Water Tower: High on Punk Rock Bluegrass

They began gathering under a water tower in Portland, Oregon, high school kids who were into punk. Twenty years later, after busking bluegrass at freeway off-ramps, overcoming addiction, and navigating Los Angeles' vibrant music scene, the band Water Tower is connecting with audiences of all ages through electrifying performances.

Last summer, the band played the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It became the first bluegrass band to play the Vans Warped Tour, one of the largest events in the punk music world.

"We did Telluride and we did the Vans Warped Tour in the same week, so it was a career highlight," says co-founder, fiddler, guitarist, and singer Kenny Feinstein. "There's no higher you can go in the punk scene, and the same with bluegrass. They're both at the very top. It's pretty crazy for some punk rock bluegrassers from the freeway off-ramp."

Though the band has punk roots, bluegrass is in its blood, from the traditional songs included in the setlist to the dark suits and bolo ties they wear on stage. One of their earliest influences was an acoustic string band that they instantly related to.

"The thing that turned us over was seeing Foghorn Stringband at a square dance, and they had this kind of punk rock energy in their fiddle tune playing. We just really dug that," Feinstein explains.

The band literally took to the streets to learn bluegrass after moving to Los Angeles and busking at freeway off-ramps.

"That's how we paid the rent for the last ten to fifteen years," says Feinstein. "It was a way that we could rehearse and have shows every day and connect with fans, and also polish the fiddle tunes and polish the music. It's a great way to test out 30-second clips on people, and just learn how to perform and be humble and really live in gratitude."

The freeway busking also helped Water Tower learn to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether they're covering a song by Blink-182 or playing a traditional breakdown, there's something for everyone.

"A lot of people say we've got the tradition of bluegrass, the attitude of punk rock, and the culture of hip-hop," says Feinstein.

He also says there was a fundamental benefit to the busking.

"Playing at the freeway off-ramps helped us kind of find our sobriety again, so sobriety is a big part of what we write about in our music."

Water Tower's focus is larger than addiction and sobriety and goes beyond the members of the band. Foremost, they say, is the welfare of the community that follows them. They're called "owls."

"The owls are atop the water tower to make sure that no adulterants get added to the water supply," says Feinstein. "Owls are wise, and they watch over the group and make sure everybody is safe, and that's what our fans are. It's a community where we look after each other. It's not a fan base. It's an actual friendship group and a place to keep people safe. We want to contribute to the lessening of suffering, and we want everyone to be included in our music.   Water Tower is for the people."

The band usually performs with five core members, but old friends, former members, and audience members are often called up to the stage during energetic, improvised sets. One of Water Tower's unique characteristics is the use of two banjos in the band, which Feinstein says is kind of a punk rock thing.

"I always hear people saying that two banjos might be too many for the jam or whatever. Well, two of my best friends are the best banjo players I know, and I want them to play banjo in the band because their talents are so amazing. They have such different styles that they complement each other. Jessie Blue Eads is kind of a crazy prodigy. And Tommy Drinkard is more of a classic chainsaw Earl Scruggs player. Mixing them together is beautiful. Of course, it offends people when they see it, but once they hear the different styles, people fall in love with it."

Two banjos might be the least of the surprises at a Water Tower show.

"Our genre is punk rock bluegrass--not bluegrass punk rock. We do bluegrass traditionally with a punk rock attitude, so the order is important," says Feinstein, who also runs a marketing agency. "I'll do a Snoop Dogg rap, and we will do punk rock songs, and so moving from Bill Monroe to Tupac is a jarring change for certain people. Plus, we dance, and the show is never very planned out, so crazy stuff could happen."

In early 2026, Water Tower will continue to introduce bluegrass to new audiences when it opens for Nick Hexum, the lead vocalist for the multi-platinum alternative rock band 311. But Feinstein says the band will still work the off-ramps.

"We used to go out seven days a week, sometimes four to seven hours a day, just to make ends meet. But now we're lucky if we'll get out there a couple of times a month. People are receptive. They're grateful that we're bringing music to them in traffic. They're super stoked on it, generally."