What's in a name? Some (well, Mr. Webster in fact) might suggest that the name Sideline means “an activity done in addition to one's main job”. Alternately, many people think it's the section of a football field just to the side of where the main action happens. is band may be an additional activity for the guys and they may stand to the side of the stage in their “regular” bands, but when they get together, it's all front and center, main stage bluegrass. Sideline plays songs you love. Some are bluegrass classics, some are destined to be classics, and all of them are performed in a way that makes audiences understand why these pickers and singers are A tier bluegrasses, loved and adored by fans the world over.

 

Steve Dilling

Steve Dilling plays like he was born and raised in a crib where only Earl Scruggs and Tony Rice played on the twirling mobile above him. In love with the banjo at 10, playing by 12, starting The Bass Mountain Boys, then on to the Lonesome River Band, Steve's career has had a solid, steady trajectory of success and respect. Of course we have to talk about his 20 plus years with Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out. You know that Steve Dilling's Carolinaawesome banjo playing and hilarious emcee work is one of the main reasons you always go see them when they're in town. IIIrd Tyme Out has certainly brought his talent to the forefront of the bluegrass community. But his work with Sideline allows Steve to show audiences that he's the real deal in any setting.

 

Jason Moore

The bass player's bio is always last but we just couldn't do that to the incredible Jason Moore. Jason usually holds down the low end for the bluegrass-loving and genre-melting Mountain Heart. But if you look back before he went wireless, Jason played with the legendary James King and recorded on Michael Cleveland's albums and managed to get nominated for four IBMA Bass Player of the Year awards. He didn't win any of them so you might not want to bring it up when you go see Sideline. But since his playing seamlessly bridges a gap between every imaginable kind of bluegrass, and his timing and groove are unequaled, you'll mostly want to tell him how amazing he his.

 

Daniel Aldridge

Daniel joins Sideline on fiddle and vocals. Daniel is Brian's brother, so he grew up in the same house saturated in bluegrass music. Daniel is primarily a mandolin player. He started playing around with the mandolin during his high school years and adapted quickly. In 2004 he joined Honi Deaton & Dream with whom he toured the country. During his stint with Honi he filled in with Steve and IIIrd Tyme Out on a few shows where he got to fulfill his dream and perform at the Grand Ole Opry. In 2005 he joined Jeanette Williams group and played out the summer. In 2007 he started working in law enforcement which he continues to do, so he played with a local group closer to home, Constant Change. Off and on Daniel has loved experimenting with other instruments such as the banjo, guitar, and fiddle. The fiddle is his favorite although it is the most difficult. While he still continues progressing on the instrument his style adds taste to the instilled dynamics that Sideline holds true to.

 

Skip Cherryholmes

If you were being honest, you'd admit you were wondering what Skip was going to do after the Cherryholmes Family decided to move on from the family band thing and on to their own musical pursuits. Skip doesn't disappoint. He's touring with the vocal powerhouse Lou Reid. His Skip Cherryholmes Quintet already plays a stout schedule and continues the furthering of Skip's love for traditional bluegrass as well as his desire to move the music forward with great original material. He's an incredible picker and singer, destined to be called a legend someday, born in California but raised on the road and he knows nothing else but performing and giving audiences everything he has, every time.

 

Brian Aldridge

Mandolin player and vocalist from Saxapahaw, NC Born in 1981 and raised in Saxapahaw, NC, Brian grew up in a musical family. He got started on mandolin at age three. His father, Mike, now with Al Batten & Bluegrass Reunion, was a long time member of the Bass Mountain Boys. It was with that group that Brian first played on stage. His wife's grandfather, award-winning North Carolina banjoist/vocalist A. L. Wood, was also a major influence. Brian is also a master of the Scruggs style of finger picked guitar, which he often employs on the band's gospel quartets. Brian's hard-driving style and heartfelt vocals are the centerpiece of the Sideline sound.