Talking with Russell Moore of Alison Krauss’ band

The biggest band in bluegrass made Russell Moore an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Moore, a singer, guitarist and mandolin player, is the leader of IIIrd Tyme Out, an award-winning group that plays bluegrass festivals and theater shows around the country. 3TO, as it’s known, has a devoted fan base.

When Alison Krauss invited him to join her band Union Station, that took things to another level altogether. The fiddle-playing singer, an icon in bluegrass and country music – and the not-so-gray area between – and her outfit play big halls and stadiums. Due in no small part to her frequent collaborations with Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, Krauss is currently the most famous bluegrass player on the planet.

Before Saturday’s Alison Krauss & Union Station show at the BayCare Sound amphitheater, Moore reflected on what might have been the most critical phone call of his career.

“Honestly, I didn’t have any desire to re-group IIIrd Tyme out totally, from the ground up,” Moore explained, “and find all new players.

“So I went to my band members and asked them their thoughts. I asked if they would support me on this journey, or if they were going to leave and go somewhere else. Because if I was going to have to re-group the whole band, then I probably would’ve said no. But they all gave me their support, and their blessing, and said ‘You need to do this,’ ‘it’s a great opportunity for you.’ So that helped me make my decision.”

Moore said he took into consideration “the fact that she plays to a wider audience than what IIIrd Tyme Out has thus far. And I thought that exposure would really benefit not just me but IIIrd Tyme Out, moving forward. Hopefully bring some new people into the IIIrd Tyme Out fold.”

Krauss had already made up her mind about who should replace AKUS’s departing singer and guitarist Dan Tyminski. She had discussed it with her longtime bandmates Jerry Douglas (dobro), Ron Block (banjo) and Barry Bales (bass). Onstage and in the studio, everybody adds to the vocal blend.

“Jerry, Ron, Barry and I all met when Dan Tyminski left the band,” Krauss recalled in a prepared statement, “and Jerry asked me, ‘What do you think?’ I said, ‘Russell Moore,’ and they all said, ‘Absolutely!’”

Moore performed on the latest Union Station album, Arcadia. “I couldn’t believe it when we went into the studio and his voice came through the speakers,” Krauss said. “He just stands there and sings with his hands in his pockets, and he kills it. The first song he did was ‘Granite Mills’ and about 10 minutes in, Ron was covering his mouth because he started giggling. Russell came in and inspired us all.”

Russell Moore

The Arcadia tour began in April. Violinist Stuart Duncan is part of the road ensemble.

“We’re doing 80-some odd shows on this tour, when it’s all said and done, within basically a five-month period,” Moore said. “I can probably count on one hand the number of venues that we’re playing, that I’ve already been to with IIIrd Tyme Out.

“So everything is new to me – the venues, the people … there are bluegrass fans who know who I am that do attend the shows, but I’d say there’s more people who’ve never seen or heard me.

“There are people that attend AKUS shows that are not air-quote bluegrass fans. They’re Alison Krauss fans. And that exposure, being in front of those people who have never seen or heard or know who I am. And being able to try to win their favor with what I’m bringing to the table here.”

Moore, who spent six years as a member of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver before putting IIIrd Tyme Out Together, has been named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Male Vocalist of the Year six times. And 3TO won IBMA Vocal Group of the Year seven times.

As a solo artist and with Union Station, Krauss has 27 Grammys, and 15 IBMA awards. Her record sales are in the millions.

The newly-departed Tyminski was a popular artist in his own right, and Moore had qualms about replacing him.

“I never felt like I couldn’t meet the expectations of anybody in Union Station, Alison, any of the other guys,” Moore explained. “I felt my abilities would carry me over the finish line there. But I told them when we started this tour, the one thing that’s gonna be more difficult is to win over people who don’t even want to listen. Because they’re Dan Tyminski fans and they may be upset that he’s not here any more.”

AKUS fans, he added, were skeptical when the change was first announced via social media. “Now that we’re headed towards the end of the tour, I don’t see anything but positives on the socials – about the show, about my inclusion in the band, that kind of stuff.”

The most common comment these days, he reported, is about how he’s such a great fit with the band.

The Arcadia tour will likely continue into 2026. After that, who knows?

“I have been told,” Moore said, “that the way I should feel and approach this that I am a member of Union Station. But I’ve still got IIIrd Tyme Out. I’m going to be doing both until I’m told we’re not doing this any more.”

Tickets for Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. show are at this link.