Conan O’Brien isn’t the only late-night host forming a new band this week.
On Wednesday night’s Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon teamed up with Matthew McConaughey and indie folk band The Last Bison for a spirited bluegrass cover of Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.”
The performance came during a new installment of “Tonight Show Audience Suggestion Box,” courtesy of a request that just so happened to line up perfectly with McConaughey’s latest movie.
“I love that song ‘Choosin’ Texas’ by Ella Langley,” Fallon read from the suggestion. “And I’m really excited to see Matthew McConaughey’s new movie The Rivals of Amziah King, where he performs in a bluegrass band. If there was only a way to combine those things, that would be a dream come true.”
“This is The Tonight Show, where dreams become reality,” Fallon replied.
The curtain then opened to reveal McConaughey on mandolin alongside The Last Bison, with Fallon joining them on washboard.
The Last Bison wasn’t just recruited for a Tonight Show gag. The indie folk band fronted by Ben Hardesty helped shape the sound of The Rivals of Amziah King, in which McConaughey plays an Oklahoma beekeeper who leads a bluegrass band. McConaughey and his castmates performed the film’s songs live on set rather than lip-syncing to prerecorded tracks, and a two-and-a-half-minute clip showcasing his musical chops alongside Hardesty has been making the rounds online.
Of course, joining a famous guest for a spirited cover is familiar territory for Fallon. Musical team-ups have long been a Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon staple, with the host over the years performing alongside everyone from Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen to Kelly Clarkson, Jack Black and frequent collaborator Justin Timberlake.
Watch McConaughey, Fallon and The Last Bison perform “Choosin’ Texas” at the top of this post.
