Winston-Salem, NC · bluegrass · protest folk

Joe Troop's Truth Machine

1 upcoming festival

Che Apalache founder Joe Troop convenes old-time and bluegrass friends into an openly political string band — the self-described "artivist" with a full backing crew.

Joe Troop is a North Carolina–born banjo player, fiddler, guitarist and singer who founded Che Apalache, a string band formed in Argentina that combined Appalachian bluegrass and old-time playing with Latin American musical traditions. Troop spent years living in South America, and Spanish-language material and cross-border themes remain part of his repertoire.

Under his own name and with this band, he writes openly political songs addressing immigration, labour and queer identity, set to traditional bluegrass and old-time arrangements built on banjo, fiddle and close harmony singing.

bluegrassprotest folk