Pictrola got its start at DelFest Academy in 2017, when a handful of late-night jams turned into something more. Since then, the band has gone from campfire picking to festival stages at Grey Fox, DelFest, IBMA Showcases and Watermelon Pickers Fest.
What sets Pictrola apart is how each member brings something different to the table. Mike Shade’s jazz background shapes his guitar playing with fluid lines and improvisation, while Josh Ungar’s love of the Grateful Dead pushes the group toward exploration and spontaneity. Banjo player Evan Sands, born and raised in Tennessee, draws on a blend of bluegrass tradition and creative influences from Chet Atkins to Béla Fleck, bringing original songs and inventive arrangements to the mix. Dan Henderson’s journey spans classical violin training and worldwide performances, leading him to fall hard for bluegrass and channel that passion into dynamic fiddling. On bass, Taylor Gerber combines rigorous musical study at Vanderbilt with wide-ranging experience from bluegrass to jazz and soul, anchoring Pictrola’s sound with a versatile groove. Together, the band builds arrangements that lean into the unexpected and bring it on home. Their originals sit comfortably next to covers, and neither stays fixed—songs shift, open up, and find new ground every time they’re played.
Their first record, Time Rages On (2023), introduced Pictrola’s songwriting to a wider audience. The track “Indy Air” landed on Spotify’s Newgrass Playlist, and “More Than We Can Fix” went on to win a 2024 WAMMIE Award. In 2025, the band followed with a run of singles that paired new originals with crowd-favorite covers in the spirit of their live shows.
Along the way, Pictrola has had the chance to share bills with the Del McCoury Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, Danny Paisley and Southern Grass, Larry Keel, and the Dirty Grass Players. Those shows, and the growing festival crowds that come with them, have helped shape a band that values connection and energy as much as technical chops. For Pictrola, the point has never been to play things exactly the same way twice. The music works best when it’s alive, shifting with the room, the crowd, and the moment.
BOOKING
Josh Ungar
pictrolaband@gmail.com
301-523-4654
