Back in 2006, Greensky Bluegrass took top honors in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Contest. While the quintet features classic bluegrass instrumentation (dobro, banjo, acoustic guitar, upright bass and mandolin), this past Saturday night at the Hoxeyville Festival in the group’s home state of Michigan, Greensky added two drummers into the mix. In this case, it was Billy Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, as the Rhythm Devils joined the band for an encore run from “China Cat Sunflower” into “I Know You Rider.” Greensky has just announced its New Year’s Eve plans, as the group will appear in Denver at Cervantes’ Other Side on December 30 and 31. Tickets for these shows will go on sale September 6 with special hotel rates available at the band’s site. In the interim, the group is now offering a 13 minute take on the group’s “Train Junkie” (from its All Access: Volume 1 release) as a free download at the Greensky Bluegrass website.

Tonight, Greensky Bluegrass is in Springfield, MO at Lindberg’s