Generation Bluegrass, a film made about and by young bluegrass musicians, was released in September of 2012. Corey Smith, guitarist with Ash Breeze, was the impetus behind the project, using the money he made working on his family’s farm to fund the production.
Corey has almost finished another edition, Generation Bluegrass 2 – The Grass Roots Up, featuring a second batch of youth grassers. Included in this one are The Willis Clan, an absurdly handsome and talented family from Tennessee, Missouri’s Meyer Family (the best hair in bluegrass), Cory Piatt, mandolinist with Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, banjoist Brandy Miller and reso-guitarist Gaven Largent from Virginia, and Ohio’s Jackson family who perform as Lonesome Meadow.
As with the first edition, Corey is being assisted by Zeb Snyder of the Snyder Family Band who serves as Assistant Director and Production Coordinator. For such a young team (Corey is 19 and Zeb 18), these two have pulled off an impressive bit of work. Both also perform on screen in GB2.
The DVD should be ready in the next few months, and Corey has released a trailer to offer a tease beforehand.
There is a chance that a CD of the music from Generation Bluegrass 2 will be released this summer as well.
Hats off to Corey Smith for pulling all this together. Regardless of where his career in bluegrass may take him, he’s got the mind of an entrepreneur, the soul of a filmmaker, and the work ethic to take care of what needs to be done. Ditto where Zeb Snyder is concerned.
