Ramblin’ Boys

and vocals), Jasper Lorentson (bass), Josh Rinkel (guitar and vocals), and newest member Laura Orshaw (fiddle and vocals). First signed to Rounder Records, who released the Grammy-nominated album, Toil, Tears, & Trouble, Smithsonian Folkways is their current label home, which released their latest album, Never Slow Down.

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys’ traditional yet edgy style and down-home cool stage presence grew their popularity and audience, placing them in the headlining spotlight. At Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge, a trendy dive bar just outside the Nashville city limits, the spotlight shone on what might be the smallest venue they’ve played in a while. The stage’s appropriate gold fringe backdrop set the scene for tattooed boys in rhinestone string ties and colorful suits - a world away from their previous bib overall “costumes.”

At the high-top table next to the band’s founder, mandolinist/singer C.J. Lewandowski and fiddler/vocalist Laura Orshaw, the stand-out, the newest—boy, explains from a female perspective, how it is to join a band that’s all about the boys.

Laughing, she says, “We talked about it… whether it made sense to keep the band name, and I kind of wanted to keep it the way it was because it gets people thinking. Like, it’s a little bit of ‘… oh my gosh, women can play traditional bluegrass, too, and wow, she’s able to do everything they can and fits in well!’ It has never bothered me to be one of the boys, but I think in this aspect, it made more of an impact to keep the same name and make people think a little bit about what stereotypes are out there about traditional bluegrass music and how anybody that loves it can do it.”

Regarding their luxe transportation, CJ quickly responded, “The bus keeps us true to the name.” Though that may have been said tongue-in-cheek, in keeping with another longstanding bluegrass band tradition, the frontman can also be found underneath the bus when maintenance is required. It’s also worth noting that his other ride is Jimmy Martin’s 1973 Ford F-100 pick-up.

One might think the truck once owned by bluegrass royalty is impossible to top, but Lewandowski found a way. During the Covid lockdown era, while browsing on Facebook, he saw an ad for a Lloyd Loar mandolin for sale in Athens, Greece. If you re-read that jaw-dropping sentence, I get it. Months later, after a heavy amount of correspondence and authentication, he boarded a plane, headed to the ancient city, and brought home an instrument two serial numbers away from the legendary F-model played by the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe. He bought it to play, not hide under lock and key so that everyone could admire it at a Po’ Ramblin’ Boys show.

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys haven’t been immune to the economy’s heavy toll on the music industry. Several 2020 Covid makeup dates with pre-inflation pricing happened in 2022.

Their growing fanbase kept them above water. The future appears to hold an upward trajectory, and dates are steadily rolling in. A collaborative album and supporting tour with the iconic Jim Lauderdale are currently in the works.

I called Jim on his way out of Nashville to play in North Carolina, and his enthusiasm for CJ and the crew was evident. He talked about the first time he heard them at the IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh.

“It’s real exciting to hear because so many of our forefathers have gone and to hear this new life put into a traditional sound is real exciting. It’s hard to do, to work within that framework of tradition and make it fresh.”

Heavily influenced by the Stanley Brothers and George Jones, partnering with Lauderdale is a natural evolution. All four Po’ Ramblin’ Boys albums contain a George Jones cover, and their style is more than a little reminiscent of the traditional Stanley sound. Jim Lauderdale’s love for both resounds from his Grammy-winning bluegrass album with Ralph Stanley, Lost in the Lonesome Pines. In addition to writing a song recorded by the King of Country Music, Lauderdale accompanies Jones on his last album, Burn Your Playhouse Down: The

Unreleased Duets. Tying it all together, the track, Never Slow Down, is their creative take on Lauderdale’s song “Old Time Angels.”

Initially surprised to hear their new version, Lauderdale was ultimately impressed. “It takes a special creative talent to reimagine a song like that, and they did a fantastic job,” he acknowledges.

As schedules permit, they all converge at Mark Howard’s Signal Path Sound studio in Goodlettsville, TN, to work on the co-produced project. When complete, it will be released on Jim Lauderdale’s label, Sky Crunch Records, though no date has been announced. So far, two songs are in the can, as they say, and the current plan is to release them as singles.

From Dee’s tiny corner stage to the Opry Circle, the band’s week in Nashville spanned the gamut of popular venues, a testament to their wide-ranging reach. Keep up-to-date with the latest on the band’s website, theporamblinboys.com, and their Facebook and Instagram social media.