Kyle Ussery

Yellow Scene: When did the bluegrass nights at Conor O’Neill’s start, and why?

Kyle Ussery: It started in March of 2011. I was asked by Danny Schaefer, who books music at Conor O’Neill’s if I wanted to host a bluegrass night. They were looking to do something different with Wednesdays. I think they were having a down night so they wanted to try out the bluegrass jam. I happily took it, and it’s been going ever since. It was really their idea to start the night.

YS: How has it grown in those four years?

KU: It ebbs and flows. It has people come in from out of town, there’ll be some regulars there for a few months before they move on – it’s consistent and the quality level has always stayed high. It grows in the summer when people are out later.

YS: What had you done before?

KU: I had done a lot of small bluegrass gigs that Danny booked. He just knew me as a musician that was available.

YS: What can the newbie expect if he shows up on the night?

KU: He can expect people hanging out, watching the music and a medium sized group of musicians. It’s a pretty casual atmosphere. A lot of good beers, and open to different skill levels. If you’re newer, you might pick up a thing or two about how bluegrass circles work. Conor O’Neill’s is a good venue. It’s an Irish pub and they have a lot of good music. It’s a really good environment for acoustic music. We don’t plug in.

YS: What else do you have going on?

KU: The other main band that I do is playing in a swing/jazz group called the Boulder Swing Collective and we play Thursday nights at Waterloo in Louisville.