Toronto string band The Unseen Strangers released their newest album, Stranger Places today. In this album, the band challenged the limits of what they are capable of, setting out to explore the gamut of what can be done with strings. The result is a collection of songs that push bluegrass into new territory. 

Bandleader Adam Shier (who regularly steps in to play with bluegrass heroes like Foggy Hogtown Boys and the Slocan Ramblers) is a regular at the famous Bluegrass Brunch at Toronto’s Dakota Tavern. With The Unseen Strangers, Shier marries his love of traditional bluegrass with his background in rock and more improvised music.

The Strangers have been doing well with the bluegrass/newgrass crowds in the US, playing numerous festivals south of the border the last couple of years, but they still fly under the radar in Canada. They launch their new disc at Saturday, April 2nd, at Burdock Music Hall in Toronto.

The Strangers was started in 2008 by Adam Shier, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and driving force behind he band. Adam fell in love with the sound of bluegrass going to school in Halifax and was soon recruiting his best friends to be in a bluegrass band. The band quickly recorded an album and were excited to win a Music Nova Scotia Award in 2009 for Bluegrass/Country Album of the Year.

The band’s approach to bluegrass is ‘open-ended yet inclusive’. Be sure to check out The Unseen Strangers live in Toronto tomorrow, and go to their website to sample more of their music.