Stereo Naked und Bashed Potatoes

In Germany, bluegrass is still a hidden gem, but theBashed Potatoeswant to change that: Joon Laukamp, Paul Lindenauer, Philipp Keck, Steffen Thede, and Pierce Black are virtuosos on their instruments. Some of them hail from the U.S. and New Zealand; they have diverse roots in jazz, rock, classical, and Baroque music; and they’re perfectly in sync with one another. What brought them together was their love for the acoustic musical traditions of the American South and their modern variations.
In their rousing concerts, the Bashed Potatoes convey the rich, cosmopolitan history of bluegrass, a genre that emerged from the fusion of European and African American folk music. Their repertoire includes traditional songs imbued with longing, transience, and spirituality; Newgrass songs addressing contemporary issues; as well as danceable instrumentals and original compositions.

Stereo Naked(Roots/Indie Folk) consists of New Zealand-born double bassist Pierce Black and banjo player Julia Zech, who enchant their audience with this unusual combination. They met through the Cologne bluegrass scene and, building on that foundation, have developed their very own folky, “naked” sound. After traveling many kilometers together and embarking on adventurous tours across Europe—from Ireland to Lithuania—their third album, “Upside Down,” was released in 2024. It has been particularly well-received in the UK, has been played multiple times on BBC radio, and Deutschlandfunk has said: “With simple yet beautiful harmonies over gentle fingerpicking, Stereo Naked conjure up a few rays of sunshine for the soul.”