Pert Near Sandstone perform songs from new album, 'Side by Side'
by Bill DeVille
May 22, 2026
Minnesota-based string band Pert Near Sandstone formed in 2003, and they've been playing music together ever since. "We would have probably thought longer about the band name had we known we were going to be here 20 years later," jokes guitarist J Lenz.
As it happens, the band's name is pretty solid, as is its discography. On February 20, 2026, Pert Near Sandstone released "Side by Side," their ninth studio album and 10th full-length release overall. "Side by Side" continues to showcase the band's sonic growth, embracing a sonic palette that includes lap steel and Celtic influences, while maintaining the solid, acoustic sound that put Pert Near Sandstone unshakably on the Americana map. In 2026, there's still a lot to be said for an acoustic string band. "There's an accessibility to it," says mandolin and dobro player Nate Sipe. "The down-to-Earth nature of the lyrics, and the approach to making the music and gathering to produce a sound."
And "if the power goes out," Lenz quips, "we're still playing."
Watch the full session with Pert Near Sandstone, along with the band's interview with host Bill DeVille, in the video player above. It will also air it on The Local Show on Sunday, May 17, at 8 p.m. on The Current.
Interview Highlights
On the band name
Bill DeVille: You started out in basically 2003, did you ever think you'd be here as Pert Near Sandstone? You know, that's what, 23 years ago now?
Kevin Knielbel: Wow, yeah, we would have picked a better name, Bill.
Justin Bruhn: Hey, yeah.
Bill DeVille: You know, I've interviewed you guys more than once, but I don't think I ever asked you: Did the name come about when you're driving up to Duluth and there's the exit there? Somebody said "pert near sandstone"? Or where did it come from?
Kevin Knielbel: No. It originated with Ryan.
Ryan Young: Yeah. So I'm a big fan of Mike Watt, bass player for the Minutemen and Firehose. And he used to have a thing where you could type in a question, and he would answer it, and we were looking for a name. And so I asked him, "What was a name that you didn't use for Firehose?" And the only thing he wrote back was "Pert Near." And I thought that was perfect, because we play old-timey kind of music, and my grandpa used to say "pert near" all the time — like, "Take this road down here, take a left pert near the gas station," or whatever. So I was like, "Hey, how about Pert Near?" And they thought that was good. And then there were a couple different words that we put after that. One of them, I remember, was Space Dock.
J Lenz: Yeah. I thought it was gonna be Pert Near — I felt like I needed to be "Pert Near something, something." We're weird, and I thought, "Pert Near Space Dock,” it's old timey and futuristic, because we didn't know what we're going to do. But we kind of ended up settling — well, not settling for — we picked “sandstone” because we used to hang out down at the Mississippi River and the sandstone bluffs. And it just kind of fit that spot. And again, we would have probably thought longer about the band name had we known we were gonna be here 20 years later.
Bill DeVille: That's the way it is. Once you have a name, you're kind of stuck with it.
J Lenz: We're the only ones with that band name, though, [so] that's not an issue.
On the band’s structure
Bill DeVille: Another thing about Pert Near Sandstone that's different than many bands is you guys seem like there's no leader. You're more of a collective. Is that true?
Kevin Knielbel: Absolutely.
Nate Sipe: Definitely. Yeah. That's been kind of the core ethos of our band for as long as we've been a band. We're really just buddies who like hanging out and playing music together. And it's fortunate that people like to come out and see us do that.
Justin Bruhn: Well, I think it lends well to our our live show, too. People love the sort of compatibility, the interchanging of lead singers and just kind of the movement onstage, because we play around one or two mics as well. So then we're constantly moving around. It just keeps it fresh and it keeps us engaged, you know?
Nate Sipe: Keeps us entertained. Much like the variety on our records. And we go into a traditional realm, we go into more modern sounds. we like to mix it up, just to keep ourselves interested.
On the local scene and music festivals
Kevin Knielbel: Minneapolis, St Paul has such a great music community. And when we were first coming up, there were square dances, and there were music festivals. And we just always loved the community that built up around these events. And early on, we started putting shows on at bars where we'd ask friend bands to join us, and was so fun producing events like that. We're just like, "Gosh, someday we’ve got to start doing those kinds of things on on a bigger scale." And we got into producing the Winter String Band Gathering, and a couple of different festivals that we've helped out with over the years. And, of course, Blue Ox Music Festival being one that we're still deeply involved in. And it's great to be able to bring people together, build community, and have a place to just be.
Justin Bruhn: Yeah, and it's been unbelievable to be able to go around the country and take things from all the festivals we go to that we love, and try and implement them and bring them to Blue Ox, as well as finding artists around the country who people in this region may not know, and inviting them in. And like I say from stage when I'm emceeing, it's like we get to bring our mixtape to the stage, live for everybody. And it's become this amazing community. My favorite thing [I heard last year at Blue Ox] was "Yeah, the kids just asked from the back seat, 'When do we get to come back here?'," you know? That's awesome.
On the lasting appeal of acoustic string band music
Bill DeVille: What is it about string band music and bluegrass that makes it still viable in today's world?
Nate Sipe: I think there's an accessibility to it. It's just, like, the down-to-Earth nature of the lyrics, and the approach to making the music and gathering to produce a sound.
Nate Sipe: You can have music without amplification, too.
Justin Bruhn: And play in a corner.
J Lenz: If the power goes out, we're still playing.
Justin Bruhn: Which has lent itself well to certain situations. Out in Colorado, there was a festival, a very memorable moment, the power went out in the whole tent. It's like midnight, and we're like, "Let's just go down." And we went down on the ground, and people went crazy, and they were all gathered around us. And at one point, this guy, this big dude — I was playing the bass — and he just picked me up. He was right behind me. It was, like, a total moment, you know? And you couldn't do that with electric instruments, you know?
J Lenz: AI wouldn't do that.
Ryan Young: Plus, it's something that everybody can do, no matter how old they are. You can think of yourself as an old person and still pick up a mandolin and learn how to play it. And play with your friends … It's just something you can do.
Ryan Young: Kind of like badminton.
J Lenz: Curling.
Nate Sipe: Pickleball.
Bill DeVille: Pickleball! There you go.
Video Segments
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:29 Side By Side
00:03:47 Interview with host Bill DeVille, part 1
00:08:10 Racin’ to the Grave
00:11:09 Interview with host Bill DeVille, part 2
00:17:57 Quiet Hours
All songs from Pert Near Sandstone’s 2026 album, Side by Side, out now.
Musicians
Justin Bruhn – bass
Kevin Kniebel – banjo
J Lenz – guitar
Nate Sipe – mandolin, lap steel
Ryan Young – fiddle
Credits
Guests – Pert Near Sandstone
Host – Bill DeVille
Producers – Bill DeVille, Derrick Stevens
Video – Josh Sauvageau
Camera Operators – Will Keeler, Sean Belcher
Audio – Cameron Wiley
Graphics – Natalia Toledo
Digital Producer – Luke Taylor
External Link
Pert Near Sandstone – official site
