage, and play a song by myself.
Neil Smart: In front of 4,000 of your closest friends.
Blue Canyon Boys: Somebody said that taking 12 Valiums is probably too much.
Neil Smart: One too many.
Blue Canyon Boys: Yeah, 12 is one too many.
Neil Smart: We’ve also got a show in Lyons at the park, right?
Blue Canyon Boys: Yeah. We’re playing the Lyons Concert in the Park at Sandstone Park on June 24th. Then not long after that we’ll be playing Snowygrass.
Neil Smart: Indeed. Back to Snowygrass. You guys have a couple of sets there—a main stage set and then an acoustic set Sunday night in the Bluebird Shelter. That kind of came about by mistake last year, didn’t it?
Blue Canyon Boys: We’ve played Snowygrass six or seven times, and I think only once or twice did it not rain. Last year was not one of those times.
It started raining, then raining harder, then blowing in on us. We moved back. Then it started blowing straight in on us, and that wasn’t fine. Then it started hailing. There were rivers and floods everywhere, and they had to shut down the PA.
We moved up to the pavilion at the top of the hill and did an acoustic set. Then Bruce Molsky and Tony Trischka did an acoustic set after us. It was amazing.
Neil Smart: Magic.
Blue Canyon Boys: I think that sparked Nadine to do an acoustic final set at the end of the festival, so we’re going to do that this year.
Neil Smart: When you guys finished your set in the shelter and then Bruce and Tony played theirs, it was pure magic. Picture a fairly small room with a stone wall, a high wooden ceiling, and no amplification. It was beautiful.
Blue Canyon Boys: What we need to do—Drew, remind me of this—is make sure we tack the walls up. We did a workshop that morning and the wall fell over on Drew.
Drew: My head still hurts.
Neil Smart: Snowygrass is such a great little festival in Estes Park, July 9th through the 12th. Along with Blue Canyon Boys, Bruce Molsky comes back every year and always brings someone with him. This year Stash Wyslouch is coming with Bruce. It’s going to be an amazing show. The Sullivan Sisters, Gasoline Lollipops, Silas Herman & The Tone Unit, Youssef Tucker & The Ascots, C Bob, Sally Van Meter, Charlie Stevens, Ragged Union—just a great little festival.
But since we’ve got you here, can we get a couple more from you?
Blue Canyon Boys: Yeah. We’re not leaving.
Neil Smart: Good. And I did want to say one thing. If it rains this year, Chris, I promise not to trip over your DI and pull out the patch cable.
Blue Canyon Boys: We’re hoping he stops talking about that pretty soon.
All right, one of the albums we’re working on is a brother-duet-style album, and this song is going to be on that. Hope you like it.
[Performance: Everly Brothers song]
Blue Canyon Boys: We’ll do one that I wrote. It’s funny—I was on Old Grass / New Grass with Bryan Eiser a couple years ago right after I wrote this song. I played a couple songs by myself and said, “I don’t think the band will do this, but you never know.”
And here we are doing it.
Much to Gary’s chagrin. They fought tooth and nail not to play this song, but I’m forcing them.
I’ve changed my mind.
[Performance: “Black Hair and Blue Eyes”]
Neil Smart: The band played it. I had to pay them, but they played it. That’s a mighty fine one.
Folks, we’ve been listening to Blue Canyon Boys live and in person from the KGNU Cabaret Room, ahead of a show in Sandstone Park in Lyons and, of course, Snowygrass coming up July 9th through the 12th.
Friends—Jason, Gary, Chris, and Drew—this is our last time through on this one. Thanks so much for the years of help and support. We’re going to take it to the new building, too.
Blue Canyon Boys: Absolutely. Let’s do it.
Neil Smart: Give it our all. Thank you. And thank you to George as well.
Blue Canyon Boys: Absolutely.
Neil Smart: It would be remiss if we didn’t thank George over there on the ones and twos.
Blue Canyon Boys: One other thing—happy birthday again, Neil.
Neil Smart: Thanks, Drew. I’m six months behind you, pal.
When you get to be our age, six months matters. When you’re really little or really old, six months is a long time.
Blue Canyon Boys: The years become happier.
Neil Smart: Well, can we impose on you for one more?
Blue Canyon Boys: Yeah, let’s do one more.
We’d also love to be your first band in the new studio whenever you get settled in and ready for a band.
Neil Smart: We’ll put that together. We’ll make it an occasion.
Blue Canyon Boys: We’ll throw a party.
Neil Smart: Thanks again, fellas.
Blue Canyon Boys: All right, we’ll do a song that Gary wrote. This is going to be on the new album as well.
Follow us on all the socials, say hi, and hope to see you out there somewhere.
You guys ready?
Yep. One, two, three.
[Performance: “Lost Out on the Road”]
Neil Smart: Blue Canyon Boys live in the studio. Thanks again, fellas.
Blue Canyon Boys: Thank you, Neil. Thanks for having us.
Neil Smart: Thanks again, George. We’ll be seeing you soon.
