Billy is BACK. For all intents and purposes, Billy Strings has become the “it” star in bluegrass as of late. After years of well-deserved hype among fans of the genre, the past five years, in particular, have been huge for the Michigan native. Beyond playing with the likes of famous jam bands such as Dead & Company, Phish and Widespread Panic, Strings has also scored major collaborations with Luke Combs, Dierks Bentley, Willie Nelson, Post Malone and Zach Top. The “Dust in a Baggie” singer broke out in a big way commercially in 2024 with the release of Highway Prayers. Not only did the record top seven different Billboard charts, including Top Album Sales, Vinyl Albums, Bluegrass Albums and Most Added at Triple A Radio (“Gild the Lily”), it also became the first bluegrass album in 22 years to reach #1 on the all-genre Top Album Sales chart since the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack topped the chart for two weeks back in 2002. Despite continuing his face-melting live show at a nonstop pace since then, the bluegrass superstar has been pretty quiet from a release-perspective, dropping another live album last year along with an exclusive Apple Music EP. That’s changing VERY soon, however. Announced at midnight, Strings will be dropping his seventh studio album, So Much for Goodbyes, on Friday, August 28th, to coincide with his first-ever festival, Ionia Freak Fair, in Michigan. View this post on Instagram Discussing the album, Strings would note it was born out of the grief of losing his late mother, who tragically passed away due to a drug overdose last June. Here, he’d point to using his guitar as a coping mechanism to handle the sudden loss. Additionally, he’d incorporate her artwork in the album cover. “I made this record to honor my mother. To notice and embrace this very significant period of grief in my life and make art from it. To turn my heartbreak into songs while using my guitar as a coping mechanism as I always have. It’s always been there for me to lean on through the hard times, and I figure it always will…until it’s my time to say goodbye.” He’d add a deeper reflection on the loss in the Instagram caption. Noting how he still plans to use her poetry for an album, he’d admit he has yet to find a way to incorporate it into a full collection of songs due to its stream-of-consciousness nature. Additionally, he’d explain that it was always a dream to incorporate her art into one of his album covers. “This album came at a time in my life when I had a lot to write about. I had just lost my mother last June and still felt the talons of grief piercing my back. Before she passed, she and I had planned on trying to use some of her poetry to make songs from, but that just hasn’t panned out yet. A lot of her poetry is very stream-of-conscious, and I just couldn’t figure out how to put it to a tune. Maybe someday I will. Another dream we had was having her make art for the next record cover. She was an amazing artist and was constantly working on many different things. She would call me all the time and tell me about how she was painting this or gluing this thing to that to make some UFO alien battle with cowboys and fairies. All her pieces had a story. The piece we ended up using for the cover was the one she was working on the night she died. I believe her intention was to show it to me when it was finished to see if I would use it for the cover. Although I don’t believe she had the chance to complete it, I am so happy we were able to fulfill that dream. I never got to say goodbye to her. That’s why I wanted to call the album “So Much For Goodbyes.” When I mentioned it to my manager, his interpretation of it was different from mine. I was sad that I didn’t get to say goodbye, but when I told him the name of the album, he heard it from a different perspective. It’s not goodbye. She’s not gone. She’s very much still with me. So much for goodbyes.” Overall, So Much for Goodbyes will contain 16 tracks and will be produced by Strings alongside the legendary T Bone Burnett, who worked on the aforementioned O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack along with the likes of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Elvis Costello, Elton John and many more throughout his career. To preview the album, Strings released its first single, “Burn the Other End,” which is linked below. So Much For Goodbyes Tracklist 1. “I’m One of Those” 2. “Burn the Other End” 3. “Carry Us Home” 4. “Lay Me Down” 5. “Lucid Daydream” 6. “Mill Town Flood” 7. “Live to Tell” 8. “Bluewater Breakdown” 9. “Light the Wall” 10. “I Like Train Songs” 11. “10,000 Miles From a Friend” 12. “Still I Crash” 13. “I Wish I Wanted To” 14. “Remember to Cry” 15. “Wrestling an Angel” 16. “Debra’s Waltz” “Burn the Other End” Billy Strings Tour Dates July 2—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater July 4—Austin, TX—Germania Insurance Amphitheater* July 14—Roanoke, VA—Berglund Center (SOLD OUT) July 17—Portsmouth, VA—Portsmouth Pavilion (SOLD OUT) July 18—Portsmouth, VA—Portsmouth Pavilion (SOLD OUT) July 21—Boston, MA—Agganis Arena (SOLD OUT) July 22—Boston, MA—Agganis Arena (SOLD OUT) July 24—Portland, ME—Cross Insurance Arena (SOLD OUT) July 25—Portland, ME—Cross Insurance Arena (SOLD OUT) July 28—Hartford, CT—PeoplesBank Arena (SOLD OUT) July 31—Bethel, NY—Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (SOLD OUT) August 1—Bethel, NY—Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (SOLD OUT) August 4—Charleston, WV—Charleston Coliseum (SOLD OUT) August 6— Fishers, IN—Fishers Event Center (SOLD OUT) August 7—Fishers, IN—Fishers Event Center (SOLD OUT) August 8—Fishers, IN—Fishers Event Center (SOLD OUT) August 28—Ionia, MI—Ionia Freak Fair (SOLD OUT) August 29—Ionia, MI—Ionia Freak Fair (SOLD OUT) September 18—Denver, CO—Ball Arena (SOLD OUT) September 19—Denver, CO—Ball Arena (SOLD OUT) September 20—Denver, CO—Paramount Theatre† (SOLD OUT) September 25—Los Angeles, CA—The Orpheum Theatre† (SOLD OUT) September 26—Inglewood, CA—Kia Forum September 28—San Diego, CA—Pechanga Arena October 2—Oakland, CA—Oakland Arena October 3—Oakland, CA—Oakland Arena October 6—Eugene, OR—Matthew Knight Arena October 9—Everett, WA—Angel of the Winds Arena October 10—Everett, WA—Angel of the Winds Arena October 23—Huntsville, AL—The Orion Amphitheater (SOLD OUT) October 24—Huntsville, AL—The Orion Amphitheater (SOLD OUT) October 30—Baltimore, MD—CFG Bank Arena (SOLD OUT) October 31—Baltimore, MD—CFG Bank Arena (SOLD OUT) December 4—New Orleans, LA—Saenger Theatre† (SOLD OUT) December 5—New Orleans, LA—Smoothie King Center December 9—Sugar Land, TX—Smart Financial Centre December 11—Fort Worth, TX—Dickies Arena *Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic †Ticketmaster ticketing requestThe post Billy Strings Honors His Late Mother With New Album, “So Much For Goodbyes” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.