Hank, Pattie & the Current & Tony Trischka play Foggy Mountain Breakdown with a Full Orchestra

Occasionally, we are reminded of the joy of music and how the most unlikely of collaborations reveal that joy in the most wonderful ways. We have known Hank, Pattie & the Current for a long time. Bluegrass traditionalists who moonlight as symphonic musicians, Hank and Pattie have created a sound that blends bluegrass, pop, classical, jazz and more - a sound that is uniquely theirs.

And on March 6th, 2026, Hank, Pattie & the Current will release their newest offering "Under the Stars" - a two-part collection of live recordings of previously released material, coupled with brand new studio recordings that will leave the audience astounded. 

Yet despite the originality of the sound that they have spent a decade perfecting, the first track to be released from Under the Stars is actually a cover. The humble Foggy Mountain Breakdown by Earl Scruggs - but with a twist.

Under the Stars - Vol. 1

Foggy Mountain Breakdown is the concluding track on part 1 of Under the Stars, which was recorded live on March 2nd, 2025 at the Gregory Rowles Legacy Theater in Myrtle Beach, SC. And accompanying the 4-piece were two notable additions; firstly it features none other than banjo legend, Tony Trischka, whom the band collectively planned to approach to do the show. Tony jumped at the chance and opened up the first half of the show before joining the band for Foggy Mountain Breakdown, in which he plays the first banjo break.

The second addition is the full orchestra who accompany Hank, Pattie and the Current on this incredible evening. Specifically, the Long Bay Symphony, conducted by Dr. Charles Evans. 

And this is where it gets fun! 

Pattie has previously played in the Long Bay Symphony and had spent almost a decade persuading Dr. Evans to help them fulfill their goal of performing a bluegrass/classical cross over style show. Pattie's persistence eventually paid off when Dr. Evans' hesitation finally subsided to produce one of the biggest shows in the theatres history. 

Speaking with HPC banjoist, Hank Smith, he explained that the best part was explaining Foggy Mountain Breakdown to Dr. Charles over the phone. 

"The main challenge, albeit a fun one, was working with a classical conductor, who had little to no interaction with bluegrass. It just wasn't his world and it was very different to anything he would typically work on."

One area that presented a hurdle was the chord changes in Earl's early recordings. In the famous  Em to G section, the backing chords goes for Em for 6 beats and G for 2 beats and repeats again. Meanwhile, Scruggs resolves to the G after 4 beats - 2 beats earlier than the accompaniment. This is a detail even well versed pickers miss, and proved to be a challenge when creating the orchestral arrangement.

Another factor that Smith notes was that classical musicians count almost exclusively in quarter notes, while bluegrass musicians count in eight notes - double time all the time - which meant getting a whole orchestra on the same page as the band. 

Smith, a highly accomplished musician in his own right, recalls feeling a sense of imposter syndrome while preparing to play with an orchestra of classically trained musicians. And yet, he was grateful to have had the opportunity to help facilitate the communion of traditional bluegrass with classical music. 

And the best part? Well, it wouldn't be bluegrass if everyone didn't get a solo break. That includes the orchestra who appear for two specially arrange bluegrass breaks! 

Under the Stars - Vol.2

The second part is all new recorded material, with the first track being The Warrior, Brave which showcases Pattie's incredible vocals. The song was inspired by an Icelandic poem, coupled with an interpretation of another piece of Icelandic music which Pattie found in a book of folk songs while the band toured and visited Iceland last year. 

Smith notes that the gentle piece of classical following Pattie's staggering vocal crescendo is actually the accurate piece of music, which was notated and by Cassidy Beentjes, most known for his work with Béla Fleck's Blue Ridge Banjo Camp Orchestra. 

Part two also includes the beautiful Sous Les Etoiles, that many of you will recognize as a performance that Hank gave us on a recent visit to Deering with his new custom banjo. It should be noted that, when the album is released on March 6th, tracks 2,3 and 4 are individual movements that make up a suite that should be listened to together:

1. La Forêt Mysterieuse
2. Révèle Ses Enchantements
3. Sous Les Etoiles

Or translated, "The mysterious Forest Reveals It's Secrets Under the Stars"

Visit hankandpattie.com for more info and check out the album on March 6th!