Bluegrass is an interesting musical genre. It is loved far and wide by people in rural communities, especially in the south, who can readily associate with much of the lyrical content. Yet it is also loved around the world from, Japan to Sweden and back again. There is a very strong sense of tradition and rootedness, yet a willingness to explore and take chances.

This past Sunday evening I was witness to one of those explorations. Bluegrass front-man Ricky Skaggs and his award winning band Kentucky Thunder, joined the Boston Pops for a concert at the Boston Symphony Hall. This wasn’t a first. Ricky and crew had performed once before in May of 2003 with the Pops in a performance that was taped for Evening at Pops. Those performances are available on YouTube (one is included later in this post).

This particular performance marked the closing night of the 126th season for the Boston Pops. An appropriate theme had been chosen. The Pops has been asked to perform this fall in Kentucky for a scholarship fundraiser at the Universe of Kentucky, so they’ve put together a show themed around one of the three things you think of when you think of Kentucky, horses (The other two are bluegrass and bourbon according to conductor Keith Lockhart).

The first half of the evening’s concert was the Pops performing pieces from this horse themed show, including the theme song from The Magnificent Seven, one of my favorite movies. The Pops demonstrated why they enjoy such prestige. Their performance was marked by excellent musicianship and top notch dynamics. In fact, I would suggest every bluegrass band catch a performance by a high quality symphony and study the precision of their dynamics. Also study the way in which each member plays her role appropriately without grandstanding. The goal is the overall sound of the ensemble, not hot licks. Very instructive.

After a brief intermission, Lockhart introduced to the stage Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder. It wasn’t strictly the bluegrass band we know and love. Included was a full drum kit, along with keys and steel guitar. These were included I’m sure because Ricky chose to perform a couple of tunes which were originally country hits, and the thought must have been that the inclusion of these additional instruments would render said tunes more palatable to a larger audience. It was unnecessary, and sadly may have contributed to some sound reinforcement issues that seemed to plague the evening.

The inclusion of these instruments and a plethora of mics on stage, in a room designed for unamplified performance, led to less than desirable acoustics for the evening. Things got a bit muddied and overwhelmed in the sound department. The rhythm guitar was all but lost in the mix, and the solos suffered a fate worse than death. I can only assume that Skaggs did not have his normal sound engineer with him. By the time the engineer realized someone was taking a solo, found their channel, and adjusted the volume, the solo was nearing completion without the audience having heard most of it. This was especially true of the guitar, though the banjo suffered similarly as well. The fiddle and, not surprisingly, Ricky’s mandolin were given better treatment.

One thing stood out above and beyond these issues though. Ricky Skaggs can sing. And boy do I mean how! It’s been a while since I saw his show live and perhaps I had forgotten just what a great vocal performer Skaggs is. His voice is crystal clear, sweet to the ear, expressive, and when needed, powerful.

He began his show with what has become a standard for him, Pig In A Pen. You’ve probably heard it before, but with a symphony accompanying? Check out this video from the 2003 performance with the Boston Pops.

The set list for the show was as follows:

Pig In A Pen
Highway 40 Blues
Give Us Rain
Cat’s In The Cradle
Road To Spencer
Somebody’s Praying
Uncle Pen

On the slower songs, the symphony was a wonderfully pleasant addition to the sound. Even on the faster tunes, it was surprising how well the large sound of an orchestra blended with the bluegrass band while not overpowering it. In all, it was a very enjoyable sound.

The one exception to this was the finally tune, Uncle Pen. On this one, the symphony overplayed their role, attempting to cut the fiddle parts with Andy Leftwich. To my ears, the timing and phrasing was not mastered by the Pops and left the tune sounding very mechanistic and lacking in soul. But hey, 6 out of 7 isn’t a bad batting average!

The audience obviously enjoyed the show, as Skaggs and crew were treated to a standing ovation at the conclusion of Uncle Pen, and returned to perform Crossville and Black Eyed Susie as their encore tunes. The symphony’s involvement was limited on these numbers to performing the “Hey!” exclamations in Black Eyed Susie.

The audience again treated the band to a standing ovation after the encore.

The one glaring omission of this entire show was in the song selection by Skaggs. The Pops themed their entire show around horses, celebrating Kentucky, with special guest Ricky Skaggs, and Skaggs didn’t perform a single song about horses. I had fully anticipated getting to hear a performance of the great bluegrass horse racing song, Molly and Tenbrooks. At least he could have done something like Green Pastures or Rawhide. I wonder if any mention was even made of Molly and Tenbrooks during the work up of the set list, and if so, why it was not included…

A few things we can learn from the show and the audience’s reaction.

First, the audience, I think they call them patrons in the symphony world, enjoyed the music very much. To be sure, there were some in attendance who where there because of the bluegrass, but they were a minority. As I overheard conversations at tables near me, and followed up with people on the subway following the show, the regular patrons of the symphony thoroughly enjoyed the bluegrass sound. It was presented professionally, as something to be regarded with esteem, and it was performed exceptionally. I noticed a few of the violinists craning their necks for a better view during Leftwich’s fiddle solos on the two encore tunes (during which they were not playing themselves).

These people may well purchase a few bluegrass CDs in the coming months, probably Ricky’s, and that’s fine. Thank you Ricky for thinking outside the box and bringing the sounds of mountain harmony, fiddles, and banjos to an audience that may never have gotten outside their own box to experience it. And thank you for doing so in a way we can be proud of as an industry.

The second thing to take away from this show is that bluegrass has a vitality that allows for experimentation like this without any fear of being overwhelmed and becoming something other than what it is. Of course that is an altogether different discussion!

* Photos by Stu Rosner, courtesy of the Boston Pops

The Downtown Ramblers (Gothenburg, Sweden) were voted European Bluegrass Band of the Year in 2009, just a few short months after releasing their first, self-titled, CD. That recording featured  all original material. The band’s sound is a unique blend of traditional bluegrass influenced by Swedish folk music, pop, and jazz. They describe this sound as Nordic Urban Bluegrass.

Downtown Ramblers are set to release their second CD, On The Other Side Of The City, next month, May 2011.

Very little information is available at this time. The band’s website has been modified to little more than a pre-order page for the new CD. I guess we’ll all have to wait till next month to experience a little more of this Swedish band’s unique brand of Nordic Urban Bluegrass!

Filed under new releases, here’s news of a new recording from Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen. The CD, titled One Mile East of Hazel Green has a tentative release date of May 1, 2011.

With a release datd just in time for Mother’s Day, the CD includes 12 tunes. Among them is a track titled Mama’s Song. Waller has uploaded a video of the song to YouTube (embedded below).

The CD will be available soon from CD Baby & Lendel Records.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmolOeV3QsU?hd=1

Next month will see the publication of a new book sure to be of interest to those interested in vintage Gibson instruments: Spann’s Guide To Gibson 1902-1941.

The 296 page book is a guide to Gibson guitars, mandolins, and banjos manufactured between the dates of 1902 and 1941. It’s more than just that, though. It’s a comprehensive history of the Gibson Kalamazoo factory prior to World War II. Author Joe Spann interviewed still living employees who built these instruments. Spann did an incredible amount of research on the inner workings of the factory. He explains where the raw materials came from, identifies parts vendors, explores the pre-World War II factory order number and serial number systems. He even uncovered new photos and information about famed luthier, Lloyd Loar.

You can get a preview of the contents by listening to a half hour interview with the author conducted by Fretboard Journal publisher Jason Verlinde.

Spann’s Guide To Gibson 1902-1941 (Softcover Book) is currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com for $40.

HT: Bluegrass Ireland Blog

A little housekeeping…

We’ve been overwhelmed with spam user registrations recently, so we’ve taken appropriate measures to prevent it. Starting today, all user registrations must be approved by the blog admin. Additionally, some registrations will be blocked automatically based on a list of known spam IP addresses, and a few other criteria. If you attempt to register and you feel you’ve been blocked unnecessarily, please contact us so we can get your account set up properly.

We’ll be purging the user database in the next day or two. We hope to only eliminate spam registrations and not affect any legitimate users, but if you happen to get deleted, just register anew.

All of this is in preparation for another big announcement this week concerning Bluegrass Today. Stay tuned…

What happens when a North Carolina native builds a career in experimental music composition and then becomes fascinated with the sounds of a 10 piece traditional chinese ensemble? Why Chinese bluegrass of course!

William Duckworth grew up in the mountains of North Carolina in 1943. He grew up listening to native bluegrass music as a child. When he went to the University of Illinois as a young man, he studied microtonal music with his instructor there. He has since been involved with various experimental music forms, his Time Curve Preludes for piano defining the Postminimalism style.

While in Brisbane, Australia in May of 2010, Duckworth heard The New Purple Forbidden City Orchestra of Beijing for the first time. Inspired by the similarities between the instrumentation and acoustic tonal characteristics of the orchestra’s music, and that of the bluegrass he remembered from his childhood, he set out to compose a piece of music that would play off those commonalities.

In December of 2010 he completed the composition of a five movement dance suite entitled Blue Grass.

It is not an imitation of traditional bluegrass music, however, but rather a memory, a reflection from childhood, filtered through the instruments and performance practices of another culture. What I hear in this piece is a combination of my past and present, of music old and new.

Plans are in place for the the orchestra to record the piece soon and then take it on tour around the world.

You can read an interview with Duckworth about the project here, and you can read his bio and more about his music here.

Many, if not most, of us have experienced the frustration of flying with an instrument. Fine and vintage instruments are of such high value, checking that instrument through the airline’s baggage handling is not a risk musicians tend to be comfortable with. The airlines are not consistent in allowing an instrument to be carried into the cabin, and we are faced with checking a valued instrument, traveling with less than our favorite/best, or risking a fight with the boarding crew each time we fly.

It was just last year that Dave Carroll waged his musical attach on United Airlines after they broke his Taylor guitar. He had hoped that a solution would be offered by the airline, but none seemed forthcoming.

WAMU’s Bluegrass Country now brings us the news that both houses of Congress are working to pass bills addressing this issue. The Senate version of the bill has passed and would require the airlines to allow a passenger to carry on an instrument “free of charge”. The House version of the bill lacks that specific language while also reserving to the airlines the right to require such a passenger to purchase insurance for the value of the instrument.

The American Federation of Musicians has a petition on their web site to supports the passage of the Senate version of the FAA Reauthorization Act.

Congressional leaders hope to have a bill before the President to sign by the end of March 2011.

You can read the full story, including the actual text of both bills, at BluegrassCountry.org.

You can read and sign the petition here.

Pinecastle Records has announced the newest band to be signed to the label. Town Mountain hails from Asheville, NC, but has been touring other areas of the country since 2005, when they won the band competition at the Rockygrass festival in Colorado.

The members of Town Mountain are: Phil Barker (mandolin, vocals), Robert Greer (guitar, vocals), Jesse Langlais (banjo, vocals), Bobby Britt(fiddle), and Jon Stickley (bass, vocals).

The label describes the band this way:

The band brings a unique energy to the label with their mix of mostly original material that creates a hard-driving, no nonsense, foot stomping bluegrass sound mixed with slow country crooning and a honkytonk edge. Town Mountain safely brings it all together in a way that has wowed not only their local Asheville, NC music scene but also crowds across the country…

Pinecastle recognizes that it takes more than just good playing and singing to make a good band. Accordingly, they call attention to the band’s songwriting.

Town Mountain has the capacity to bring fresh and exciting material to their high quality music. With topics ranging from love lost and heartache to the weariness of a midnight drive across America’s heartland to politically charged topics that most steer clear of. You will find that Town Mountain’s songwriting is heartfelt, sincere and honest.

Town Mountain’s first Pinecastle release is titled Steady Operator, and has an official street date of May 10, 2011.

Be sure to visit Town Mountain on Facebook as well. Check out the Band Profile page there, and you can listen to several tracks from previous recordings, as well as a brand new track, Sparkle City, from the upcoming Steady Operator.

For those interested in hearing Town Mountain live, the band has a fairly extensive tour schedule for the summer months, covering states from North Carolina to Idaho, and everything in between.

The latest issue (March 2011) of  Acoustic Guitar magazine is out, and it includes a lengthy article by Tyler Grant entitled: Must-Know Bluegrass Vocabulary – A guide to practical licks every flatpicker should know.

Grant draws an interesting analogy between learning to play a particular style of music, like bluegrass, and learning to speak a new language. His goal with the article is to introduce guitar players to bluegrass vocabulary in such a way that they don’t just memorize some licks, but actually learn to speak the language so as to create their own “stylistically appropriate solos.”

just knowing a large number of words is not enough to get by—if you don’t want to sound like a tourist

The article is three pages long (at least online) and comes complete with tab and video examples for fifteen different exercises. Remember, the goal isn’t just to learn these licks, but to learn to speak the language of bluegrass like a native!

The conclusion of the article includes tab/video for Tyler’s original tune, Witch Creek.

Tyler is a great player, and with this article he’s provided a helpful introduction to the style for guitarists who are just learning to speak bluegrass.

With the 3rd European Bluegrass Summit (18-20 Feb. 2011) recently concluded in Bühl, Germany, the news has been announced that the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) and the European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival have amicably divorced one another.

The two organizations have long enjoyed a “special relationship” which was mutually beneficial. While they will continue to cooperate in the future, the two will now operate independently, each pursuing its own separate objectives. The EBMA will soon announce the EBMA Festival Network, with EWOB serving as a founding member of said network.

This year’s EWOB festival will be held June 2-4, 2001 in ‘t Trefpunt, Voorthuizen, the Netherlands, the city that has served as host to the festival since 1999.

From the EBMA website, comes their mission statement, missions, and goals:

Our mission statement:

Working together to support Bluegrass Music across borders.

EBMA’s Missions

EBMA works towards an integrated European bluegrass scene that enjoys strong, mutually supporting relations with international and national organisations.
EBMA promotes and facilitates the sharing of Bluegrass enjoyment across borders (regional or national)
EBMA supports bands, fans, musicians, organisations, professionals and everything connected with Bluegrass
EBMA is a non-profit, professionally-run, dynamic and inclusive organisation
EBMA adopts the core values of IBMA

EBMA’s goals:

The European Bluegrass Music Association strives to
a) further bluegrass music in Europe by getting more people interested and involved,
b) further European bluegrass musicians and bands and
c) enhance bluegrass music’s image.

This shall be achieved in particular by:
– annual gatherings
– a website as the main means of communication
– contacts between European bluegrass people (networking)

And here is a statement from the EWOB website declaring the festival’s purpose:

We come from many different countries, but we speak one common language: BLUEGRASS! Geographic, political, and cultural borders fall away as we join together to celebrate our love for bluegrass music, and meet new friends from faraway lands. Maybe world peace can start with a banjo intro.

I would think another obvious purpose of the festival is to recognize and award those European bands who have excellently represented bluegrass music over the course of the year, hence the annual awards given during the festival.

It is easy to see from these purpose statements that the two organizations share a great deal of overlap in the purpose and mission. It is also evident that the association’s stated goals are broader than the festival’s. The same would presumably be true of IBMA and it’s accompanying WOB festival/trade show. Only time will tell the wisdom of divorcing the two entities as opposed to binding them together…