Toy Factory Project has added Sam Bush to their upcoming May dates, and that alone makes these shows worth crossing state lines for. The iconic fiddler and mandolinist, a GRAMMY winner, King of Newgrass, and two-time International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductee, joins the already formidable all-star Southern rock ensemble for a short run of performances that begins May 18. Percussionist Jimmy Rector rounds out the expanded lineup.
The core ensemble is stacked by any measure. Led by GRAMMY-winning Marshall Tucker Band co-founder and drummer Paul T. Riddle, Toy Factory Project brings together Marcus King on guitar and steel guitar, Oteil Burbridge (Dead & Company, The Allman Brothers Band) on bass, Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke) on guitar, and Josh Shilling (Mountain Heart, Wynonna Judd) on keys. The project exists to honor the songbook of late MTB co-founder Toy Caldwell, and it does so with the kind of musicianship that turns tribute into something alive and its own.
The May run has already proven the demand is real. Back-to-back shows on May 18 and 19 at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater in Wilmington, NC are sold out. Limited tickets remain for May 20 at Music at Maymont in Richmond, VA and the May 21 festival appearance at Delfest in Cumberland, MD. Riddle puts it simply: “We feel like it is such an honor and privilege to have a legend like Sam Bush as a special guest. The energy he brought to our stage at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival was second to none.”
Toy Factory Project debuted at the 2025 Telluride Bluegrass Festival, where Rolling Stone called their set one of the most memorable in the festival’s 52-year history. Their February run at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY deepened the momentum. With Bush now on board, these May shows represent the fullest and most powerful version of the project yet.
Upcoming Shows:
May 18 – Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater (SOLD OUT)
May 19 – Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater (SOLD OUT)
May 20 – Richmond, VA @ Music at Maymont
May 21 – Cumberland, MD @ Delfest