News

Coming to Mountaingrass in 2025.  We are thrilled to announce the inclusion of two leading USA Old-Time and Bluegrass masters in the 2025 lineup at Bright. 

The reigning queen of the clawhammer banjo Laura Boosinger and foremost mandolin guru Mike Compton are joining forces as The Knackered Ramblers to bring their unique blend of Old-Time string band and Bluegrass music to Australia for the first time.  

It will be such a privilege to sit at the feet of these music legends at Mountaingrass in Bright, 14-16 November 2025.

A native of Mississippi, Mike Compton picked up the mandolin in his teens and absorbed the area’s native blues, Old-Time country and Bluegrass sounds before gravitating to Nashville, where he helped found one of the 20th Century’s most admired and influential Bluegrass groups, the iconic Nashville Bluegrass Band.

Mentored by the Father of Bluegrass music Bill Monroe, Compton’s mastery of mandolin is at once effortless and exceptional. A compelling entertainer, either alone or with a group, his skills as a singer, arranger, instrumentalist, composer and accompanist also make him in-demand as a band member, ensemble player at festivals, clubs and concert halls, recording sessions, music workshops, and as teacher.

When A-list Americana producer T-Bone Burnett needed experts in authentic rural musical styles to anchor the landmark “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” movie project and subsequent tour, he called upon Compton’s unique knowledge and signature mandolin style to authenticate the rootsy sound of the Soggy Bottom Boys.

Mike Compton appearing in 2025