The Dead South

Self-defined as “Mumford and Sons’ Evil Twins,” The Dead South is a Canadian folk-bluegrass outfit formed in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 2012. The band is known for its unique take on bluegrass, infusing the genre’s most common tropes with a touch of sarcasm and satire. Founded by multi-instrumentalists Nathaniel Hilts and Danny Kenyon, the group consolidated its classic lineup after adding Colton “Crawdaddy” Crawford on banjo and Scott Pringle on mandolin. In 2013, they self-released their debut EP, The Ocean Went Mad and We Were to Blame, which was quickly followed by their first full-length, Good Company, in 2014. After an extensive European tour and Crawford’s departure from the band in 2015, the group finally had their breakthrough moment with the Jason Plumb-produced Illusion & Doubt (2016), which reached an impressive Number 5 on Billboard’s US Bluegrass Albums chart and earned them a Juno Award for Best Traditional Roots Album. More success followed in 2017, when the crossover single “In Hell I’ll Be Good Company,” featuring Canadian rapper Rich Kidd, made it to the Top 50 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. The band’s ever-growing popularity reached new heights with Sugar & Joy (2019), which went to the top of the Bluegrass Albums chart and won a Juno Award in the category of "Best Traditional Roots Album" in 2020. Danny Kenyon left the lineup that same year, and The Dead South returned to Number 1 on the Bluegrass Albums chart with 2021's Served Live. Kenyon rejoined later that year, reuniting the band's classic lineup in time for the release of another studio album, Chains & Stakes, in early 2024.

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