{"id":9157,"date":"2022-03-25T08:24:24","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T08:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/?p=9157"},"modified":"2022-03-25T08:24:25","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T08:24:25","slug":"day-five-concluding-the-inaugural-sidetracks-and-detours-bluegrass-music-in-text-festival-2022-offering-signposts-to-new-bluegrass-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/2022\/03\/25\/day-five-concluding-the-inaugural-sidetracks-and-detours-bluegrass-music-in-text-festival-2022-offering-signposts-to-new-bluegrass-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Day five, concluding the inaugural Sidetracks And Detours Bluegrass Music in text Festival 2022, offering SIGNPOSTS TO NEW BLUEGRASS STARS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Day five, concluding the inaugural Sidetracks And Detours Bluegrass Music in text Festival 2022, offering <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIGNPOSTS TO NEW BLUEGRASS STARS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norman Warwick is told of the future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bluegrass is a dynamic genre, as explained in a \u00a0wonderful\u00a0essay by\u00a0Chris Pandolfi<\/a>\u00a0 of\u00a0The Infamous Stringdusters,\u00a0detailing the history behind the two diverging sects of the genre: old-school traditionalists and those of the inventive \u201cnewgrass\u201d mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Pandolfi (left)<\/em><\/strong> is a full-time musician, producer, and podcaster who started his career as the first ever banjo principal at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and has been forging his own unique path ever since.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grandchild of professional opera musicians, Chris was raised with deep musical roots. Ultimately finding his voice on the banjo, he spent two years at Berklee before moving to Nashville, TN to start The Infamous Stringdusters, now an established force in the acoustic music world. In 2007, the Stringdusters took home awards for Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year (for their debut album, Fork in the Road<\/em>), at the annual International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) annual awards show. And in 2018, the Stringdusters won a GRAMMY for Best Bluegrass Album for their 2017 release, Laws of Gravity<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Stringdusters established themselves among the pioneers of the unprecedented growth of modern Bluegrass, Chris became a powerful voice behind the movement. In 2011 he self-published a piece on his blog entitled \u2018The Bluegrass Manifesto,\u2019 that challenged the Bluegrass world to embrace the drastic evolution of the music that many perceived as a threat to the established tradition. The article had a big impact, and later that year Chris gave the keynote address at the International Bluegrass Music Association Business conference (IBMA). He currently sits on the IBMA Board of Directors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In more creative realms, Chris has produced a number of albums for other artists (including The Kitchen Dwellers, Trout Steak Revival, Meadow Mountain), as well as several innovative titles of his own. His latest solo record, Trance Banjo<\/em>, sees him taking the next step under his Trad Plus moniker.  The album is a unique combination of modern banjo compositions, along with lush, symphonic vinyl samples, beats, futuristic software instruments, strings, synths and more. Chris produced, wrote, performed, engineered and mixed almost every aspect of the album at his studio in Colorado. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always tried to push the envelope, with music, business, bluegrass, and everything in between,\u201d shared Chris. \u201cFor years it was all about the banjo, but eventually I started to drift heavily into the world of creative production, first with what I was listening to and ultimately with music I wanted to make. \u2018Trance Banjo\u2019 is definitely a big chapter of that journey, bringing together unique sounds that haven\u2019t appeared together before, namely the modern banjo writing with the old, rich sounds of the classical vinyl samples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of writing and performing banjo, Chris hosts the podcast, \u2018Inside the Musician\u2019s Brain (ITMB).\u2019 Now inits second season, ITMB is a deep dive into everything that goes into a life in music, featuring lengthy interviews with a host of prominent contemporary musicians. The show also draws back the curtain onthe Stringdusters world, as well as Chris\u2019 experiences as a producer, writer, engineer, business leader and human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That Mr Pandolfi\u00b4s opinion and validation is often sought out is evidenced by his writing of a foreword to a prestigious new book published recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pandolfi says  Big thanks to Nick Hutchinson for asking me to write the foreword for his new book \u2018High on a Mountain: An Oral History of Jamgrass in Colorado.\u2019<\/a> The book consists of a bunch of excellent interviews that tell the story of the evolution and growth of bluegrass, and the advent of its more modern relative: \u2018jamgrass.\u2019 Interview subjects include Sam Bush<\/a>, Drew Emmitt<\/a>, B\u00e9la Fleck<\/a>, Tim O\u2019brien<\/a>, Peter Rowan<\/a>, Paul Hoffman<\/a>, Nick Forster<\/a>, yours truly and many more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FOREWORD:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last twenty-five years, bluegrass has been swept into a vibrant vortex of evolution and growth, opening the door to an array of new influences, and reaching new ears in every corner of the globe. Once a niche genre of lightning-fast picking, suits, high-harmonies, tight arrangements and Southern soul, its most popular modern purveyors have traded the ties for tie-dyes and charted a new course toward the masses. A rich new lineage of artists is pushing the envelope, bending the formal structure of the music while still utilizing many of the striking attributes that put bluegrass on the map in the mid-1940s. It\u2019s the same music, just for different times. It\u2019s bluegrass that jams, setting in motion a magical interplay of energetic audiences, amplified instruments, and futuristic production. This popular new strain of the music is known to most as \u201cjamgrass.\u201d
To understand today\u2019s bluegrass, first we have to go back in time. Since its inception, bluegrass has been home to a long list of hyper-talented, colorful characters, who were supreme innovators at their core. Bill Monroe, widely regarded as the father of bluegrass, formulated his own musical vision, bringing together blues, country music, Scottish fiddle traditions, and a bold new style of mandolin playing that crackled with energy. Earl Scruggs did something similar with the banjo, innovating a totally new way of playing the instrument with three finger picks that remains the gold standard of banjo playing to this day. These two were larger-than-life, and when they joined forces in 1945 it was the \u201cbig bang\u201d of bluegrass. A rich new style was born, capturing people\u2019s attention and spawning new acts of the same sound in every direction. From those storied first notes on the Grand Ole Opry in 1945, this music has always had serious mojo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old school bluegrass (aka \u201ctraditional bluegrass\u201d) is a stark lesson in raw musical power, combining virtuosic musicianship with a volcanic eruption of soul and emotion. Those early influential artists played and sang with an unmistakable and striking level of commitment. They lived the music, writing countless beautiful songs that told stories of that era, all brought to life with organic, acoustic tones that speak an emotional language all their own. Bluegrass moves people\u2014always has, always will. But while the music more than stood on its own, it never got that popular. Despite passing through the hands of endless luminary musicians along the way, earlier iterations of bluegrass were never a good fit for the mainstream. It was hard to amplify, lacked a modern sound, and didn\u2019t win the favor of tastemakers who towered over the music industry at that time. The fanbase was small but incredibly loyal. There were glimpses of success along the way, during the folk boom of the 1960s and then again in the 1970s when musical titan Jerry Garcia brought together Old & In the Way and exposed legions of new fans to the crackling sound of the banjo and the potent draw of bluegrass. But still, no real widespread popularity. It\u2019s hard to say if Garcia\u2019s influence on the evolution of bluegrass is more centered around his brief time actually playing in that style in the early 1970s, or his larger influence on the music world as a whole through his time with the Grateful Dead. The Dead changed everything\u2014the music, the business, the show, the fan culture, and more. They opened up a world of possibilities, and by the 1990s that influence caught up with bluegrass music, planting the seeds for all the vibrant growth and evolution we see today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leftover Salmon, The String Cheese Incident and Yonder Mountain String Band were among the first to answer the call, synthesizing these different influences into an exciting new iteration of bluegrass. They were visionary bands that brought together modern production and original songs, extended group improvisation, and the haunting sounds and raw energy of acoustic bluegrass. They stuck together, built huge fanbases, and in turn started their own tidal wave of influence that seems to be cresting right now with no end in sight. They are the forefathers of jamgrass. What led up to that moment in time and that wave of evolution is another book entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are countless boundary-pushing artists and bands that brought new elements to the bluegrass sound. Bands like New Grass Revival, Hot Rize, the David Grisman Quintet, and Tony Rice (left)<\/em><\/strong> are just a few that raised the bar significantly and showed us that there was uncharted territory up ahead. Salmon, Cheese and Yonder set a course, set sail and never looked back. They took us somewhere new, where the music had a profound sense of freedom, for artists and fans alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside all this musical evolution came new visions of where live bluegrass could exist, as well as how it could look and sound. A new track was cut for acoustic bands to follow, from rock clubs to Red Rocks and everywhere in between. What followed is a musical movement that could just be getting started. There are more quality bands, events, festivals and fans than ever before. Every aspect of the music continues to grow, from songwriting and playing, to band dynamics, the integration of new instruments and influences, and of course the extended, participatory group improvisations \u2014 aka, the \u201cjams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is a jam anyway? We get that question a lot \u2014 how does it work and how do we know where we\u2019re going? Most of the time we don\u2019t, and that\u2019s the fun part! It\u2019s a journey, and to me it\u2019s much bigger than the band or any conventions of musical form. It\u2019s not just some framework for extended improvisation. It\u2019s a state-of-mind that focuses on the present moment, and the endless possibilities of that moment when you open it up to everyone involved \u2014 players, listeners, creators and fans, all riding the momentum of the music together to somewhere exciting and new where a rejuvenating light shines for all to see. It\u2019s the highpoint of the show, felt as much as heard, and these days it\u2019s a huge part of what bluegrass music has become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pandolfi writes, \u201cBands like\u00a0Yonder Mountain String Band,\u00a0the Infamous Stringdusters,\u00a0 Greensky Bluegrass,\u00a0Punch Brothers, and\u00a0Railroad Earth (right)<\/em><\/strong> are\u00a0now all prominent members of the thriving progressive music world. These groups have origins in bluegrass, but our metric for success has little to do with how authentically \u2018bluegrass\u2019 we are. . . .\u00a0In 2016, progressive bands are hitting that stride and changing people\u2019s idea of what\u2019s possible. Right behind us is a long line of quality young acts, all with their own original acoustic sound, eager to be a part of a growing bluegrass-rooted scene. From this side of the divide, bluegrass has never looked healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have to agree with the infamous stringduster. We love the new acts that are being born out of the genre and rising the ranks, and we\u2019re constantly excited by the innovation that young players are bringing to the table. The competition was fierce and this list is by no means complete, but make sure to keep an eye on these newer names on the bluegrass circuit, as we expect you\u2019ll be hearing a lot more about them in the future. We love these acts for their ability to tap into bluegrass\u2019s roots while simultaneously using music as an expression of themselves and captivating and converting contemporary audiences. We think you\u2019ll love them too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wisconsin\u2019s\u00a0Horseshoes & Hand Grenades (left)<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0formed in 2010, and since then have been grinding away, slowly building a name for themselves with their exceptional songwriting, stellar picking, and near-constant touring schedule. Having shared the stage with\u00a0Merle Haggard, the\u00a0Del McCoury Band,\u00a0Greensky Bluegrass,\u00a0Trampled By Turtles,\u00a0Yonder Mountain String Band, and\u00a0more, it\u2019s clear that other bluegrass musicians are also feeling the group\u2019s high-energy and progressive twist on the basic elements of old-time and bluegrass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group consists of David C. Lynch (harmonica, accordion), Russell Pedersen (banjo, fiddle), Adam Greuel (guitar, dobro), Sam Odin (bass), Collin Mettelka (fiddle, mandolin), who consistently woo fans with the undeniable fun-lovin\u2019 and foot-stompin\u2019 spirit they bring to their frequent live performances. You can check out Horseshoes & Hand Grenades when they hit the American Beauty in New York City this Friday (tickets available here<\/a>) before continuing on their tour that runs from now through the end of August (see, we told you they tour a lot!). Watch one of their live performances below to see what we mean about their high-octane bluegrass stylin\u2019s, and check out their website here<\/a> for more information and additional tour dates!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, they released their latest album, Ghost In The Bottle<\/em>, produced by Andy Thorne of Leftover Salmon and featuring members of Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth, Twiddle, and Little Feat, with a giant two-day 4\/20 blowout across Colorado\u2019s front range. With the success of their album release parties<\/a>, the band is riding high as they look to their summer tour, dates for which can be found here<\/a>. Check out a live performance from the Kitchen Dwellers below, and make sure to keep your eyes peeled for these boys when they hit a town near you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Born in 2009 in Michigan,\u00a0Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys (right)<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0 have taken wing because their intelligent and dynamic blend of Americana, roots, jazz, and bluegrass has allowed them to rise the ranks and gain notoriety within the scene. Even their name speaks to their cross-generational bluegrass appeal, having earned the title after a fellow musician announced\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s good to see you Flatbellys out here pickin\u2019 with us Greybeards\u201d late-night during a bluegrass festival.\u00a0Lindsay Lou\u2019s\u00a0voice is soulful and cuts straight to the heart, while\u00a0Joshua Rilko\u00a0(mandolin),\u00a0PJ George\u00a0(bass), and\u00a0Mark Lavengood\u00a0(guitar) are responsible for weaving\u00a0the gorgeous and delicate instrumentation of the band.Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys seem to be primarily interested in honoring their own musical vision, which is clearly working considering the steadily rising numbers in their fan base. You rarely find them breaking out into frenetic bluegrass pickings like others in the list, but it\u2019s all for the better, as the talented musicians are honing in on a truly unique sound rooted in bluegrass tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can mosey over to their website<\/a> for more information. Also, friends hitting The Aiken Bluegrass Festival<\/a> should make sure to see Lindsay Lou & The Ladies<\/a>, a special set featuring all the ladies of the festival, including Allie Kral (Yonder Mountain String Band), Mimi Naja (Fruition), Jenny Keel (Larry Keel Experience), and Mackenzie Page (Gipsy Moon).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The guitarist\u00a0Billy Strings (left)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is young, but he\u2019s good. He\u2019s stupid good. The Kentucky-born Michigan-transplant is only now rounding into his mid-20\u2019s, and he leaves those who see him play with their jaws on the floor. He\u2019s cut his teeth playing bluegrass since a young age, and it shows with his raw and energized playing while sharing the stage with the likes of\u00a0Don Julin\u00a0and\u00a0Greensky Bluegrass. He can pick with the best of them, though the guitarist imbues his playing and stage presence with a distinctly rock \u2018n\u2019 roll style, a sensibility that enraptures eager audiences and can get a room amped up and energized in record speed.\u00a0You can check out a video of a full performance of his with the\u00a0Billy Strings Band\u00a0below, as well as hit up his website here for upcoming dates for his aggressive touring schedule this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Snagging the last spot and rounding out our not-very-extensive list is\u00a0Kind Country (right) , the Minneapolis-based jamgrass band, Kind Country, forged in 2012. Originally started as a four-piece string band, the band expanded into six-member ensemble featuring\u00a0Mitch Johnson\u00a0(guitar),\u00a0Brandon Johnson\u00a0(guitar),\u00a0Max Graham\u00a0(mandolin),\u00a0Joe Sheehan\u00a0(bass),\u00a0Chris Forsberg\u00a0(violin), and\u00a0Chris Wittrock\u00a0(drums). These guys have some thing special going on, with the addition of drums allowing the group to go deeper in exploring how bluegrass can morph and intersect with other genres and giving them the freedom to create a sound that is truly their own. However, they still stay true to their string-band origins and bluegrass roots, with their energetic playing and the talent among the six players more-or-less guaranteeing a foot-stompin\u2019 good time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The prime sources for this article was a piece written by Ming Lee Necombe, for All Form Music<\/strong> as well as other on-line writngs by Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our occasional re-postings Sidetracks And Detours are confident that we are not only sharing with our readers excellent articles written by experts but are also pointing to informed and informative sites readers will re-visit time and again. Of course, we feel sure our readers will also return to our daily not-for-profit knowing that we seek to provide core original material whilst sometimes spotlighting the best pieces from elsewhere, as we engage with genres and practitioners along all the sidetracks & detours we take.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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e mail logo The purpose of this daily not-for-profit blog is to deliver news, previews, interviews and reviews from all across the arts to die-hard fans and non- traditional audiences around the world. We are therefore always delighted to receive your own articles here at Sidetracks And Detours. So if you have a favourite artist, event, or venue that you would like to tell us more about just drop a Word document attachment to me at <\/strong>normanwarwick55@gmail.com<\/strong><\/a> with a couple of appropriate photographs in a zip folder if you wish. Beiung a not-for-profit organisation we unfortunately cannot pay you but we will always fully attribute any pieces we publish. You therefore might also. like to include a brief autobiography and photograph of yourself<\/strong> in your submission. We look forward to hearing from you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, what is a jam anyway? We get that question a lot \u2014 how does it work and how do we know where we\u2019re going? Most of the time we don\u2019t, and that\u2019s the fun part! It\u2019s a journey, and to me it\u2019s much bigger than the band or any conventions of musical form. It\u2019s not just some framework for extended improvisation. It\u2019s a state-of-mind that focuses on the present moment, and the endless possibilities of that moment when you open it up to everyone involved \u2014 players, listeners, creators and fans, all riding the momentum of the music together to somewhere exciting and new where a rejuvenating light shines for all to see. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9157"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9173,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9157\/revisions\/9173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}