Treblemaker
Jun-12-2008, 10:54am
Mandolin Cafe Sponsor’s CBA All Bill Monroe Performance with John Reishman and Butch Waller
Ted Silverman © 2008, All Rights Reserved
John Reischman and Butch Waller put on a terrific; all Bill Monroe set last evening, Wednesday, June 11th at Vern’s, a wonderful sounding side stage at the CBA Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, California. This show was sponsored by Mandolin Café and was a terrific pre-festival appetizer that featured hot picking, fine ensemble vocals and good humor.
The band showcased the hot twin mandolin talents of the aforementioned John and Butch with support from one of the funniest fiddler’s around, Paul Shelasky, with Jim Nunally on guitar, Nick Hornbuckle on banjo and Trisha Gagnon on bass. This was a slightly altered version of the Jaybirds and they produced an entertaining 70 minutes from the Monroe catalog along with a few requisite humorous anecdotes from the annals of Monroe lore.
The Set list:
Big Mon, The Dead March, Pike Country Breakdown, The Watson Blues, On the Old Kentucky Shore, Get Up John, Highway of Sorrow, Bluegrass Stomp, You'll Find Her Name Written There, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, Roanoke, E: Bluegrass Breakdown
The performance kicked off with a gracious introduction from John, who thanked Mandolin Café for sponsoring the set. John and Butch then tore into a hot twin mandolin rendition of “Big Mon,” with Paul Shelasky taking a fine turn on fiddle. A more obscure selection, “The Dead March,” was introduced by John with a reference to the fact that Monroe had actually picked up this instrumental from his legendary Uncle Pen. Following this Reischman left the stage leaving Butch Waller to lead the band through a three gems including a hot “Pike Country Breakdown,” a more subdued but sublime rendition of “The Watson Blues, and the classic, “On the Old Kentucky Shore.”
Following these well received selections John Reischman returned to the stage and explained that the next number, “Get Up John, “ was derived from an earlier tune called “Sleepy Eyed John” and utilized a special open tuning. The band was put through its paces and displayed an ability to follow it’s leader very closely.
Among the humorous Monroe anecdotes, Butch Waller recounted an experience from the 1970’s in which his band, High Country opened for Bill Monroe at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Butch happened to be back stage when “Banana” (aka Lowell Levinger) of the Youngbloods, who happened to be recording the show, came by to ask Bill to sign a Reel to Reel can with some duct tape on it. Being gracious, Bill asked him his name and received the simple reply: “Banana.” Bill asked him if he had a last name and received the reply: “just Banana.” So Bill signed the can with “Best Wishes, - Bill Monroe.” Butch then kicked off the classic, “Highway of Sorrow,” with band ably abetting his effort. (Butch)
A fine “Bluegrass Stomp,” followed with Butch giving it a full melodic workout. Even Trisha Gagnon got a break on this classic blues. Kudos are deserved for Paul Knight who did a terrific job with the sound at Vern’s.
The next selection was given over to the fine guitarist, Jim Nunally who delivered a duet with Trisha on Monroe’s, “You’ll Find Her Name Written There,” with Reishman taking a plaintive break on mandolin.
John introduced the next selection, “Lonesome Moonlight Waltz,” by recalling that Butch Waller was one of the first guys he’d ever heard play traditional bluegrass mandolin as a kid growing up in Ukiah, CA. At that time he owned a High Country Record produced by Banana. The cover depicted the band wearing vintage western shirts and holding vintage, pre-war instruments which intrigued this mandolin master in his youth. Before kicking off this mandolin duet Butch offered that it was a dedication, “ for all my mandolin students who worked so hard to learn it.
A few more chuckle-worthy anecdotes followed including one from Paul Shelasky who explained that while on tour in New York, Bill Monroe was given a bag full of bagels. It seems Bill had never encountered a bagel before and as hunger overtook him he finally decided to try one. He immediately spit it out stating, “that’s the awfullest donut I ever did eat! Tastes of an onion and not a bit sweet.”
Reischman than recounted another tail quoting Tony Trischka in reference to Bill Monore. He stated at an IBMA event that, “bluegrass has to hold on to its tradition, but also has to be open to innovation.” It seems Bill Monroe was open to innovation and even penned a tune written for mandolin and trombone called “Trombolin .” Yet Bill Monroe had to draw the line somewhere. When asked to record, back in the day, with the Nashville Brass, Bill was quoted (in a perfect, deadpan imitation) as saying, “you can take those country bugles back to the football field"
Following the ensuing chuckles John then re-introduced the band and kicked into a blazing twin mando version of “Roanoke.”
Vern’s emcee, local mando whiz, David Zimmerman (of San Francisco’s own “Homespun Rowdy,”) managed to bring the band back out for an encore of “Bluegrass Breakdown,” which seemed to satisfy the audience with its trilling crescendos.
This proved to be a terrific way to kick off the 33rd annual CBA Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival and provided the assemblage with a nutritious auditory helping of classic bluegrass before the masses assembled for the big show to follow.
Big thanks are go out to John and Butch, the Mandolin Café, the CBA, Vern’s Stage and Sound Staff and the supporting cast who put on this tasty pre-festival treat.
Pics to follow at some point - but I write from a Starbucks in Grass Valley....
Ted Silverman © 2008, All Rights Reserved
John Reischman and Butch Waller put on a terrific; all Bill Monroe set last evening, Wednesday, June 11th at Vern’s, a wonderful sounding side stage at the CBA Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, California. This show was sponsored by Mandolin Café and was a terrific pre-festival appetizer that featured hot picking, fine ensemble vocals and good humor.
The band showcased the hot twin mandolin talents of the aforementioned John and Butch with support from one of the funniest fiddler’s around, Paul Shelasky, with Jim Nunally on guitar, Nick Hornbuckle on banjo and Trisha Gagnon on bass. This was a slightly altered version of the Jaybirds and they produced an entertaining 70 minutes from the Monroe catalog along with a few requisite humorous anecdotes from the annals of Monroe lore.
The Set list:
Big Mon, The Dead March, Pike Country Breakdown, The Watson Blues, On the Old Kentucky Shore, Get Up John, Highway of Sorrow, Bluegrass Stomp, You'll Find Her Name Written There, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, Roanoke, E: Bluegrass Breakdown
The performance kicked off with a gracious introduction from John, who thanked Mandolin Café for sponsoring the set. John and Butch then tore into a hot twin mandolin rendition of “Big Mon,” with Paul Shelasky taking a fine turn on fiddle. A more obscure selection, “The Dead March,” was introduced by John with a reference to the fact that Monroe had actually picked up this instrumental from his legendary Uncle Pen. Following this Reischman left the stage leaving Butch Waller to lead the band through a three gems including a hot “Pike Country Breakdown,” a more subdued but sublime rendition of “The Watson Blues, and the classic, “On the Old Kentucky Shore.”
Following these well received selections John Reischman returned to the stage and explained that the next number, “Get Up John, “ was derived from an earlier tune called “Sleepy Eyed John” and utilized a special open tuning. The band was put through its paces and displayed an ability to follow it’s leader very closely.
Among the humorous Monroe anecdotes, Butch Waller recounted an experience from the 1970’s in which his band, High Country opened for Bill Monroe at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Butch happened to be back stage when “Banana” (aka Lowell Levinger) of the Youngbloods, who happened to be recording the show, came by to ask Bill to sign a Reel to Reel can with some duct tape on it. Being gracious, Bill asked him his name and received the simple reply: “Banana.” Bill asked him if he had a last name and received the reply: “just Banana.” So Bill signed the can with “Best Wishes, - Bill Monroe.” Butch then kicked off the classic, “Highway of Sorrow,” with band ably abetting his effort. (Butch)
A fine “Bluegrass Stomp,” followed with Butch giving it a full melodic workout. Even Trisha Gagnon got a break on this classic blues. Kudos are deserved for Paul Knight who did a terrific job with the sound at Vern’s.
The next selection was given over to the fine guitarist, Jim Nunally who delivered a duet with Trisha on Monroe’s, “You’ll Find Her Name Written There,” with Reishman taking a plaintive break on mandolin.
John introduced the next selection, “Lonesome Moonlight Waltz,” by recalling that Butch Waller was one of the first guys he’d ever heard play traditional bluegrass mandolin as a kid growing up in Ukiah, CA. At that time he owned a High Country Record produced by Banana. The cover depicted the band wearing vintage western shirts and holding vintage, pre-war instruments which intrigued this mandolin master in his youth. Before kicking off this mandolin duet Butch offered that it was a dedication, “ for all my mandolin students who worked so hard to learn it.
A few more chuckle-worthy anecdotes followed including one from Paul Shelasky who explained that while on tour in New York, Bill Monroe was given a bag full of bagels. It seems Bill had never encountered a bagel before and as hunger overtook him he finally decided to try one. He immediately spit it out stating, “that’s the awfullest donut I ever did eat! Tastes of an onion and not a bit sweet.”
Reischman than recounted another tail quoting Tony Trischka in reference to Bill Monore. He stated at an IBMA event that, “bluegrass has to hold on to its tradition, but also has to be open to innovation.” It seems Bill Monroe was open to innovation and even penned a tune written for mandolin and trombone called “Trombolin .” Yet Bill Monroe had to draw the line somewhere. When asked to record, back in the day, with the Nashville Brass, Bill was quoted (in a perfect, deadpan imitation) as saying, “you can take those country bugles back to the football field"
Following the ensuing chuckles John then re-introduced the band and kicked into a blazing twin mando version of “Roanoke.”
Vern’s emcee, local mando whiz, David Zimmerman (of San Francisco’s own “Homespun Rowdy,”) managed to bring the band back out for an encore of “Bluegrass Breakdown,” which seemed to satisfy the audience with its trilling crescendos.
This proved to be a terrific way to kick off the 33rd annual CBA Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival and provided the assemblage with a nutritious auditory helping of classic bluegrass before the masses assembled for the big show to follow.
Big thanks are go out to John and Butch, the Mandolin Café, the CBA, Vern’s Stage and Sound Staff and the supporting cast who put on this tasty pre-festival treat.
Pics to follow at some point - but I write from a Starbucks in Grass Valley....