Himalayan Highway, a fusion band blending Nepali folk music with American bluegrass, hosted Nepal’s inaugural bluegrass festival last week at Moksh Bar, Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur. The event featured performances by The Bluegrass Journeymen from the US, Grassy Strings from India, Ryan O’Donnell from the US and the Himalayan Highway.

The three-hour festival commenced with Grassy Strings presenting a short set of bluegrass classics and a fusion of bluegrass and Bengali tunes. Following them, O’Donnell and his KTM Bluegrass unit, featuring members from The Bluegrass Journeymen, delivered classic bluegrass tunes.

Himalayan Highway then took the stage, performing mashups of Nepali folk tunes like ‘Bajho Khet Ma’ and ‘K Ko Sacho’. They also showcased originals such as ‘Road To Basantipur’ (by Prince Nepali and Anish Tamang) and ‘Nothing At All’ (by Zoe Levitt). Their set concluded with an energetic rendition of ‘Folk Fusion’, written by Shyam Nepali, Prince’s father, who played a key role in introducing the Nepali sarangi to various music genres.

The Bluegrass Journeymen followed, offering a fusion of Bluegrass and Nepali tunes, including ‘Sim Sime Pani’, played with bluegrass instrumentation. This performance marked the end of their first tour in Nepal, organised by mandolinist Tara Linhardt, during which they collaborated with Nepali musicians and conducted music workshops.

The grand finale featured all musicians coming together for an enthusiastic rendition of ‘Resham Firiri’, followed by ‘Sitting on Top of the World’. Renowned bansuri player Manose Singh joined to conclude the festival with a celebration of a bluegrass classic.