The Grand Rapids troubadour releases a new studio album next week. Local Spins digs into that project, plus debuts tracks from several Michigan artists.
Mixing It Up: Brian Oberlin’s new mandolin album boasts everything from classical to bluegrass. (Photo/Veronica Ann Dearborn)
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While Brian Oberlin has embraced the infectious, mandolin-peppered romps of bluegrass and swing that tantalize audiences, he’s always harbored a fondness for classical music.
And we’re talking classical music with a mandolin twist.
“I love classical mandolin, and for years, I focused on some Italian stuff,” said the Grand Rapids musician and instructor who’s part of the award-winning Full Cord bluegrass band.
“Then I got into some modern classical mandolin, and there isn’t a lot for mandolin.”
Hectic 2026: Oberlin juggles solo performances with teaching and shows with several bands. (Photo/Veronica Ann Dearborn)
So, Oberlin dove into the task of arranging quintessential classical compositions by Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Dvorak for mandolin — pieces that form the core of his new solo album, “Troubadour Anew,” that officially gets released on May 1.
“The harmonic interest is just so cool and the composers are just amazing,” Oberlin offered.
But he also realized that a collection focused entirely on these classical gems might be too “heavy hitting.” So, “Troubadour Anew” – recorded at La Luna Recording and Sound in Kalamazoo – also features some of his own bluegrass and swing tunes, as well as a take on the Silesian folk song, “O Schnittke Tree.”
Oberlin said the result is a “more playable” roster of songs. “I had the idea of just mixing them up together, which is very similar to my solo shows,” he said. “If you ever go to my solo show, I kind of mix it up and do some different things there.”
That’s certainly the case for his upcoming album-release shows which will feature solo performances, as well as contributions from his wife, Sallie Bacon, on upright bass, and guitarist Dee Sutton – both of whom are part of the band Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys.
“It’s a varied night,” Oberlin said.
The first concert takes place at 7 p.m. May 1 at The Lit in downtown Grand Rapids; tickets are $23.18 for adults, $12.51 for students and available online here.
He’ll follow that on May 2 with a concert at the Ludington Area Center for the Arts in Ludington ($15 advance, $20 day of show) and on May 9 at Northfield Mandolins in Marshall, Michigan ($23.18). He’ll also be hosting mandolin workshops at Northfield Mandolins.
LISTEN: Brian Oberlin, “Hubris Came to Town” (from “Troubadour Anew”)
DOING WHATEVER HE CAN TO KEEP HIS ‘MANDOLIN BOAT AFLOAT’
Oberlin has released more than 20 albums over the years while serving as a mandolin instructor and leading mandolin orchestra performances. He also hosts a bluegrass jam on Wednesday nights at Chicago Beefjoint in Grand Rapids and performs on Thursdays with a variety of musicians at Testa Rossa Italian Ristorante in Grand Rapids.
And while he’s focused a lot of his energy in recent years as a member of Full Cord – which recently recorded two of his songs with guitar powerhouse Billy Strings at Glenn Brown’s studio in East Lansing – Oberlin also recently formed a new funky jazz trio called Silveroot with Justin Wierenga on electric guitar and Steve Harris on drums.
Full Cord: Release new singles with Billy Strings. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
“I do whatever I can to keep my mandolin boat afloat,” Oberlin said of juggling all these varied projects. “Over COVID, I had some awful part-time jobs and really realized that I’m just best at playing mandolin.”
That busy mandolin-playing schedule includes a Full Cord performance as part of Billy Strings’ star-studded Ionia Freak Fair at the end of August. To further promote that, Full Cord hopes to release the two songs recorded with the bluegrass guitarist ahead of that festival – at the end of May and end of July.
Full Cord also performs May 15 at Dogwood Center for the Performing Arts in Fremont.
This week’s edition of the Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase featured the album track “Shostakovich Prelude 19” and Oberlin’s live rendition of the song “Right in Step,” recorded at Testa Rossa.
The show also featured fresh music from other Michigan artists: Chirp, Rachel Brooke, Yolonda Lavender, Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys, The Rockit King, Overdrive Orchestra and Signal Quartet, as well as classic tracks from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dave Bruzza & Ian Gorman. Listen to the interview and full radio show podcast below.
PODCAST: Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase (4/24/26)
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