Episode 9: Silas Herman!
Bub & Pop | Episode 9: Silas Herman (recorded January 27, 2026)
Our guest this week is Silas Herman, a rising star in the newgrass world and a phenomenally sweet guy. He and his band, the Tone Unit, opened for Kitchen Dwellers during the second night of their three-night Denver run in January 2026. (I reviewed the show here.)
Matt Hoffman
Silas isn't necessarily the most well-known Herman in the bluegrass space. (Surely that's his father, Vince, guitarist and co-founder of Leftover Salmon.) But the gifted apple doesn't fall far from the talent tree, as it were, and Silas – a virtuosic mandolinist in his own right – has assembled a team of badass singers, players, and artists to accompany him as the Tone Unit. Silas and the band have tour dates scheduled through the end of the summer: you can – and should! – see them in Colorado, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and California.
Last week, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (JFJO) – longtime band of our Episode #8 guest, Reed Mathis – played shows in San Francisco and Santa Cruz. (Excellent recording of the SF show here.) We were thrilled to send two Bub & Pop listeners to each show.
I saw Aron Magner's SPAGA trio play a bunch of tunes – some originals, some randos, lots of Dead – at Dharma Bums, an excellent local venue that serves the best vegetarian and vegan food I've ever had. (No disrespect to you, Alice Waters.) Keep an eye out for my forthcoming Relix review.
I'm headed to the Tonewood 10 Island Jam this weekend and am psyched to see a ton of amazing artists: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, LaMP, Grace Bowers, DJ Brownie, Deadtronica (Aron Magner & Cloudchord),Winderman, Colman & Kimock (see Episode #1 - Jonathan Colman!), and Crickets & Cicadas (see Episode #3 - Anton Milioti!), with artists at large Marc Brownstein, Aron Magner, and Kanika Moore (our guest on Episode #2!).
If you like the Bub & Pop Podcast, check out some of our friends' excellent podcasts:
- What's the Reason For This? - the best podcast around about modern bluegrass/newgrass/jamgrass/galaxy grass. Hosted by my new pal Kodi Nottingham, Shay Woods, and Jared Sperry.
- The Upful Life - long-form conversations with a wide variety of musicians and industry types – a decade old and going strong! Hosted by my man Bee Getz, who put out an excellent piece recently re Jay-Z at the Roots Picnic 2026.
- Attendance Bias - conversations about Phish shows – a simple concept that leads to multifaceted conversations that are a lot of fun. (My buddy Brian, the host, and I spoke a couple of years ago about my phirst show, 12/2/97 – you can find that episode here.)
- Sleep With Me - if this podcast doesn't put you to sleep, I'm not sure what will. (My buddy Scoots and I did a crossover episode together here.)
