Bluegrass comes to the stage at the Music Box in Craftsbury with the VT Bluegrass Pioneers on Saturday, April 21 at 8 PM. The Pioneers are a new band whose members include well-known bluegrass musicians: brothers "Banjo" Dan and Willy Lindner and Danny Coane. The Linder Brothers are the co-founders of the prolific and well-traveled Banjo Dan & the Midnite Plowboys. Since the band's retirement, they have continued their career as the multi-faceted Sky Blue Boys. Danny Coane, guitarist and dynamic lead singer formerly with such bands as the Throbulators and the Radio Rangers, since 1998 has been with Vermont's nationally award-winning honky-tonk heroes, the Starline Rhythm Boys.

The three became acquainted in the 1970s, when they were among the first musicians playing bluegrass – a uniquely powerful, updated version of acoustic string-band music – in the hills of Vermont. In May 2016, after years of friendship and other musical pursuits, Danny, Willy, and Dan hit on the idea of – finally! – teaming up as the aptly named VT Bluegrass Pioneers.

Their audiences learned quickly that their ardor had never cooled. The Pioneers give a riveting performance. Still rooted in the hard-driving tradition of first-generation bluegrass, the three musicians share lead and harmony vocals In a unique twist, Dan and Danny, both of whom are commanding banjo players, alternate on that instrument and rhythm guitar, while Willy holds forth on mandolin. They are sometimes augmented by solid contributions on bass and fiddle.

As performers, the VT Bluegrass Pioneers "leave it all on the field" – or in this case, the stage. Decades in the making, this new band is an idea whose time has come. Check them out at http://www.skyblueboys.com/pioneers/ . For more information call 802-586-7533 or www.themusicboxcraftsbury.org. Donation at the door.