Man About a Horse plays traditional bluegrass instruments, but not always traditional bluegrass. The Philadelphia-based group infuses their sound with rock and pop references, funk grooves, and blues roots. They won the 2018 FreshGrass Band Award and were also nominated for an IBMA Band Momentum Award in 2018.
Man About a Horse’s first full-length album debuted at #11 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart in 2017, earning praise from Bluegrass Unlimited, British Bluegrass News, and others. The band notched its first position on the Bluegrass Today radio chart in 2018. They’ve performed at festivals and in venues around the U.S., sharing the stage with Old Crow Medicine Show, Cabinet, Danny Barnes, Hot Buttered Rum, Wood & Wire, Donna the Buffalo, and many more.
A chance meeting and discovery of a shared love of bluegrass by co-founders Matt Thomas (bass) and Matt “Roy” Royles (guitar and vocals) led to the formation of the band in 2014. In addition to Thomas and Royles, Man About a Horse is: Dan Whitener (banjo), Matthew Hiller (mandolin), and Eric Lee (fiddle).