wzambon: Completely OT: Chris Thile is one of the best mandolin players in the country.

Yeah, not much argument that Thile is one of the best and probably the most technically proficient player. His Bach renditions are crazy.

But Sierra Hull is my personal favorite. I saw her a few weeks ago as the opening act for The Milk Carton Kids. Speaking of Thile, she played alongside him when she was nine or ten. And with Alison Krauss and Sam Bush at about the same age (Same Bush, another top mandolin player said when he met her and she played for him at nine, he felt like he was watching the future of mandolin music... great fun to see them playing together more than 20 years later). Then she met Molly Tuttle at some music camps and has also played a lot with Billy Strings. She's been pushing the boundaries of her early bluegrass roots into some really innovative styles.

I guess I should also mention Chris Hillman, not technically as gifted a player but brought the mandolin into rock and country rock, I guess. Here's the brief story of how he was gifted his 1924 Gibson Lloyd Loar F5 mandolin (value, about $150,000 or so). Los Angeles Times: Chris Hillman - Los Angeles Times

Sierra Hull videos: YouTube: Sierra Hull | Jam in the Van | Bluegrass Country Music (Full Set 2025) (Jam In The Van)

YouTube: Sierra Hull live at Paste Studio on the Road: DelFest (Paste Magazine)

With Sam Bush: YouTube: Sierra Hull & Sam Bush "Old Dangerfield" Grey Fox 2023 (Less Than Face Productions)

With Molly Tuttle: YouTube: Sierra Hull & Molly Tuttle - Salt Creek (Live) [Crossroads 2023] (RHINO)

On guitar: YouTube: Sierra Hull - "Wildwood Flower" | PRS SE Parlor Guitar Demo for Guitar World (sierrahullmusic)