Down Hill Strugglers with John Cohen
and Jerrod "Blindboy" Paxton - Thursday, March 27th - 7:30 PM

The Down Hill Strugglers (formerly known as the Dust Busters) is an old time string band based out of Brooklyn, NY. They have released an album on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and are featured on the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers film, "Inside Llewyn Davis" produced by T-Bone Burnett. The Down Hill Strugglers are extending the legacy of the New Lost City Ramblers by presenting the authentic sound of old time music to a new generation.


The Down Hill Strugglers integrate a wide range of old-time songs, ballads, fiddle tunes and banjo breakdowns into every performance. Their music is infused with the old-time feeling and freewheelin’ energy present in the true diversity of American Folk Music. By carrying the music of the old rural America forward with verve and creativity, The Down Hill Strugglers make it thoroughly contemporary, and challenge audiences to accept the old as the new.

The Down Hill Strugglers are:


Walker Shepard - fiddle, banjo, guitar, harmonica, voice
Jackson Lynch - fiddle, banjo, guitar, voice
Eli Smith - banjo, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, Jews harp, pump organ, voice
They are often joined by John Cohen - banjo, guitar, mandolin, voice, brain