There’s Bluegrass. There’s Newgrass. Tanasi Brings You Worldgrass!
TANASI is a worldgrass trio based in Asheville, North Carolina, channeling global folk traditions through the drive, textures, and close harmonies of an Appalachian string band. With Billy Cardine on dobro and slide instruments, Anya Hinkle on vocals and guitar, and Mary Lucey on vocals, upright bass, and clawhammer banjo, the group unites three widely acclaimed roots artists whose combined careers span decades of touring, recording, and cross-cultural exchange. Their music follows the invisible threads that connect cultures, landscapes, and hearts—from Nepal’s high plateaus and South African villages to the mountains of Appalachia—celebrating the shared human rhythms that surface wherever people gather to sing, dance, grieve, and love.
The members of TANASI have appeared on iconic stages including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Ryman Auditorium, and at leading festivals such as Bonnaroo, MerleFest, Grey Fox, RockyGrass, and the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, alongside performances across Europe and Asia. Cardine is recognized as a pioneering voice in modern slide work, collaborating with artists including John Paul Jones, Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas, and Debashish Bhattacharya. Lucey helped define contemporary string band music through The Biscuit Burners and Uncle Earl, while Hinkle is an award-winning songwriter with internationally celebrated solo releases.
In 2025, TANASI received a National Endowment for the Arts USArtists International Grant. They will release their self-titled debut album, TANASI, in 2026.
Meet the Band
Billy Cardine is widely regarded as one of the most adventurous voices in modern slide guitar, known for pushing the dobro beyond its traditional boundaries through collaborations with John Paul Jones, Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas, and Debashish Bhattacharya. He has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Ryman Auditorium, and his work as a producer and engineer has earned national and international accolades. “I couldn’t have picked a better example of where the Dobro is now or what the possibilities are with the instrument,” said Jerry Douglas, a testament to Cardine’s expressive range.
Mary Lucey, a founding member of The Biscuit Burners and former touring member of the all-female string band Uncle Earl, is known for her deep rhythmic sensibility, evocative vocals, and songwriting that feels unearthed rather than written. In recent years, clawhammer banjo has taken on a central role in her work, its pulse and texture shaping new songs. Her music has reached audiences around the world through features on BBC World TV’s Destination Music, PBS’s Roadtrip Nation, and NPR’s Mountain Stage, establishing her as a powerful and enduring voice in contemporary roots music.
Anya Hinkle is an award-winning songwriter whose work blends folk and bluegrass traditions with vivid storytelling shaped by extensive travel. Her critically acclaimed solo albums, including Eden and Her Borderlands and OCEANIA, produced by Irish producer Kevin Moloney (Sinead O’Connor, U2), have earned praise for their emotional clarity and transportive vocals. Her songs have won several international songwriting awards and a number one slot on folk radio charts.
Stunning Harmonies…a Sound that Stays with You
