Grammy winner Billy Strings makes guest appearance at heavy metal concert in Grand Rapids
GRAND RAPIDS — Billy Strings' mom called his guest performance Sunday with heavy metal band Flesh and Blood Robot in Grand Rapids a "full circle" moment.
The Grammy award-winning bluegrass musician was a big fan of the band as a teenager growing up in Ionia County's Muir and asked to join them on stage when he learned of their reunion show at the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids.
“It’s a reunion with friends and family," mom Debra Apostol said. "From his early childhood bluegrass roots, to his teenage years playing in heavy metal bands with his friends, and then his return to bluegrass to this metal show, it brings everything full circle. For him to be able to do this, and for his fans, friends, and former bandmates to be able to come to a show like this — it rocks.”
Strings (aka William Apostol), 31, has garnered a cult following and stardom with from his success in the bluegrass/jam band world. He sells out iconic music venues such as the Grand Ole Opry's Ryman Auditorium, Austin City Limits, and the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. He’s shared the stage with iconic musicians like Willie Nelson, Les Claypool of Primus, Santana, Bobby Weir of the Grateful Dead, and bluegrass legend Del McCoury.
In his early teens, Strings detoured into heavy metal music and became an avid fan of Flesh and Blood Robot. Heavy metal was a genre where he could rock out with friends closer to his age. It was different than the bluegrass music he'd been playing for years.
MORE:Mid-Michigan native Billy Strings wins Grammy for "Home," produced in East Lansing
When Strings learned a few months ago that Flesh and Blood Robot had plans for a reunion show, Strings reached out to ask if he could join them onstage. The answer, obviously, was yes.
Strings secretly rehearsed with the band when time allowed.
“We met up in Pittsburgh for a rehearsal while he was on tour. He came in and hugged all of us. I remember him well," drummer Nico Killips said. "The best part was that Billy showed up at the first rehearsal in Pittsburgh wearing a vintage Flesh and Blood Robots T-shirt. He remembered our names."
News of the surprise Sunday appearance leaked out on Saturday, when Strings teased his fans with a rehearsal video via social media. On Sunday, he confirmed he'd be playing the reunion show, which was sold out.
“It’s really amazing,” Jami Ridi, 37, a childhood friend of Billy's said before the show. “It’s like homecoming for a lot of us. We were all friends back in the day, and tonight’s show lets us relive those days.”
Strings has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, and won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 2021 for his second studio album "Home," produced by East Lansing producer Glenn Brown.
Also in 2021, Strings donated 200 guitars to the Ionia elementary school he attended as a child.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Billy Strings plays with Flesh and Blood Robot in heavy metal reunion