rookie riot | bluegrass omagh 2024

School’s out! What started as a project to nurture the potential of aspiring Swedish musicians with bluegrass music, Rookie Riot are now firmly established as a well-known and respected band on the European bluegrass circuit.

Rookie Riot hails from Haga, a city district in Gothenburg, Sweden. The band’s sound had evolved via a sprawling array of genre influence - everything from the first generation of bluegrass musicians right through to the progressive, envelope-pushing influences of today. The primary mentor and band lead guitarist Anders Ternesten describes the band’s sound as holding to a traditional template, all while moving forward to find their own path. 

While the Rookie Riot repertoire consists of a well-balanced mix of popular bluegrass covers, ballads, their own original compositions and non-bluegrass songs given the bluegrass treatment, the band’s delivery is unmistakably their own. Their tendency to take inspiration from jam videos and assorted festival performances is immediately evident from their energetic, almost rowdy stage performances. The band consists of Anders Ternesten (guitar), Agnes Brogeb (fiddle), Karl Lagrell Annerhult (mandolin), Jeremiah Danielsson (bass), Daniel Svensson (banjo) and Wilma Ternesten (vocals). 

In the summer of 2023, Rookie Riot brought their evolving sound and stirring stage show across the Atlantic to a US audience, shortly after their appearance at the La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France. There will be more firsts for the band in 2024, including their first visit to Ireland and their appearance at Bluegrass Omagh 2024. It’s a set not to be missed.

Learn more about Rookie Riot on their website.