Cadillac sky fired at mountain view, ark

[mandosage]

Wow..... I'll bet John Hartford is reliving those years w/ Vassar Sam and Norman right now- I know I am.

" The more things change, the more......"

I love everything about traditional bluegrass, but I have always loved hearing artists move it forward into uncharted territory as well.

Never heard Cadillac Sky, but I probably will now.

[Klaus Wutscher]

"smaller, local bands" - that would be me.

I probably did not get my point across properly, nor did I read the whole blog. What I meant was that bands are supposed to PLAY, and not be concerned with things like FOH volume levels. Even if they brought their own soundguy, the promoter could have sent him packing, and not necessarily the whole band. You cannot lay the blame on them.

Still, I´m not sure that the incident is great marketing - no matter how many clicks on a myspace site, in the end promoters hire you, not fans. If I was a promoter, I would think twice to hire any band based on such a "reputation". But maybe that´s just me.

[Paul Kotapish]

Paul,

Could you please name a few of these serious bands? Are you talking Bluegrass bands or some other form of music? I've either been involved in booking most of the biggest name bands in BG or talked to other promoters who have and while there may be a couple who have their own sound man most do not. Serious band or not most feel they would rather not have the added expense of their own sound guy.

GVD

George,

I should have written "many" rather than "most," and I amended my post above. The inclusion of a sound person in the traveling entourage is certainly not an indicator of quality--or seriousness.

My observation is based on my past years on festival circuits, my discussions with various soundpersons who are regularly hired by touring bands, and by my experiences at local Bay Area venues. The last several shows I attended at the our local acoustic music venue in Berkeley have been mixed by techs traveling with the bands, for example.

You are undoubtedly correct that this practice is less common among bluegrass bands than it is among out acoustic-music groups in other idioms.

My point--overstated, I'm sure--was that having one's own sound person is typically viewed by the performers as a step up rather than as a step down.

[Ted Lehmann]

I really like I really liked mandolirius' summation of the Cadillac Sky issue. Whether bluegrass festivals should be sub-divided, however, is another question. The broad spectrum of what is generally called "bluegrass" covers a lot of territory. This weekend we're attending, with eager anticipation, a two day festival in New Hampshire where the four bands are Sam Bush and The Greencards on Friday, and Del McCoury along with Crooked Still on Saturday. That's three of four bands that might be categorized as progressive. For some people that's a pretty strong dose. On the other hand, my wife and I will be going to a series of festivals in Florida which would best be categorized as traditional. We expect to have a great time at them, too. The point is, that there's lots of room for diversity. Musicians as far removed from each other in their sound and approach to the music as Sam and Alan Bibey both pay honor and respect to Bill Monroe. He deserves it! But the music will be at its best if it can incorporate deep respect for the founders, develop bands which honor their contribution by playing their work, and welcome new bands which are informed by the forms of music they grew up with. After all, Monroe synthesized the sounds surrounding his growing up in the thirties and forties, incorporating those sounds into what came to be known as bluegrass. There's been lots of music come down the pike since then, and today's bluegrass musician cannot help but be influenced by those sounds. Even so, what they produce is bluegrass. The best festivals , for me, are ones that lean one direction or the other while offering a range of opporunties to hear interpretations of the music. Any person reading a lineup should be able to know what's what. - Ted

[Brandywino]

Reminds me of a situation that happened to me 17 years ago here in philly with a band I was fronting. See our agent sent tapes and profiles through out the city and due to the nature of our music we were promptly booked as the local headliner for the african american festival. No one asked for our race or lack of. In preparation for taking the stage the mc declared over the mic how shocked they all were to see this next act and that was our intro. The sound man not hired by the band looped echo and feedback through the monitors as their demonstration of ignorance to what music really is. However the show went off well and after putting a gun to the side of the promoter who refused to pay we got our money for the show and sold lots of music. The music business and the business of music can be one of the more ugly experiences that any artist may have to deal with.:blues: Today 17 years later I play mandolin in an original band where the bluegrass format is our canvas and goes over quiet well in an area where traditional music would not sell. Here in philly bluegrass can be defined by the instrumentation not necessarily the music itself example: red wine as arranged by steel pulse played on traditional bluegrass instruments is still considered bluegrass. Jazz Played on bluegrass instruments is not considered Jazz. younger musicians cant help but being exposed and influenced by a wide variety of music available to them today. BTW if bill Manroe ain't there it ain't bluegrass anyways.

CH33R5

[mandolirius]

<But the music will be at its best if it can incorporate deep respect for the founders, develop bands which honor their contribution by playing their work, and welcome new bands which are informed by the forms of music they grew up with.>

Philosophically, it's hard to argue with that. And in general, I think that's exactly what's happening in bluegrass. That said, there does seem to be certain festivals that, for one reason or another, see themeselves as representing or even championing a certain type of bluegrass. In those cases, they probably shouldn't be seeking diversity. I'm thinking that may have happened in this case. Someone possibly convinced the promoter he needed to expand his horizons for whatever reason and got him to hire this group, and it was clearly a mistake. I used to go to some small little festivals in the Pacific Northwest where it was like stepping through a time warp. Nothing you wouldn't have heard forty years ago. And I loved it, cause I love that stuff. But I have friends who would have considered a weekend of torture. They don't mind a bit of Monroe-style bluegrass, but a weekend's worth? Not for them!

These days there are more festivals around than ever. A glut, in fact. So it makes sense that festivals need to think about defining themselves and figuring out what they want to be when they grow up. Some do it by refusing to be pigeon-holed. Some of my favourite festivals in recent years have been what are called "music festivals". No style, no boundries - acoustic, electric, anything goes. One friend who is the A.D. at one of these says the only criteria for getting booked at his event is that you have to be people who are easy to work with and fun to be around.

[homeslice]

Bryan, That was a thoughtful and appreciated response. I agree with your statement about "apathy" in the BG scene (at least in my neck of the woods), and think your apology shows taste. I go buy your cd now.

[Mental Floss]

Traditional.....Non traditional
Loud.....un-miked acoutistic
I do #know this, Cadillac Sky is a seriously talented band.
Tight
Original
Lyrics that are riviting
Vocals that are unique
I saw them at Winfield this year and did not know them from Adam. I even had a short conversation with Brian about mandolins before I saw them play. He was soo down to earth and #real that I just thought I was talking mandos with a mando fan. Later I saw their first set and the first few seconds I #thought, "HMMM is that traditional...?"
By the end of the first song I was hooked.
I caught all of their sets and bought their cd and it my most listened to cd...and get this, I get the traditional better as a player because I am listening to Cadillac Sky and for some reason they make me understand the breaks and how a song is put together.
Anyway I wish I could have gone to see their one set at Mt View Ark...it would have been worth it!

[Brian Aldridge]

I have seen Cadilac Sky at some festivals, and met the guys backstage. They are very friendly, talented, passionate and dedicated musicians. I really liked them. Their music is tight and presented very professionally. I think this incident at Mountain View with Andy is quite a shame, but unfortunatly, not all that surprising. Fortunatly, there are many, in fact most Bluegrass venues that are happy to have such a great band as Cadilac Sky on the bill, and music lovers everywhere entertained by these guys. I am happy that Bluegrass is progressing, and that it is giving something to the younger crowd too. The young people I see at the Festivals are just wonderful people, and I would hate to see "bluegrass" loose them as fans because of intolerant regressives. I say all this even though in my mind, Red Allen rules. I am sorry to say I haven't seen him at a Festival in quite some time though.

[allenhopkins]

I say all this even though in my mind, Red Allen rules. I am sorry to say I haven't seen him at a Festival in quite some time though.

I believe Red Allen died in 1993 (?).

[andrew gates]

Harley "Red" Allen (1930-1993) was a bluegrass singer and guitarist known for his powerful tenor voice. He grew up in the music-rich hills of eastern Kentucky, and in the early 1950s began performing in and around Dayton, Ohio. He first came to broad public attention in 1956, when he signed on with the Osborne Brothers to fill out one of the most influential vocal trios in the history of country music. Until the Osbornes' 1958 hit "Once More," the typical arrangement called for a "lead" singer to provide the melody with a "tenor" singing a higher part, and a "baritone" below. "Once More," which reached number 13 on the charts, had the lead sung by the band's highest voice, mandolinist Bobby Osborne. Allen sang the "baritone" just below the melody and banjo player Sonny Osborne provided the "tenor" a full octave below its place in a traditional arrangement. The result, as the Osbornes themselves observed, allowed singers to mimic the sliding tonal effects of the pedal-steel guitar. Contemporary singers using this device include Rhonda Vincent.

Allen left the Osbornes soon after recording "Once More," and resettled in the Washington, D.C. area, which had a thriving bluegrass scene including the Country Gentlemen. There, with the innovative mandolin player Frank Wakefield, he formed the Kentuckians. During this period he and Wakefield made a much-admired record for Folkways, entitled simply "Bluegrass," which showed a larger public that he was a true disciple of "the high lonesome sound" associated with Bill Monroe. At his best, Allen drenched his material in emotion, each song propelled by his surging rhythm guitar playing. As he later said, "Bluegrass is sad music. I't always been sad and the people that's never lived it, it'll take them a long time to know what it is."

He later recorded for County records and King Bluegrass, with noted banjo player J.D. Crowe. Among his proteges was mandolinist David Grisman, the inventor of "dawg music," who said that by hiring him for the Kentuckians, Allen gave the younger man "a college education in bluegrass music."

Allen's sons, Ronnie, Greg, Neal, and Harley, performed and recorded (with and without their father) as the Allen Brothers in the 1970s and 1980s. Harley Allen is one of the most respected songwriters and musicians in Nashville


Article credited to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Allen_(bluegrass)

[Mandomax]

I think Brian was joking

[lgc]

"regressives"

That was a nice sublte snipe. The board needs more sublty like that.

[kymandolin29]

i saw them briefly in owensboro ky at the romp.....imho,not even close to bg...and really loud too...lrb is always too loud too...but anyway i left the show quickly....