Allison de Groot and Rich Ruth – “Nervion”

Love an unlikely pairing around here, and the surprise announcement of a collaboration between RSTB fave Rich Ruth and acclaimed clawhammer banjo player Allison de Groot gets instantly added to the necessary pickup pile for 2026. Born out of a plan to have Ruth produce an album for Allison, the project quickly spun into a deeper connection that spawned collaboration and composition rather than mere production. Allison de Groot’s stringwork sparkles among the atmospheric textures from Ruth. The resulting record is anchored in her fluid playing, but lands much closer to A.R. & Machines than Black Twig Pickers. Her banjo is processed and beamed through the expanses of space and time via Ruth’s nebulous production, creating a record that shimmers with cosmic delight. The new S/T new record is out October 2nd from Western Vinyl.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.