Our Story

Coming out of the coastal mountain town of Santa Barbara, CA, Salty Strings is a 5-piece string band setting out to transcend the boundaries of traditional bluegrass music. Sprinkling in notes of latin and reggae, this untraditional band puts on an engaging live performance filled with fast-picking originals and old-timey favorites. You can often find them playing their instruments along a coastal bluff as the sun is setting,
​their strings ever so salty.

From   the   beginning

Where   we   are   now

Salty Strings started when Zach (guitar) posted a Craigslist add looking for bluegrass musicians in the Santa Barbara area. Danny (mandolin) answered his call, and the rest is history. Danny met Ilan (cello) at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, and the trio inspired Jon (banjo and dobro) to learn some new instruments and join in on the fun. Kai from MSI (upright bass) heard the band playing at Topa Topa Brewery, and offered up his services for the cause.

​It is the bluegrass that connected us, and the salt that keeps us together. 

After a several years in Colorado, Salty Strings is BACK in Santa Barbara, delivering bluegrass to the coastal community that we call home.

​The band includes:
Daniel Elkin - Mandolin
Peter Kraus - Banjo
Kevin Long - Upright Bass
​Zach Witter - Guitar

The band will regularly invite guests to join shows, including guest singers, previous members who are in town, and Westin Byerly on the drums.

Catch us on the bluffs

Thanks so the acoustic nature of their instruments, Salty Strings has turned the outdoors, mainly the Douglas Nature Preserve, into their biweekly rehearsal space. This gives the band time to practice under a setting sun, while allowing the public to come enjoy a sunset or a dog walk with a side of beach bluegrass. It is these outdoor rehearsals in the coastal air that inspired the band name "Salty Strings".