Oakhurst

Named after a town on the southern end of California gold country, Denver’s Oakhurst takes its cues from traditional bluegrass, and in their three-part harmonies, heady tempos and showy banjo and mandolin solos they demonstrate a deft understanding of the genre’s history. That’s not to say they’re strict traditionalists, though. They eschew the conventional string-band lineup by playing with a drummer instead of a fiddler, but unlike many jam-generation bluegrass bands, they avoid taking too many liberties with the genre’s core sound.