A Monarch Pulling The Strings from a Shady Grove in DC
Written by Rahal Wijewardene
Photographs by Jonathan Nevius
October 21, 2025
Sam Grisman Project performing at The Hamilton Live in Washington, DC on October 9, 2025
The Hamilton Live is such a special venue. It has all the charm of historic DC, while maintaining a sense of modernity that blends together to feel regal; almost like you’re a guest of Hamilton himself. After arriving just a few minutes after doors open to reacquaint ourselves with The Hamilton Live, our first time attending as press, we’re shocked at how many folks are already here. The center tables are filled with groups of all sorts. Some wearing tie-dye, some wearing evening wear; an understandable mix for an evening with Sam Grisman Project.
Though his talent certainly speaks for itself, Sam has name recognition. His father David ‘Dawg’ Grisman, an all-time legend on the mandolin, played often with Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. The two picked their way through Jerry’s roots of Bluegrass, country ballads sang only by strings, jazz melodies that could fill a concert hall and together released four collaborative albums and performed together often.
Sam and his merry band of rotating pickers have kept that momentum alive since 2023 when he formed Sam Grisman Project, an effort to “build a platform for my friends and me to showcase our genuine passion and appreciation for the legacy of Dawg and Jerry’s music”. Since starting in 2023, SGP has visited The Hamilton several times, most recently in October 2024, and you can certainly tell why he keeps coming back - this is the perfect space for his craft.
As we make our way to ‘the dance floor’ (a mini concert pit where folks can get a very personal look at the band and move around, a much needed space for any jam show), we look around to see why no one else had joined us. Then, when the lights dim and the band comes out, like magic- we are surrounded by fans. Grisman takes center stage with his mighty standing bass, the simplicity of his demeanor speaks volumes to his character. He’s wearing a plain blue t shirt, corduroy pants, and a pair of Birkenstock Boston Clogs - although he certainly belongs to what some might call Bluegrass Monarchy, with the fusion of bluegrass, jazz and folk being dubbed ‘Dawg music’, he is a pillar of humbleness and is prepared for his playing to do the talking.
As the band kicks off, there’s already smiles all around. A ‘yeeeeeowww!’ Is let out from behind the crowd letting all of us know, we’re in for a good time. Sam Grisman Project does not use amps, and leans in to the simple beauty that is acoustic playing, but the sound is still so rich and balanced, the players are almost amplified by each other’s intertwining solos as they move down the line.
At just 35 years old, Sam’s vocals sound seasoned well beyond his age. All of the wisdom of his father, and his “uncles” Jerry and Peter, certainly come through in the passion that his vocals bring, but it’s when Guitarist Jesse Harper takes the mic that I’m truly blown away. “What a voice!” a man whispers to his partner next to me, and boy is he right. There’s so much soul in Jesse’s voice, it feels like he’s lived multiple lives across several generations.
I take in the intimacy of it all with an acoustic performance like this. Although The Hamilton is regal, and polished, it somehow feels like we’re on the back porch of a mountain lodge, you can almost smell the wood-fire stove burning and the pine trees glistening. That’s what’s special about a show like this. While The Hamilton Live can certainly turn it up when they want to, it feels almost like a show performed just for you when you’re locked in with the band.
Between each song, Sam mentions an anecdote about the history of the tune or what it means to him. Often mentioning his dad, Jerry, Peter Rowan, and other bluegrass and folk legends as “his heroes”, legitimizing himself to any (unlikely) naysayers that might be in the room. It’s nice to know that certain licks, or the ways Sam is making this music his own, are inspired by the legends we all know, and for the younger fans in the room, never got to experience.
A funny thought crosses my mind when I hone in on Sam. His posture hunched over the upright bass for maximum plucking ability, coupled with his earthy voice, reminds me of Japeth, the yodeling Billy Goat from the 2005 animated movie Hoodwinked. A thought I keep to myself in the moment, but can’t wait to share with Jonathan at set break.
Something really cool is happening between dueling mandolinists Danny Knicely and Jesse Appleman - as they somehow find space in the pockets the other leaves open for them, Jesse begins tuning his Mandolin while he’s playing, to meet Danny where he has ascended - neither one misses a beat. They both reaffirm what I already knew about myself: I’m a sucker for a mandolin-centric tune. It’s rejuvenating to see how effortlessly Adam Larrabee on the Banjo inserts himself, he reminds me of a 2008 Michael Phelps in a relay race; everyone in his line are performing to the top of their calibre, but then he jumps in the pool and creates a whole new class of performance, its a spectacle to witness. Often seen more as a supporting cast member on stage, the steel guitar shines through tonight due to the talents of Tod Patrick Livingston. Doing a lap steel guitar instead of the conventional seated instrument, he wanders around the stage as if he’s being controlled by the music like Remy yanking on Chef Linguini’s hair in Ratatouille. A patron at a table can be heard examining a triumphant “mmmmmmmm!” as Tod works through his solo and the crowd concurs whole heartedly.
It is so refreshing to see the physical melding happening on stage. Everyone is moving around, leaning into one another, and creating a physical manifestation of the way their music is noodling through the air. There is no singular focus - though the band is called Sam Grisman Project, Sam is often taking a literal back seat (or stand I guess) by turning his body with his bass away from the crowd, to allow his bandmates to envelope in front of him - and does so with a huge smile at the magic he’s conducted for us all.
A wonderful surprise walks on stage, and we know we’re in for a treat. Gina Sobel, wielding her flute that glistens in the light, stands at center stage with the boys huddled around her, and presents a tour de force belting out sounds that are just so pleasant on the mind and the ears. Like well tuned birds whistling, her sounds are airy, tight, happy, and sweet, standing out strong in a room full of strings. She gets her moments to solo, and we’re so happy she does because it compliments the rest of the project so well, what a smart move by Sam to bring her out - she receives the loudest applause of the night.
The rest of the night can only be described as fun, toe-tappin’, and jovial. The speed of the picking doesn’t just sound good, it’s also mesmerizing to watch. Everyone in the room is locked in with Sam and his bandmates, they can’t pull their eyes away. Unlike most concerts of the modern day, there are very little side-conversations happening. The only ones I can pick out are about the music itself, some of its history, and how dang well it’s being performed.
The crowd is so gentle around me. During Grisman’s Dawgmatism, which Sam says is a “top 5 most romantic Dawg tune”, a couple in the back bar slow dance, near them a man in tie-dye box steps, and a woman in a patterned red dress steps back and forth with a side step in between, almost like a jam band square dance, where no one knows where she’s going next because her movements are choreographed by her for her but in a way that somehow seems to be scripted the way the music bends through the air.
Throughout the night we’ve heard Grisman/Garcia classics like Shady Grove, Grateful Dawg, and even Friend of the Devil, but it’s the first song of the encore that makes everyone hoot and holler in this downtown DC venue just steps away from The White House:
Pacifist and musical legend Woody Guthrie’s All You Fascists Bound to Lose. It’s the perfect statement without needing to say anything at all. As the night winds down with Peggy Oh and patrons collect their smiles and belongings, you can just tell this is what these folks needed. Warmth, community, and love fueled by appreciation for the legacy that this music comes from.
Jerry would certainly be proud of his nephew, and I can’t help but smile at the image of David, Jerry and Sam playing together in an intimate space like this, plucking the night away.