Road to Joy

On its latest release, 2011’s This Unknown Science, Boston-based quintet Joy Kills Sorrow began to bend and twist the long-established boundaries of bluegrass.

With feet planted firmly in a roots tradition and heads filled with indie-rock sensibilities, the string-based band has been able to transcend the strict confines of bluegrass with its own touches of jazz, swing and pop. The result is a polished blend of folk music that will please almost anyone, from fans of Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver to lovers of Alison Krauss or The Stanley Brothers.

Joy Kills Sorrow can be found sharing the stage with local songwriter Luke Ash for an early show at 1284 Artspace Perkins at 7 p.m. on March 8.

“Being a roots band would tie us to certain conventions that we don’t necessarily want to follow,” says Bridget Kearney, the group’s bass player and principal songwriter. “The path that we’ve chosen leaves us with more possibilities and options. There’s a conscious decision when writing to move toward the freedom you hear in indie music and not the tradition bluegrass typically sticks to.”

Joy Kills Sorrow first sprang up in 2005 out of Boston’s growing folk music scene and released its self-titled debut in 2007. Following several member changes, the band solidified its current lineup in two years ago with Kearney joined by guitarist Matthew Arcara, vocalist and cellist Emma Beaton, banjo player Wesley Corbett and mandolinist Jacob Jolliff.

The quintet released the album Darkness Sure Becomes This City in 2010 and its follow-up, This Unknown Science, last fall.

Each member has a resume that could grant him or her solo stage time. Arcara won the 2006 Winfield National Flatpicking Championship. Beaton won “Young Performer of the Year” at the 2008 Canadian Folk Music Awards, Kearney won the 2006 John Lennon Songwriting Contest and Jolliff and Corbett have both toured extensively with national acts.

Joy Kills Sorrow will kick off 2012 with a few West Coast tour dates before stopping in Baton Rouge for the second time in a year.

“I like touring the South a lot, and I think Louisiana would be a great place to live,” Kearney says. “It’s all of the music that comes from the area. [Beaton] has a lot of friends in Cajun bands, and she is in Louisiana a lot, but I’ve never been to New Orleans. We have a few days after the show, and hopefully I can change that.” joykillssorrow.com