The Band
Denim & Plaid
Denim & Plaid is an award winning group of young bluegrass musicians representing the next generation of bluegrass music. This talented band has quickly built a reputation for showcasing both their instrumental and vocal abilities. They have graced the stages of Merlefest, Floydfest, Woodsongs, and the IBMA World of Bluegrass festival. All talented instrumentalists in their own right, the five band members met at local fiddlers conventions and festivals in North Carolina and Virginia. The promising young musicians of Denim & Plaid will be ones to look out for in the years to come.
Tucker Conner - Guitar & Vocals
Hailing from Fleetwood, NC, Tucker Conner is a 14 year old guitarist and vocalist. His bluegrass roots run deep, growing up near legendary musicians like Doc Watson. He began playing banjo and mandolin through the local JAM program when he was 8 years old. His interest in guitar and vocals began to blossom during Covid and he soon began competing at Fiddlers Conventions and performing locally at various venues. He has taken first place in Youth Folk Song as well as third place in Adult Folk Song in 2024 at the Galax Fiddlers Conventions. He also placed first in Youth Guitar at The ASU Fiddlers Convention. He has performed at Woodsongs in Lexington Kentucky multiple times, as well as at the historic Appalachian Theater. If you asked him what his favorite thing about bluegrass is, he would say a good late night jam with friends!
Hollace Oakes - Fiddle & Vocals
Hollace Oakes is a 15 year old fiddle player from Snowville VA. She has been playing since she was 8 years old but she caught the ‘bluegrass bug’ during the summer of 2024. In 2025 she took first place in the adult bluegrass fiddle category at the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention. She enjoys the culture of bluegrass music in the New River Valley, often attending local jams and concerts. She can often be found at the Floyd Country Store on Friday nights in the summer.
Berkley Stewart - Banjo & Vocals
Berkley Stewart is a 17 year-old musician from Saltville, VA. He began playing piano in first grade, but fell in love with the banjo during 2021. He has won awards in banjo and guitar at the Galax Old Fiddler's Convention. Berkley can be found playing his banjo or spending time with his turkeys.
Truett Wagner - Mandolin
Truett Wagner is a multi-instrumentalist who lends his mandolin efforts to the stage with Denim & Plaid. His skill, dedication, and passion for bluegrass music have earned him recognition at fiddlers' conventions including 1st place Youth Guitar at Galax, but most dear to him is the time spent with his friends and heroes at any jam he gets to attend. He totes a wide repertoire informed and ingrained by hours of pickin' every week at any jam within 100sq miles of Kernersville, NC. He's officially a student of the inimitable Jesse Smathers at the Handmade Music School in Floyd, VA and unofficially a student of any one he's ever played with. Denim & Plaid help him to keep growing as a musician as he gets to watch from the stage the excellence that each band member brings to their respective instruments.
Elliot King - Bass
Elliot King, a 14-year-old from Carthage, North Carolina, is the bassist for Denim and Plaid and a multi-instrumentalist. He developed a serious passion for music during the early 2020s pandemic. After his first fiddler'sconvention, the bluegrass community embraced him. Today, Elliot is an award-winning musician who loves to learn, perform, and share his craft.