This weekend the Down Home Up Here, a bluegrass festival at Club Passim is returning for its 4th year April 16 and 17, 2016. This annual Patriot’s Day Weekend festival will feature OctoPladd, Matt Glaser, The Lowest Pair, Bluegrass: The Band, Mama’s Marmalade, Gin Daisy, Laura Orshaw, Tony Watt, The Black Berry Bushes, Andy Cambria, and Twisted Pine. Be sure to check out all of the bands and get on over to Passim at some point to take in some hot bluegrass and cool tunes. Seriously, these folks can pick!
I caught up with a whole bunch of the artists playing to talk about the genre and how it has adapted over time while maintaining its strong roots and how they have seen it thrive in the community. Check out all the bands pages linked about and check out a flourishing community of incredible talent keeping bluegrass music alive!
1) Bluegrass music has deep, deep roots and traditions, but has seen a resurgence with a young talent base and broader crowd (banjos even make their way into pop music). Why do you think that is? Has it always been this way, but just to a more insulated audience that attends small festivals?
Gin Daisy – Mark Stoughton (mandolin): I do wonder about the cause and effect order of bands like Punch Brothers and Mumford and Sons. Are they the result of this resurgence, or the cause of it? Punch Brothers (or some flavor of them, remember the Tensions Mountain Boys?) have been around for more than 10 years. Berklee added a roots music program in 2009, which reinforced the importance of bluegrass/roots/folk, and certainly has drawn a lot of talent. Then again, that was a response to an influx of interest in American roots music. I can’t say where or how it all began, but I think we’re just now seeing the downstream momentum from actions from the past decade. I’d be willing to bet that it is the strong community aspect of the genre coupled with how easy it is to share information that is at the core.
Gin Daisy – Jasmine Moran (guitar): I started jamming out on old-time stuff (Woody Guthrie, New Lost City Ramblers etc) with friends in college.
O Brother Where Art Thou came out in 2000 – I think there was some renewed interest before that point but definitely a big uptick after that. Old time and bluegrass jams were pretty big in NYC in the early 2000s. (And Brooklyn seems to be somewhat of a trendsetter).
Laura Orshaw (Fiddle): I grew up in a musical family–my Grandparents and Dad play old time music and bluegrass music. It was ever-present around the house and at all sorts of gatherings of family and friends, so I guess I was destined to either hate it, or love it. Thankfully, it was the latter. There were not many young people playing roots music where I grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania, but there are several areas across the US where young people are a big part of the music community. Boston is one of them, and that is what made me want to move here about 4.5 years ago. Acoustic instruments like the banjo and mandolin are showing up in pop music more and more these days and I think it’s had a very positive impact on the roots music scene. If a handful of those folks are drawn in by the sound of a banjo, they might find their way to Norman Blake, Jimmy Martin, or the Punch Brothers, which makes for a healthier and more diverse music scene for all of us.
Andy Cambria (Guitar): Well, first off, I don’t want to come across as too much of an authority on bluegrass and its traditions. Even though I’m immersed in it, I came to it later in life (as opposed to someone like Laura who’s been going to jams and festivals since she was a toddler). When I started playing guitar, I wanted to be like Eric Johnson or Stevie Ray Vaughan. And even though those guys are technically amazing, it was their tone that grabbed me. When I discovered Tony Rice, I found the link between bluegrass and that purely-guitar-driven obsessiveness. And with Tony Rice, it was his tone as well. I just couldn’t believe how good the acoustic guitar sounded when he played it. And I think the pure tone of the instruments in a bluegrass ensemble is responsible for a large part of its ‘resurgence.’ Lots of kids grow up with a sort of comic-book concept in their heads of what a banjo should sound like; but if you take the time to listen to someone play it dynamically you realize what a gorgeous tone it has. It’s the same with the mandolin, the fiddle and the acoustic guitar. There are lots of great players (and great sound recordists and engineers) today who are maniacs for tone, and I think the pure acoustic sound of these instruments together has a great, emotive power that draws people to the music. It’s also a lot of fun for growing musicians, because although the familiar songs everyone in bluegrass knows may not be harmonically complex, playing them requires a lot of technical skill ~ it gives you material that you can use to develop your playing AND get together with other people.
The Lowest Pair – Kendl: I reckon people are drawn to the banjo and roots music because of the authenticity of it’s sound and tradition. We’re kind of inundated by digitally created music and a lot of what is popular these days is made by computers. I love that too, but I think everyone is craving the organic tapestry and natural acoustic tones that roots music offers. Bluegrass and the instruments involved in traditional or old time music is also really fun and kind of difficult to be good at, so if approached like a riddle, it’s a bit addicting.
Bluegrass: The Band – Frank Drake (mandolin): I think there are two main reasons. One is how music is now made available to young folks. Back in the day one would hear about some album and either buy it or find a friend who had it. Then you and some pals would hang out and listen to one or two records repeatedly. I would suggest that the effort involved to find and access a recording made one stay with a style one was familiar with. Also, radio stations tended to stick to one slice of the musical pie. You’d listen to one or two of your favorite stations and you’d hear mostly that one genre. Note that very early radio was not so much like this. At least some early DJs would play whatever they liked. But the industry tends to work toward marketable categories and that certainly happened with radio.
With the advent of digital technologies one can now access nearly anything. “Every record ever recorded” (well, not quite) can be had virtually free or with some small subscription. I think this broke down the barriers. If I compare what I was exposed to in my youth to what (for instance) my sons were exposed to there is no comparison. They had access and exposure to orders of magnitude more music of a nearly endless variety of genres. This leads to a loosening of genre boundaries. And those who get involved in making music tend to be much more willing to mix and match from whatever corner of the musical spectrum.
The other reason might be termed the “Oh, Brother Where Art Thou” effect. Perhaps one should call it the “Old & In The Way” effect. Periodically something comes along that shines a light on the artistry of a certain genre for an audience that had only minimal exposure to it. The popularity builds on itself. We’re social creatures and knowing that folks around you are digging something make it more likely to be accepted as “cool” even if it had previously been seen as “square”.
OctoPladd – Julian Pinelli (violin): The evolution of bluegrass music is quite interesting. Aside from the rich tradition, it seems as though many young people today use bluegrass as a template through which far ranging influences and genres are be played. In OctoPladd, we play many different styles all within the loose realm of bluegrass and its instrumentation.
Mamma’s Marmalade: We think that the resurgence of popularity in this type of music is hard to pin on just one cause. We believe that our generation’s desire to break away from the rigid structure of note for note tradition is reflected in the sounds of modern bluegrass bands, and this sound resonates with a younger crowd that is consistently questioning the status quo. Bluegrass has come to draw influences from jazz and rock, even stretching itself into the jam band scene, all while maintaining its hallmark sound. This intersecting of genres exposes new audiences to bluegrass music, and this increased exposure certainly affects the following of this musical style.
2) Passim is at the heart of a community and the same goes for bluegrass music. There is an inherent “family” or community quality to the music and a lot of that stems from the jamming that seems to be ever present in the genre. Have you found that to be the case in the genre around New England and in Boston? What does that community mean to you?
Gin Daisy – Mark Stoughton (mandolin): Absolutely! The community aspect is the reason for Gin Daisy’s existence! We all met at a group bluegrass jam, and realized we all had the same love for the music.
There’s this really cool notion that you can wander into a bluegrass jam in any town and mesh instantly with the musicians, playing songs from an unofficial canon of tunes. Even in Sweden! I wandered into a bar in Stockholm and jammed with a bunch of Swedes who could play bluegrass as well as anyone over here. It was surreal.
Gin Daisy – Jasmine Moran (guitar): There’s both an angst and humor inherent in this music that is so human, it makes you feel a bond with human history and the common experience. It keeps us tied to a time before the internet, a time of oral traditions where you learned songs and stories from real humans spending time together and sharing energy in a way that doesn’t happen in everyone’s highly individualized and compartmentalized electronic lives.
Laura Orshaw (Fiddle): Bluegrass is a social music. The amazing thing to me is that it allows people from very different backgrounds–who might not otherwise have the chance to interact–to share in something that provides a ton of enjoyment and makes for lifelong friendships. It’s a very accessible music. You can participate as a listener and fan… you can jam with other musicians, even as a very beginning level musician… you can make it your full-time hobby… or even your full-time job, as a musician, a music educator, or a music industry person. It being a smaller, less well-known genre actually makes the community even more tight-knit and caring towards others involved in the music.
Andy Cambria (Guitar) There is a very tight-knit bluegrass community in Boston (and all throughout New England). Again, I felt like a bit of an outsider when I moved to Boston, since I didn’t know many people in the scene; and I found it incredibly welcoming. It’s one of the biggest reasons I perform at all. I got a lot of encouragement from people like Matt Smith, Geoff Bartley and Eric Levenson, who have been around the scene forever; and I thought, ‘If these guys don’t think I sound like a complete joke playing and singing this music, maybe there’s something worth pursuing here!’ I also moved to town (more or less) around the same time as a lot of great players, and the support I got from a lot of them helped me think I could become a respectable bluegrass musician in time. Of course, there’s Tony Watt, the great guitarist and curator of picking parties, who’s about the most supportive musician you’ll ever come across, but I also remember becoming friends with Kimber Ludiker (who now plays fiddle in Della Mae) and Wes Corbett (formerly of Joy Kills Sorrow) and the great times I had playing tunes with them right after moving to town. They are both dear friends, and some of the best musicians I know; to get encouragement from players like them when you’re sort of easing into the scene is very inspiring and I won’t forget it
The Lowest Pair – Kendl: Well, we’re not from this area. I(kendl) live in Olympia, Wa, and Palmer is from Minneapolis. But in both places that we’re from our community is a huge part of how and why we learned the styles of banjos and songs that we play. Every region’s scene has a kind of flavor that I think gets associated with its sound. When I think of the Boston area string scene I definitely associate clean and classical and melodic to my thoughts surrounding it. The community seems to draw a lot of smart players from the great music schools that are in the area.
Bluegrass: The Band – Frank Drake (mandolin): Much of the music in the Passim community, as with the Bluegrass community (and of course they overlap) might be loosely defined as “folk”. I use this term in it’s broadest sense, not so much as a genre category, but in the sense that it involves a shared vocabulary. I suppose that creates a “family” sense, perhaps even something tribal. It also feeds into another shift in how music is made. Bands have become a bit ephemeral. One might work with a number of bands and sub in with a number more. Being able to plug and play with a large number of musical cohorts is stimulating and, well, fun! Speaking personally, I pretty get my sense of belonging and social bonded via my life as a musician and the depth and breath of who I get to work with and rub elbows with makes for a very rich and robustly artistic life.
OctoPladd – Julian Pinelli (violin): The bluegrass and acoustic music scene in Boston is definitely a strong community. Most everyone knows each other and often gather at places (such as Passim) for performances and jams.
Mamma’s Marmalade: We have found the community around New England to be very welcoming and supportive. We’ve always found ourselves surrounded by musicians who want to help us learn in order to keep the tradition alive. Bluegrass music seems to carry with it a sense of community that is inherently inclusive. You can find yourself jamming with a complete stranger, but the sharing of this music can create a very strong bond in little time. The jams also present a great opportunity to pick up new tunes and play, no matter what your skill level is. The level of inclusion and respect amongst musicians in this community is extremely encouraging, and it is absolutely wonderful to be a part of it.
3) Why do you think it is important to keep the traditions of bluegrass and folk music alive?
Gin Daisy – Mark Stoughton (mandolin): So many opportunities in life come from just interacting with people around us. And to us, bluegrass is the vehicle for being able to connect with people. That, and I’m too lazy to start worrying about amps and effects (though I am really into a lot of electronic music these days)
Andy Cambria (Guitar) Bluegrass provides a really fertile ground for young musicians, which is the main reason I think it’s important to publicize it. There’s a lot of really gratifying material that even beginner-level players can learn, whether they just want to pick, or whether they want to sing as well. And it’s interesting, poetic stuff. On a more grandiose front (hopefully without sounding too sappy) … the lyrical and melodic content of great traditional bluegrass is some of the best music ever created in our country, and its emotional power has a way of uniting people. I think that’s worth celebrating.
The Lowest Pair – Kendl: That’s just the nature of song, it is oral tradition. What we’re doing as the Lowest Pair is just kind of taking the old time tunes and sounds and being inspired by them and kind of putting our own spin on them as we try to recreate them with our quirky ways. It’s important because it’s a beautiful sound and makes you feel good to listen to. It’s a special thing to relate to different generations and regions because you know the same songs, or some similar versions of them…
Bluegrass: The Band – Frank Drake (mandolin): I’m not sure one has to worry about it too much. I don’t consciously seek to keep any particular tradition alive. Both bluegrass and folk are in no danger of dwindling much less fading away. There are some who have a deep allegiance to one or the other. I’m glad of this. It’s great to have a die hard contingent of folks who actively want to preserve and curate. I and may other benefit form that focus. For myself both of these genres are but two of many sources of inspiration and ideas. I have deep love for both and have spent no small amount of time exploring the earliest evolution of the forms. But I feel free to combine and create new variations. I’m sure this is true the rest of Bluegrass: The Band. Indeed, we represent to combination of two great loves: Bluegrass and the music of The Band.
OctoPladd – Julian Pinelli (violin): Aside from the troves of songs and tunes, I think bluegrass has a culture and community that is very appealing in this day and age. Performing is one thing, but hanging out with friends and picking is the tradition (central to bluegrass) that I think is most important and will ultimately keep the ball rolling.
Mamma’s Marmalade: To us it is important to keep the traditions of bluegrass and folk alive because we have such a love for this type of music. Folk music has been an integral part of many social and political movements in history, and it continues to stay at the heart of American culture. Bluegrass holds a similar place in Americana, and we hope to keep it alive and growing. These styles have helped America build culture and come together, and our country’s history is written into these traditions. The communal feel of both bluegrass and folk create an encouraging participatory tradition that is just like no other, and we feel a desire to give back by keeping that culture running for many years to come.
4) And anything else you want to plug for you band or project…
Gin Daisy – Mark Stoughton (mandolin): We’ll be providing the accompanying music for an improv comedy show “O Improv Where Art Thou” at ImprovBoston at 8pm on May 4th and May 18th. It’s an improv show inspired by old-timey music (and specifically O Brother Where Art Thou):
https://www.facebook.com/events/218865781814205/
https://www.facebook.com/events/483245855204338/
Andy Cambria (Guitar) Laura and I are planning on recording an EP later this year, so please get in touch with us if you’d like to know more about the project! You can find us both on Facebook, or at andycambria.com and lauraorshaw.com.
The Lowest Pair – Kendl: The Lowest Pair features the duo banjo picking of Kendl Winter and Palmer T. Lee, draped in Kendl’s high lonesome harmonies and Palmer’s Midwestern croon. They’re currently on tour releasing two new albums of original music on Team Love Records.
Bluegrass: The Band – Frank Drake (mandolin): We all have other projects going in addition. Ethan Robbins has a great band called Cold Chocolate. Frank Drake (yours truly) has Hashtag Hoedown, and Patrick M’Gonigle and Charles Clements both play in the excellent band The Lonely Hearts String Band (who got starting playing the music of the Beatles in bluegrass style, though they now mostly play their own material).
Mamma’s Marmalade: Keep an eye out for a new album this summer, we’re scheduled to start recording in June!