LLMF June 13, 2026 Summer PerformanceS

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GRAMMY Nominated Bluegrass Band

5x IBMA Entertainer of the Year Nominee

In 10 years as a band, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys have covered a lot of miles. Their love of bluegrass — playing it, sharing it, growing it — has been the fuel for their remarkable journey through every corner of America and into the hearts of fans drawn to their hard-charging, true-blue sound.

“We live what we play and sing about,” says bandleader C.J. Lewandowski. Indeed, the band has weathered their fair share of the highs and lows that bluegrass songs are known for (except for the murders, of course). They’ve been road-weary, longing for home. They’ve felt the heartbreak of band members leaving and embraced the joy of welcoming new ones. They’ve worked hard to see their dreams come true, playing on some of music’s most celebrated stages. And they’ve been nominated for a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album (2019’s Toil, Tears & Trouble) and for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award.

Amid all their travels, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys have seen every nook and cranny of the country, met people from all walks of life, and kept a keen eye toward the truth, which rings out loud and clear in the songs they write. “Wanderers Like Me,” the title track from their most recent album and the band’s first No. 1 song on the Bluegrass Unlimited chart, shoots straight from the heart: “Wanderers like me don’t settle down for no one / don’t mind being lonesome, chasing dreams is all I ever need.”

CARLEY ARROWOOD: 2x IBMA Momentum WInner

A musician’s path is often a winding one; moving from one gig to another over the course of a career, diligently putting time in with dozens of bands and hundreds of fellow players. Perhaps waiting many years before stepping forward as an artist and leader in their own right, if they ever do at all. But sometimes a young performer knows early on that they have been called to take the reins of their careers, and they begin to tell their own story. As her last name suggests, Carley Arrowood’s trajectory has been a nearly straight line. From the moment she was first inspired to pick up the fiddle, to bands with friends and youth symphony, to taking her first professional job with a top bluegrass act, to striking out on her own, every step she’s taken has been a step forward.

With the release of her debut album “Goin’ Home Comin’ On” in 2022 for Mountain Home Music Company, and several singles from her sophomore release, “Colors”, Carley has established herself as an award-winning singer, songwriter, and cutting-edge fiddler. She has been the recipient of two IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Momentum Awards (2017 Instrumentalist of the Year & 2023 Vocalist of the Year) and has been a featured artist in the IBMA Songwriter Showcase twice as well. Some of her originals have also won and placed in the Hazel Dickens Song Contest, as well as the IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards). With her new album in sight, she plans to keep moving forward with what she’s been given.
 

Carley’s voice on the fiddle is forceful and bright, with her formidable technique and diverse musical vocabulary put to work in service to the piece. Years of study, natural ability, and the crucial component of finely-honed creative taste, make Carley’s approach to her instrument unique and uniquely powerful. Astute listeners will hear in her playing a masterful bluegrass fiddler from North Carolina, of course, but also the ancient tones of Celtic music, and the refinement of a symphonic and chamber musician. 

While still in high school, Carley heard that contemporary bluegrass greats Darin & Brooke Aldridge were in search of a new fiddler to replace the departing Rachel Johnson Boyd. With encouragement from her dad, she sent them an audition video. The video didn’t get her the gig, and the job went to Becky Buller, but it got her on the Aldridge’s radar, and would later lead to a stronger connection with Darin and Brooke when they first met in-person at the Red White and Bluegrass Festival’s kid’s bluegrass camp, which she was attending with Most Wanted Bluegrass. One year later, Carley was offered a few dates with Darin & Brooke to fill in for Becky. She made an impression on those shows, and when the fiddle job became available again, Carley got the call and joined the band full-time the day after she graduated high school. With that, she was off and running as a professional musician.   

The next 5 years would find Carley traveling the world, gracing the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, and performing not just with Darin & Brooke, but with their collaborator, newgrass pioneer and founding member of Newgrass Revival, John Cowan. Looking back on a particularly inspiring night in Prague, with Cowan fans and NGR devotees singing along with every word, she says; “This is why we do it, because people just love it so much, it connects everybody in such a special way.” Carley would also be asked to record with Darin & Brooke, contributing fiddle and vocals on their albums Faster & Farther, and Inner Journey. During those sessions Carley’s skill and artistry came to the attention of the Mountain Home team. When they began to talk about her solo ambitions, it became even more clear that she was the real deal, says Mountain Home’s Jon Weisberger; “We already knew Carley’s vocal and instrumental talent from her work here with Darin & Brooke Aldridge, but from our first meetings with her about joining our artist family it was clear that she has everything it takes to make great music and build a successful career.  Carley’s attention to detail; her passion for getting things right; her deep faith and joyous spirit; and her natural professionalism make bringing her music to the world a thoroughly enjoyable job.” 

After a wonderfully fruitful period with Darin & Brooke, the time came for Carley to retake the reigns and move forward as a solo artist. A bittersweet moment for all, that Darin and Brooke encapsulate by saying:

“The first time we heard Carley play we realized she had a natural, God given talent. In her youth she stood out among all others coming up in the business. We are proud to see how she’s grown and developed into the artist and young woman she is today.”   

DANIEL THRAILKILL: 2x IBMA Momentum WInner

Daniel is an amazingly gifted vocalist and progressive guitarist from Newton, North Carolina. With thirteen years of guitar playing under his belt, he is one of the up-and-coming pickers to keep an eye on. He is the reigning South Carolina State Flatpicking Champion, and in 2018 he won the IBMA Momentum Award for Vocalist of the Year. His band The Trailblazers was named Momentum Band of the Year at IBMA that same year, as well as the SPBGMA Band Champions. In 2017 they won the Merlefest Band Championship. Daniel has also shared the stage with the likes of Circus No. 9, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, Chosen Road, and John Cowan. Daniel and Carley were married in the summer of 2021, and they perform as a duo (as well as in Carley’s band) for many events around the region. Accolades aside, he is one of the most genuine guys you’ll ever meet.