Crooked Still
about the artist
The defiantly non-traditional bluegrass quintet of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Dr. Gregory Liszt, fiddler Brittany Haas, cellist Tristan Clarridge, and bassist Corey DiMario. Formed in Cambridge, MA in 2001 and known for their high energy, technical skill, unique instrumentation and innovative acoustic style.
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Crooked Still is considered one of the premiere alternative bluegrass groups of the mid-aughts, shattering preconceptions of how traditional music was played by taking old songs as the deep foundation and veering off into exhilarating and exciting directions. Over the course of five full-length albums and one E.P., the band received…
MoreThe defiantly non-traditional bluegrass quintet of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Dr. Gregory Liszt, fiddler Brittany Haas, cellist Tristan Clarridge, and bassist Corey DiMario. Formed in Cambridge, MA in 2001 and known for their high energy, technical skill, unique instrumentation and innovative acoustic style.
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FULL BIO
Crooked Still is considered one of the premiere alternative bluegrass groups of the mid-aughts, shattering preconceptions of how traditional music was played by taking old songs as the deep foundation and veering off into exhilarating and exciting directions. Over the course of five full-length albums and one E.P., the band received rave reviews from publications like Interview Magazine, NPR Music, USA Today, and Acoustic Guitar proclaiming, "Nu-folk, string-grass, or alt-grass — whatever the label, Crooked Still's work is marked by impeccable songwriting and musicianship."
Formed in Boston in 2001, Crooked Still is Aoife O'Donovan (vocals) (a Grammy-award winning singer songwriter and 1/3 of the supergroup, I'm With Her), Corey DiMario (double-bass), Greg Liszt (banjo), Tristan Clarridge (cello), and Brittany Haas (fiddle). The band's reputation as a raucously energetic live band earned them invitations to huge events like the historic Newport and Telluride Festivals and their performances across the country and internationally cemented them as crowd favorites wherever they played. Crooked Still grew to become equal parts ambassadors and innovators- a defiantly non-traditional bluegrass quintet known for their technical skill, unusual instrumentation, and innovative acoustic style. The members of Crooked Still decided to take a break from touring in 2012 in order to pursue other projects and recharge creatively.
Their last full-length studio album, 2010's Some Strange Country, found Crooked Still honing in on their unique refraction of roots music and making their most personal, visionary album yet. National Public Radio named it one of the top folk albums of 2010: "Some Strange Country [is] an incredible blend of instruments, voices and lyrics. Mellow, rhythmic and captivating all at once… It can sound old, but this is modern music at its most impressive and thoughtful."
In 2025, the band made a surprise appearance in HBO's The Last of Us Season 2, performing their original songs "Little Sadie" and "Ecstasy." The band released versions of those songs with show composer Gustavo Santaolalla for the show soundtrack. Those 2 songs alongside the album Shaken By a Low Sound were also featured in the video game The Last of Us Part II.