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Tidalwave Road is one of the fastest rising new bands in the Bluegrass scene! The band consists of Ben Parker (banjo), Carlie Parker (mandolin), Daniel Parker (bass), and Robert Sulfridge (guitar). They gained national notoriety after winning the 2023 SamJam Festival Band Competition, which eventually caught the attention of Pinecastle Records, who recently signed the group. The dynamic team just released a new EP titled The Bonfire Sessions.
We caught up with the band to talk about their new music and the exciting things to come! The Williamsburg, KY natives are hard at work in the studio on a full album, produced by industry veteran Steve Wilson (of Wilson Banjo Co.).
When did you first know you wanted to become a musical artist? What was the first song you ever wrote?
From grandma singing while she was cooking or cleaning, to family weekend jams, music has always been a part of our life. So, we wouldn’t understand how to live without it. Basically, most of us all do a little writing, but Ben is the better at it. “Born on a Moonshine Run” is his first song. It comes from “parts” of his childhood!
Who are some of your top 5 musical influences?
(1) Tony Rice and The Unit, (2) New Grass Revival, (3) Hot Rize, (4) Mike Munford,
(5) Alan Bibey.
What’s in your personal playlist this week?
That is a wide range from, Sirius XM Bluegrass Junction, Greensky Bluegrass, Wilson Banjo Co., Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, The Travelin’ McCourys, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, to Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley’s album (The Country Blues) being on repeat!
How’s the music scene in your locale?
It’s actually pretty good and we try to take full advantage of it! Our go-to venue is FOP Bluegrass Night, the 1st Friday Night of each month. This is a free venue that normally has 4 or 5 local bands come out and play for a mostly elderly, but loyal audience. We also have a lot of great festivals such as SamJam, The Osborne Brothers Hometown, Blazin Bluegrass, Riverstomp and others. We also have a handful of local restaurants that try to keep live music as an option.
What do you like most about playing live?
There’s no better feeling in the world than when the band drops deep into the groove allowing the music in our hearts to flow out through our instruments and words, connecting with the audience…. Taking us all away for a short escape from the day-to-day grind.
Is there a song on your latest EP, The Bonfire Session, that stands out as your personal favorite, and why?
Actually, we love them all, but we favor “I’ll See You There.” The words to this song tell such a powerful story that you almost feel like you are watching a movie, and the instrument solos are very unique. We feel like it really stands out when it comes across the radio.
What’s the best concert you’ve been to?
Well, we go to quite a few concerts together as a band. Hey, we love music! While it is hard to pick a favorite as a band, I think we could all agree that The Travelin’ McCourys at the Dancing Bear Lodge in Townsend, Tennessee would be our favorite.
If you could meet, play a gig, co-write a song, have dinner, have a drink with any band or artist (dead or alive) who would it be?
Another hard question because we love so many artists but since Robert does most of our booking, we will go with his answer on this one: It would have to be, performing at Telluride Bluegrass Festival with The Travelin’ McCourys.
What are your goals for the future?
Performing at Telluride with The McCourys… lol! Seriously, we are looking forward to our first full project with Pinecastle and Steve Wilson. We also have a bucket list of venues we hope to play, The Grand Ole Opry, Delfest, Bluegrass Island Festival, a “sold-out” Station Inn and others!
