The Sweet Lillies

The Sweet Lillies’ music is, first and foremost, heartfelt and collaborative.  Those defining traits are given life by the quartet of musicians who make up the Lillies, Julie Gussaroff, Becca Bisque, Dustin Rohleder and Jones Maynard. Together they have combined their individual strengths to deliver powerful narratives of life in song.  With their lineup of guitar, viola, upright bass, drums and ethereal vocal harmonies that float like a dream, the Sweet Lillies’ music has a hard hitting original flavor with a forward-looking eye.  The Sweet Lillies have incorporated all of their cumulative life-experiences into their music, song-writing, and artistry, crafting an uncommonly-beautiful style they have christened “Progressive-Americana” – a nod to the band’s all encompassing musical tastes and willingness to experiment with genres ranging from folk and rock all the way to hip-hop. As Gussaroff explains, “some musicians learn from teachers, some learn from family members, and some are self taught.  Some musicians are classically trained, some come up through folk, some draw from multiple springs, from hip hop through pop to bebop.  In the Lillies’ all of these skill sets are valuable, relevant, and appreciated.”

The Sweet Lillies are built upon their collaborative ideals and are always ready to share a stage or develop a project with any musicians who share the same “no-holds” barred creative approach.  This has made each one of their inventive, energetic live-shows a wholly unique event as setlists are changed on the fly, songs are given new life and shape, and guests are always welcome to join in the creative explosion.  Those on-stage partnerships create a space for incorporating instruments, arrangements, and styles that are not necessarily typical of the genre, but that help create a rich, compelling sound that defies easy categorization.  Over the years they have been joined onstage by a number of legendary performers including Sam Bush, George Porter Jr., Peter Rowan, Sally Van Meter, Andy Hall from the Infamous Stringdusters, Kyle Hollingsworth and Jason Hahn from The String Cheese Incident, Jennifer Hartswick, and Natalie Cressman from the Trey Anastasio band, among many others.  Andy Thorn from Leftover Salmon, who has sat in on many of those live adventures, says, “It’s always a joy to play with the Sweet Lillies. Over the years, I’ve seen them evolve from a folk-and-bluegrass group into a genre-bending powerhouse. Today, at a Lillies show, you’ll hear everything from their beautiful, soulful originals, to creative reinventions of your favorite 90s hip-hop tracks. They’re always ready to have fun – on stage and off – without losing an ounce of their professionalism.”

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Swallow Hill Music - Daniels Hall, 71 E. Yale Avenue, Denver, United States