Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road at Waldo Folk

On Monday, August 18th, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road will showcase their unique, innovative traditional bluegrass music at an intimate show in the Tap Room at Waldo Pizza. Doors open at 5:30pm, and the show starts at 7:00pm.

Characterized by No Depression as “the future of bluegrass”, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road twine innovation, tradition, and excellence into a unique musical experience. Though only in his 22nd year, North Carolina’s Liam Purcell has already established a name for himself in the world of American Stringband music. Growing up less than a mile away from the legendary guitarist Doc Watson, Purcell was steeped in Appalachian Old-Time and Bluegrass traditions from an early age. Taking inspiration from the local Deep Gap legacy, Liam began writing, performing, and storytelling from an early age.

Entering the professional bluegrass circuit during his teenage years, Purcell formed the stringband-supergroup Cane Mill Road, comprised of Liam Purcell, bass player Jacob Smith, banjo player Zach Vickers, and audio engineer Alex Naismith. Liam would go on to lead the virtuosic ensemble through regional appearances, building a fanbase across the Southeast and bringing his homespun rapport to some of the most revered festivals in the scene. By the time Purcell was 17, the project had seen multiple entries on the Billboard Top 10 Bluegrass charts, performed in 25 states, and was recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2019 as the recipient of their Momentum Band of the Year Award.

New paths emerged for Liam in 2020 when he was accepted to attend Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) on a full scholarship. Purcell began his studies remotely while multi-tracking a 10-song album released as “Roots” later that year. This independent project led to a widely anticipated tour and a recording contract with Pinecastle Records over the following years. Departing his native Appalachia, Purcell took up residence in Boston while attending Berklee. Despite the rigorous course of study, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road performed over 80 dates per year around an academic schedule. In 2022, Purcell shook the bluegrass world by sweeping the Rockygrass Instrumental Championships in Colorado, taking home first place honors on mandolin, banjo, and guitar. He is the only person to ever achieve a simultaneous victory in multiple championships.

Recording their latest album “Yellow Line”, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road dug deep into the writing and arranging facets of creativity. Purcell described the responsibility of carrying on a living tradition: “It was very important to me that I began this project the way I had learned from my heroes. Just us, telling stories in songs, building on the rich and diverse folk culture I had grown up in. However, I couldn’t simply leave it there. Everyone I’ve ever looked up to as an entertainer, Doc in particular, had never acknowledged boundaries between genre, style, origin, or influence. While I cared deeply about honoring the Appalachian Stringband music I loved, I also have my own songs inside, my own feelings to express, and my own innovations to contribute.”

Purcell graduated from Berklee in May of 2024, promptly hitting the road for over two months of heavy touring. Relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, Liam maintains his Deep Gap roots, watering them on stage each night in front of new audiences, as if to transport listeners beyond the lights and curtains, to a front porch up in the mountains where the journey all began.

Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road is incredible, and we are thrilled to have them at Waldo Folk!

The two-hour show will start at 7:00 PM and doors will open at 5:30 PM on Monday, August 18th, in the Tap Room at Waldo Pizza.

Food and drink from Waldo Pizza will be available for purchase throughout the show.

Seating is first come first serve at shared tables. Please arrive early to select your seat.

Tickets are required for entry.

Host or Publisher Waldo Folk