Oh Brother . . .

[jaycat]

So, I finally got around to watching O Brother Where Art Thou the other day (had the day off from work due to weather conditions).

Won't comment on what I thought of the film, but here is my question: how much of the current resurgence of bluegrass/old time music among the 20- and 30-something generations do you think can be directly attributed to that film?

Just curious . . . jc.

[Caleb]

That film's been out for a good while now, 13 or 14 years or so. I think it had a lot to do with bringing acoustic music back, and for a lot of people was probably their first exposure to it that wasn't "country." I watched the film about the same time I was discovering Nickel Creek and Alison K, but it all appealed to me right away.

[Laird]

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[Charles E.]

Produced in 2000. Wow time flies.
That film did a great deal for Ralph Stanley an others as far as exposure. There was a documentary, "Down From The Mountain",
that featured John Hartford, Emmylou Harris and Allison Krause (Mike Compton?) that led to a tour. So I think it boosted awareness for Old Time and Bluegrass a fair amount.

I enjoyed the movie too.

[Bluejay]

And let's not forget what the movie did for George Clooney!

[FLATROCK HILL]

Don't know about the musical influence, but I've been on a 14 year quest to find a drug store that still carries Dapper Dan Pomade.

[belbein]

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[Laird]

I'm not sure we disagree, but I'll admit to drawing the caricature of my NPR friends a bit too broadly. I'm also an NPR listener--my primary source of news since the early 80s, I guess, when I gave up TV. I was trying to characterize the wave of folks who embraced the "O Brother" phenomenon in shorthand that was apparently too short and not handy enough.

That said, I do think that there was previously a stigma attached to bluegrass instrumentation among many of my over-educated friends, and I say that as an over-educated academic who's been living and teaching (and playing music) in college towns for the last twenty-five years. I don't mean to overlook the influence and great music of the earlier folk revival, but I do think the intellectual subtext and allusions of "O Brother" opened the door to a new audience. It might be generational--folks who missed out on the sixties folk revival.

[OldSausage]

24.83%

[foldedpath]

Nah, these things come in waves. One of the hot recent "acoustic" bands is Mumford & Sons, which formed in 2007 according to Wiki. That's a bit late to be a direct offshoot of Oh Brother.

Pop music swings back and forth this way. Meanwhile, the hardcore preservationists in acoustic music -- acoustic Blues, acoustic Jazz, Bluegrass, OldTime, Irish/Scottish/Cape Breton trad, acoustic "Folk" music and so on -- all just keep rolling along and doing their thing, regardless of what's happening in the Pop music scene. That keeps the deep well alive, for the next Pop music cycle that wants to tap into it.

[mandolirius]

For oldtime music, and for Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, the film did quite a bit. For bluegrass, not so much. Ralph Stanley might have benefitted more but he was already nearing the end of his career, so it didn't matter much.

I'm not sure it has an mpact any longer but it definitely made a mark.

[sgarrity]

Name me another acoustic country old timey bluegrass recording that sold ver a million copies? I'd say it's influence is undeniable.

[OldSausage]

I rarely get through a full bluegrass show without someone sidling up and asking if we can do "that George Clooney song". But that's not usually people under 30. In fact, I'd nearly forgotten there were any.

[M.Marmot]

At that time, when the movie came out, a lot of people bought the soundtrack - it started to turn up in the music collections of many people i knew, collections that could otherwise have been noted for their singular lack of anything country or oldtime or bluegrass.

In that one sense it provided an introduction to a sonic world that had been (and some may say continues to be) sidelined as hokey.

To further confirm the impact of that song collection in particular i can note that the majority of the songs have become sing-along favourites in jams and sessions. In fact, i have noticed that they are often granted an acceptance that other non-o brother material is not.

That this impact continues is evidenced in the song's currency in peoples repertoires - last i heard they were still holding well in some Irish circles...

A lot of that is down to familiarity - through the movie, and all the programmes and commercials that followed in its slipstream - people found a context for the music and this familiarity allowed the songs to settle in.

Still, it's like that with a lot of music - it needs people to be distracted from their prejudice so that it can be appreciated by them. Movies, television, commercials have brought many songs and musics into spotlight - often to the horror of those who were there 'before it was popular'.

I was just looking through the song list and was surprised to see that 'Hard Times Killing Room Floor' is on the list - and i'm wondering if The O Brother soundtrack helped to highlight the work of Skip James or not?

Frankly, it took me a bit just to remember when that song is used in the movie - also, does anyone know when did Scorcese's 'The Blues' series come out? As i'm wondering if it is contemporary with O Brother...

[M.Marmot]

Nah, these things come in waves.

Like Coen Brothers threads...

[Ivan Kelsall]

I think that 'O'Brother' had far less of an impact on Bluegrass music than 'Bonnie & Clyde' & 'Deliverance' did in their day. It might have done a bit for Old Timey music in that it placed it in front of a viewing audience that might otherwise not have heard any of that style of music. As for George Clooney,for those of us 'in the know',he became famous for miming to Dan Tyminski's voice. However it did bring a terrific song to the fore, 'Man of Constant Sorrow',one of my personal all time favourites. Over all,whenever an unfamiliar style of music is used in films,it's bound to attract some folk who've never heard it before & spur them on to buy recordings of that music style.The exact thing happened to me 51 years ago,when i heard Bluegrass music for the first time. It happened to me again when i began to take an interest in both Classical music & Opera,thence to Baroque period music & indeed some Medieval period music. I suspect that being musicians,whatever genre of music that we play,''we heard it first somewhere'' & became infected. So,for ''O'Brother'' & such films that place relatively unknown music in front of an audience - let's have more of them !,
Ivan

[AlanN]

Well, it brought that tune into the Dueling Banjos and OBS fold of hardly wanting to hear/play/sing it. And it certainly brought Ralph (back) into the limelight, a great thing.

He would intro it on-stage as "Here's a tune from the movie O' Brother, Where You At"

[Astro]

Its been stated more than once in this thread that this movie made Clooney famous. Just wanting to point out George Clooney was pretty famous way before Oh Brother. He did more for this music by lip syncing than the music did for him. But certainly it was a boost for his career. Great movie. Great music. Sure it helped the genre.

[Timbofood]

George Clooney has history far preceding "Oh, Brother" but, I think it gave him a little more note in more comedic roles.
As to the broadening of the music genre...sure it has. Every few decades, something comes up and stirs the pot, we are about due for another one. I wonder what tune will be shot to stardom that we have been playing for the last twenty five years (or longer)?

[jaycat]

. . . Every few decades, something comes up and stirs the pot . . .

Sure enough, for me and probably many others here, it was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" with all those great guest stars.

As an aside, I have been a bit bemused lately by the resurgent popularity of John Prine's "Paradise." It seems I can't go anywhere without hearing that played, often bluegrass-style. Even heard it at a recent wedding reception -- that struck me as a bit out of place. It's not such a celebratory, joyous song. . . .

[Astro]

Sure enough, for me and probably many others here, it was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" with all those great guest stars.

As an aside, I have been a bit bemused lately by the resurgent popularity of John Prine's "Paradise." It seems I can't go anywhere without hearing that played, often bluegrass-style. Even heard it at a recent wedding reception -- that struck me as a bit out of place. It's not such a celebratory, joyous song. . . .

Yep that one has circled through our local repertoire down here in Charleston too. Great song to hear every now and then but its slow and dark and weird to hear it over and again as you wind through the pub crawls. Funny how songs circle through with one local group doing a nice cover and then the other local musicians picking it up and covering the cover's covers's cover...and off to the next town, state, region.

[AlanN]

Funny, Paradise had its bg heyday when the Seldom Scene recorded it in the 70's. Since then, rarely hear it, at least around here.

[Laird]

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My apologies! No violation intended.

[JeffD]

Sure enough, for me and probably many others here, it was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" with all those great guest stars.

The impact of that album was the feeling you got that you could be part of something just by being a fan. Part of something big, honored, long lasting. I think people yearn for such "belonging".

"Oh Brother" made a bump too. But I am not sure you can attribute a "resurgence among the 20- and 30-something generation", but it did expose a lot of folks to good music.

I liken it to "The Sting" which made a momentary bump in the popularity of ragtime music, but not long lasting.

It did not, for example, have the same effect as "A River Runs Through It" had on fly fishing. OMG that movie choked the streams with newbies for years.

By comparison, another movie, that I really loved, also with great music, but it didn't make any bump was "Matewan". Maybe because it didn't have the huge stars. But Hazel Dickens singing broke my heart in that movie, as it has many times since.

Remember "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"? The popularity of that song, "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" - when it was a mediocre ok enough song, had nothing to do with the movie whatsoever, just stuck in there, but it became huge. The star factor again, I think.

So its George Clooney, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Brad Pitt. That's what you need to have your music heard.

As an aside, I have been a bit bemused lately by the resurgent popularity of John Prine's "Paradise." It seems I can't go anywhere without hearing that played, often bluegrass-style. Even heard it at a recent wedding reception -- that struck me as a bit out of place. It's not such a celebratory, joyous song. . . .

I have noticed that too. The song, setting aside the politics, the subject, and just looking at it as a song, is really well crafted and wonderful. A lot to love. And its relatively benign. You can sing it without getting a lot of noses out of joint.

[OldSausage]

I liken it to "The Sting" which made a momentary bump in the popularity of ragtime music, but not long lasting.

That's not true. To this day "The Sting" is the only reason I have heard of Scott Joplin, and the reason every piano shop and music school has been full of someone playing "The Entertainer" for the last forty years.

So its HOLLYWOOD. That's what you need to have your music heard.

Fixed that for you.