Watch the Dan Tyminski Band’s Paste Session From MerleFest
Paste Studio “On The Road” rambles on, this time to Wilkesboro, N.C., for the 36th annual MerleFest! The festival was founded in 1988 in memory of Doc Watson’s son Merle, and features “traditional plus” music, described by Doc Watson himself as, “the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.” Dan Tyminski Band met us bright and early in our temporary studio to deliver an absolute gem of a three-song session, including two songs from his 2023 album God Fearing Heathen.
Full Session
Tyminski’s smokin’ hot band each take their turn for a moment in the sun, doing the classic bluegrass dance around the mic throughout this session as well as any band ever has. The first song in this session, “GOAT,” started to take shape after Tyminski heard a player referred to by the acronym G.O.A.T., while he was watching a disc golf tournament online. Although the song has nothing to do with disc golf, the term G.O.A.T. led Tyminski to this song title, which led to the song. It is about a blind guitarist who ends up being the Greatest Of All Time, a fitting tip of the cap to blind guitar legend and MerleFest founder Doc Watson.