Re: Column: What Happens When Boundaries Bend?
Originally Posted by
Willie Poole
I have talked to quite a few players that play more then one style of music and most of them say that they do it because they can bet booked at more festivals and shows whereas if they just stuck to say bluegrass they would only get bookings on bluegrass festivals so to make a better living playing music they branch out to other kinds...To me when all of these different types of music are played on a festival it changes the perspective of the new fans that really don`t get what "real bluegrass"...I don`t hold it against the musicians for wanting to broaden their skills but for promoters to claim that some of the bands are playing bluegrass just turns me off...The last festival that I went to I stayed for three bands and came home, none of them played anything remotely close to bluegrass and this is a festival that calls itself Bluegrass....From all indications I see bluegrass headed in another direction much like traditional country music did...Play what you like but find a name for it other than "Bluegrass"...
Willie
Exactly what Willie said. It kind of irritates me when music that has no connection to bluegrass (BG) is referred to as such. As a BG musician I'm grateful we have a full-time "BG" station such as Bluegrass Junction on Sirius/XM radio. However, it is fast becoming less and less bluegrass oriented and more and more progressive/esoteric/fusion/rock.....anything but BG. With the exception of their "Derailed" program "progressive BG" has pretty much taken over arguably 1/3 to almost 1/2 of the regular daily programming the last couple years. It was to allow for some progressive BG programming that the show "Derailed" came about. But, especially in the last year or so, more and more "progressive BG" has found it's way into regular daily programming. It's just about to the point where programming is not just a little progressive but a lot progressive, to the point of not being BG music. Some of the songs/performances have only one (or no) acoustic BG instrument. And that's not even speaking to the music itself.
Now, let me just stop here and say I like much of the progressive offerings (I really like The Kruger Brothers). I really do. But, please, don't call it BG music. Because it's not. Maybe it's time to start another Sirius/XM station. Call it the "Progressive Acoustic/Electric/Fusion American Music" show.
There are some instances where a group might just gently nudge the boundaries of BG music (perhaps Balsam Range). But I'm not talking about them. There was one song the other day on "Bluegrass Junction" where I couldn't hear a single acoustic instrument. It was a straight ahead rock and roll song complete with heavy back beat drums, distorted electric guitar and, I might be wrong but I think I heard a synth. It really had no business on "Bluegrass Junction". Wasn't even a BG song.
When you tune into a station called "Bluegrass Junction" there is a reasonable expectation that it will be a BG music station and the programming will be reasonably within the boundaries of BG music. Now if you tell me to define BG music or it's boundaries my response will be..."I can't, but I know it when I hear it." Anyway, although I might not have stated it very eloquently or effectively, I think you get the general direction I'm coming from.
Just in case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a huge fan of the more traditional and neo-traditional BG styles. I think most would include Flatt And Scruggs, Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, and even the older recordings of J.D. Crowe and the New South, and The Bluegrass Album Band, as some of the more traditional groups. Examples of neo-traditional BG bands for me would include Joe Mullins, Junior Sisk, Lou Reid, Kenny And Amanda Smith, Darin And Brooke Aldridge, Blue Highway, The (ex) Boxcars, Tony Rice, Rhonda Vincent, and Larry Sparks just to mention a few. there are many more.
I see traditional and neo-traditional styles being on a sliding continuum. Some groups will overlap from traditional to neo-traditional. And farther along the continuum you get into more progressive sounds. There is absolutely nothing wrong with groups/artists that cross the boundaries. But the more the boundaries are crossed the farther from BG music you get and the more the BG music identity becomes obscured. You can cross those boundaries so far that you completely change genres.
One group that has made almost an entire living of crossing boundaries and straddling the fence between neo-traditional and progressive BG music is The Grascals. They are quite adept at playing traditional and neo-traditional BG and pushing progressive boundaries with their forays into rock and traditional country music. Rhonda Vincent also strays deeply into traditional country. The tremendously talented Infamous String Dusters have really pushed the boundaries of progressive BG. But they are quite capable of playing traditional BG extremely well. For me, the sliding continuum works pretty well when it comes to identifying and classifying BG music. It may not work so well for others. Especially for those more interested in progressive stylings. Just remember, there is a point where if you go too far experimenting and you get too progressive you will no longer be playing BG music. And that's OK. Just don't call it BG.
OK, now I'm rambling (I think there's a song there somewhere). I quit. My 2 cents.
Gibson F-5G (Harvey signed, Oct. 14, 2014)
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