Author: David Smith

David Smith has been a bluegrass fan from Virginia, to Colorado, to North Dakota, and back to Colorado. He is a longtime bluegrass DJ, first with Durango, Colorado's KDUR Community Radio, and then with North Dakota's Prairie Public Radio. He and his family recently moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado where he continues his involvement with bluegrass music handling social media for the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, and writing for Colorado Bluegrass Music Society's Pow'r Pickin' publication.

Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band reunion at Telluride

There was a moment during the summer of 2003 when thousands of bluegrass fans who were gathered in a canyon along the St. Vrain River of Lyons, Colorado, collectively drew in their breath and realized that they were witnessing greatness. It was the Rockygrass Band Contest finals, and Travis Book had just sung the first verse of In the Pines.

“The longest train I ever saw, went down that Georgia line…”

This wasn’t the lonesome tenor of Bill Monroe, nor was it the angst growl of Kurt Cobain (who’s acoustic Nirvana version gave the song new life to a younger audience). What that morning audience heard on that July day was a smooth and elegant presentation of an old-time song, with lead vocals of true tone and blended harmonies perfectly backed by instrumentation of high caliber. Producing these sounds were young men, hair unbrushed, faces unshaven, clad in tie-dye, shorts, bare feet, Chaco sandals… Their appearance meant nothing to the crowd with drawn breath. It was a collective moment of understanding that there was a new band on the scene – new musicians who would be reckoned with in bluegrass music for decades to come. The Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band was on stage and every ear was tuned to Travis Book, Anders Beck, Andy Thorn, Robin Davis, (and for the summer of 2003 and the Rockygrass Band Contest), Rick Hauchman.

Some who did not witness this complete crowd awareness may question such a pivotal moment, but all one must do is look at the years to follow, and on to the modern-day, to see that prediction come to fruition. But before the here and now of today’s most successful touring bands in bluegrass music, there’s of course a back story, one of coincidence – perhaps fate of the highest calling – no simple twist.

As banjo player Andy Thorn describes the first meeting of musical minds, “My buddies Rick Hauchman, Jed Willis, and I drove straight from Chapel Hill to Durango to visit a friend who promised us ski passes at Purgatory. 32 hours in the car! First thing we did when we got to town was go to Canyon Music Woodworks and start jamming on some instruments. The guy working there thought we were pretty good and said we should hang out while we were in town and jam with him and his bass player buddy. Turned out to be Anders and Travis. We hung out with those guys and Robin too the whole time we were in town jamming and skiing.”

It was Anders who was an employee of the now late great Durango epicenter of bluegrass, Canyon Music Woodworks. Opened by Boulder, Colorado transplants who were heavily involved in that town’s storied bluegrass history, for many years on 2nd Avenue in Durango, it was a place where locals and travelers alike would gather to pick, promote shows, and chat. As Anders adds to meeting Andy, “The first pick I had with Andy was in Canyon Music Woodworks. He and Rick walked in while they were on a ski vacation and proceeded to start shredding the way that 20-year-olds from North Carolina can do. It was amazing. They were the real thing! We went to Robin’s house that night and had a jam. That was the beginning of Broke Mountain.”

Andy continues, “Then we had to drive back to North Carolina. I couldn’t stop thinking about how fun the Colorado life was, and how much I had in common with those guys, so it wasn’t hard for Anders to convince me to come spend the summer out there and enter the RockyGrass Band Contest.”

With the utmost respect to guitarist, Rick Hauchman, who won the RockyGrass Band Contest with them and was significant in building the foundation of what would come, there was still a missing piece to the Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band puzzle. The only piece that could fit such a beautiful design was Jon Stickley.

Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band banjo player, Andy Thorn, goes way back with guitarist, Jon Stickley, to their earliest days as musicians in their home state of North Carolina. Andy looks back on meeting Jon with the clarity and fondness found in rare cases when talent and personalities come together in a lasting friendship: “I was taking banjo lessons from the same teacher that the Stickley brothers were taking guitar from in Durham. This must have been early high school. The teacher, Michael Pope, got Jeff [Stickley] and I playing together to practice the songs we’d been working on in a group setting, and we started playing at an open mic night. I also messed with mandolin at the time. Jon was mostly drumming in a punk band called Strunken White. One day we said, ‘Hey Jon, if you learn to play mandolin, we can have a little bluegrass band.’ So, I left my mandolin and the tab book from David Grisman’s Tone Poems at his house. A week later the dude was just ripping Grisman licks! So, we started playing as a trio at the Skylight Exchange open mic night every week. Later on, Jon got the Tony Rice guitar tab book from Tone Poems. When he started playing Rice style guitar it was crazy how fast he got good at it, and he ran with that.”

When time came for Andy to make the move to Durango, he invited Jon to join him in this life venture. For Jon, the move was deep, “Before joining Broke Mountain, I had never been out west. The people of Colorado taught me that it was ok to have fun, enjoy life, and be yourself. In a way I feel like I’m still learning that lesson, but it has stuck with me and had a profound effect on my music and my life.”

With the two high school friends united out west, the Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band was solidified and ready to take on the opportunities that were presenting themselves after the RockyGrass Band Contest win. It was evident to the band that each pick and each song was building a powerful chemistry. It was time to take their sound on the road.

And take on the west they did – for one glorious year! Like any good farm team, the pros came calling. After 2004, the years that followed found a core group of Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band still playing festivals with Chad Love on banjo, Andy Thorn having left to join Larry Keel and Natural Bridge (on what would be a path toward the blossoming power that is Leftover Salmon today). The final dissolve of Broke Mountain found the formation of Wayword Sons, with Travis, Robin, and Anders joined by songwriting phenom, Benny “Burle” Galloway, along with keyboardist, Greg Andrulis. It was Anders’ time with Wayword Sons that instilled melody and original songwriting into his musical psyche, which lead to a smooth transition when touring cohorts, Greensky Bluegrass, brought him on to complete their quintet.

Travis Book’s story of departing the fertile bluegrass grounds of Durango is as fateful as Andy walking into Canyon Music Woodworks during Anders’ shift. The details are too many describe here, but they involved a backpack of beer, IBMA in Nashville, and elevator doors opening to what would become the Infamous Stringdusters. Jon Stickley has paved his way to becoming one of the most impressive and innovative acoustic guitar players touring today as the Jon Stickley Trio (as well as a jaunt on e-bass with Town Mountain along the way). Always a man of mystery, Robin Davis can be found with his wife in a barn-turned-cabin up against the towering peaks of Pagosa Springs, Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness. The two bring original songs and Robin’s low lonesome, power chord infused guitar work on the road as the Robin Davis Duo (in his hands a 1937 Gene Autry “Roundup” Supertone).

Take a look at the poster for any major progressive bluegrass festival in the country today, and you will see one of these names, if not multiple, if not all! While not diminishing the unique and highly entertaining sounds of the Jon Stickley Trio and the Robin Davis Duo – Leftover Salmon, Greensky Bluegrass, and the Infamous Stringdusters are the three bands selling out massive venues and headlining festivals on the scene today. This has been true for years running, and it’s the catalyst for a building excitement to witness individual musicians who fans have come to know and love within their powerhouse touring groups, to reconnect at this summer’s Telluride Bluegrass Festival, June 20-23.

The Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band will reunite on a stage that was a pivotal aspect of their growth; it’s a stage where they have all been inspired by their hero bands and musicians; it’s a stage where they’ve returned in the more recent years with their respected individual bands. The anticipation runs high. But before the story ends in promotion of what’s to come, let us remember the roots. This was a band that came together as travelers, as friends, as camping and hiking, pickin’ party, good timey, bluegrass hungry musicians. They were a walking late-night festival campground pick. Literally. In Telluride over the 2003 and 2004 summers, they forded the icy waters of the San Miguel River to join the 3:00 a.m. revelers of the Town Park Campground. When it was time to eat and drink, they busked on Colorado Avenue for dollars to collectively nourish their appetites. In the rare moments when instruments were silent and crowds walked blurry-eyed through town, they put on their own shows, playing for any and all who were in ear shot of Telluride’s Free Box, or Elks Park, or for those waiting in line to enter the festival.

Mandolin player, Robin Davis, sums up the Broke Mountain lifestyle nicely in describing the first pick he ever had with banjoist, Andy Thorn, “It was early 2003 in the desert in Utah somewhere. There was a group of Durango people and some pickers down there just hanging out. I pulled my ‘71 Bronco up to a Volvo station wagon that was full to the ceiling with clothes, camping gear, and instrument cases. Travis and Anders were there under the cottonwoods, picking with this guy who had just moved out to stay with us for the summer and start a band. I got out my mandolin and we started jamming. That was the first meeting with Andy Thorn. We jammed for a few hours and it was immediately apparent what we had, so everyone was excited. That was a fun summer!”

Bluegrass bands come together in the modern-day through many avenues: meeting in class in the learned halls of Boston’s Berkelee School of Music, hired sidemen stepping up to the mic for their well-arranged break, networking at the IBMA Business Conference, or perhaps a songwriter bringing talented players together to partner with their melody and accentuate the lyric. But there’s a slightly more rebellious side to bands forming that arises from small town bar gigs, house party keggers, and all that is the lifestyle of a bluegrass festival. This was the proving ground of Broke Mountain.

The anticipation of the reunion isn’t secluded to the audience. The band members talk of an admiration for each other in a way that builds their enthusiasm for being by one another’s side this summer on the Telluride Bluegrass stage. As Anders says, “Honestly, even after RockyGrass, it was never a gig or a show that solidified us. We were solidified from the beginning. Instant brothers. Driving around Colorado together… playing music and having a blast. Looking back on it, it’s crazy to think about. Maybe I’m getting old, but those days sure felt like youth!”

Both adept guitarists and mandolinists, Jon says of Robin, “Robin Davis is one of my favorite songwriters. I listen to his solo albums all the time, and I just really dig his style. He’s written a lot of new material since Broke Mountain and I hope we work a lot of it up. As a matter of fact, everyone has written great music since then so I’m excited to put the new through the filter of our old band.”

Andy’s praise follows along the same lines, “It’s just gonna be awesome to play all the old material. We developed a lot of cool originals in a short time. Really looking forward to the amazing harmonies Travis and Robin sing together. The way Anders’ soulful dobro fills out the whole sound so nicely. And just jamming with my best man Stickley, who I’ve been playing with since we were 15, and hardly get to see anymore. It’s like a reunion of friends and a gig all at the same time. The joy will be hard to contain.”

As Anders, Travis, Robin, Jon, and Andy look out on the throngs of old friends and fans of Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters, the Robin Davis Duo, the Jon Stickley Trio, and Leftover Salmon, they’ll no doubt cast their eyes beyond the Telluride Bluegrass crowd and out to where the ridge line dips into the box canyon, where Ingram Falls cascades to the forest floor; they’ll cast their eyes to the campgrounds… Their collective mindset will bode the questions: “Where’s the pick? Who is meeting over shared notes and harmony? When we walk off this stage and return to our bands, who will be the next young guns to hit the road, do the time, win the contest, create something that will be talked about, missed, and yearned for to return?” Because when it comes down to it, Broke Mountain represents all that is great about the bluegrass festival experience: camaraderie, travel, learning, entertainment, beauty… The history and upcoming reunion of the Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band epitomizes a lesson that regular bluegrass festival attendees have come to honor: the festival is a time to enjoy yourself to the utmost, while equally encouraging those around you.

The Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band will reunite during Friday’s lineup of the 46^th annual Telluride Bluegrass, June 20-23. Tickets and information can be found at: www.bluegrass.com.

2014 Durango Bluegrass Meltdown

I’ve recently returned from Durango, Colorado, where I found the 20^th Anniversary of the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown to have the intimacy, talent, and entertaining times that attendees have come to know and trust.

In regard to intimacy, the festival hosts shows through three venues, each of which having a capacity of around 250. That’s right, Blue Highway performing in a historic Victorian theater in front of 250 astounded bluegrass revelers.

With talent, I’ve just hinted at what the weekend offered by namedropping Blue Highway. Along with those stalwarts of the genre (celebrating their 20^th Anniversary alongside of the Meltdown festival) were the likes of Town Mountain, The Earl Brothers, Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, The Ruined Nation Boys (consisting of a who’s who of Colorado bluegrass greats), and songwriter Benny “Burle” Galloway. This list is truly short within a substantial list of bands.

Finally, as far as entertaining times go, they were constant, honest, humorous, nostalgic, enlightening, and – at times – questionable.

Over many years of involvement with the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, I’ve come to completely immerse myself in the music and antics of the festival to the fullest. So, for the sake of not writing a book about my weekend’s experiences, I’d like to focus this account on three specific musical happenings that I witnessed: the Western North Carolina phenomenon, Town Mountain, the toneful truth of Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, and the words and ways of Benny “Burle” Galloway.

A bold and debatable thought came to me while taking in the sights and sounds of Town Mountain – and if not within a public forum bluegrass blog – then where else should such thoughts be shared? This is: Town Mountain is the Del McCoury Band of the modern-day. Now this is crazy talk on a few levels, most notably the fact that the Del McCoury Band is still playing. Also, Del’s the man. He was a Blue Grass Boy. But… no other band in my ears today is bringing original songwriting to bluegrass music with the grit, drive, honesty, and integrity of Town Mountain.

Think back to when you first heard Del McCoury Band’s Del and the Boys and It’s Just the Night (which astonishingly both came out more than ten years ago); now go listen to Town Mountain’s Steady Operator and Leave the Bottle in their entirety. You’ll hear originality in lyrics, blues tinged notes, and voices that could hang with Monroe, with Jimmy Martin, with Red Allen, with Carter Stanley… Town Mountain is the Del McCoury Band of the modern-day because they’re carrying on the traditions of real-deal, honky-tonk bluegrass, but with songwriting and storytelling at the forefront. And they’re doing it with the professionalism and presence not of dim-lit bar venue band, but with the boldness of contributors to any festival’s main stage.

Above I refer to Jeff Scroggins and Colorado as having a “Toneful truth” because they’re worthy of a descriptive word not found in the dictionary. Tone is so key to this band, whether it’s through dazzling solos from the likes of Jeff on banjo (a National Champion), or his son, Tristan on mandolin; or whether it’s through their singing, with harmonies sung at volumes that can only be accomplished through confidence and emotion.

This was Jeff Scroggins 10^th year performing in some fashion at the Meltdown and the Colorado band’s 3^rd consecutive year. They are a Colorado state treasure and the Meltdown has been better for having them. Interestingly with this band, they have a rightful leader in Jeff Scroggins, but any member of the group could be the front man, or woman. Greg Blake on guitar and vocals is as natural an emcee and bluegrass performer as you will see. On bass is a musician who is no stranger to the bluegrass and old time scenes, K.C. Groves (performing at the 2014 Rockygrass festival with a reunited Uncle Earl). Greg and K.C. perform on the side of the Colorado full band as, Blake and Groves. While this stripped down, Carter Family style doesn’t capture the power of Annie Savage on fiddle along with the rest of the group, I was able to film the two performing a wonderful rendition of, Bury Me Beneath the Willow.

Benny “Burle” Galloway is in a good place. That was a common theme throughout the Meltdown weekend. Burle used to live in Durango for many years. He’s lived in Boulder and toured throughout Colorado. He was surrounded by friends, family, and fans that know him well. I felt it several times myself as a friend and heard it several times from others: Burle is in a good place.

This may allude to a time when the man was not in a good place. What musician, what songwriter, what artist has not had the bad to measure against the good – or the highs that were hard to distinguish from being a low? This story isn’t about trials and tribulations; this is a tale of joyful tears coming to strangers’ eyes through the voice of a song.

During one of Burle’s sets – where he was joined by mandolinist, Jordan Ramsey and guitarist, Robin Davis – he played a new song simply called, Durango. I believe he introduced it by saying he tried to write something as sweet and dirty as possible. Indeed it was. As the verses came forth, it was easy to recognize the out-of-towners in the audience from the locals. As tourists chuckled at puns and wordplay, the locals wept openly at the knowledgeable insights of life in a small mountain town. As it was the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, where locals abound, there were few dry eyes in the room. It was a good place for us all.

Here Burle performs, Poor Boy’s Delight with Robin Davis (guitar) and Jordan Ramsey (mandolin)…

… and then Burle, Robin, and Jordan are joined by Dave Richey (dobro) and Jeff Hibshman (bass) for, Nuthin’ To It.

The Durango Bluegrass Meltdown is a wealth of bluegrass experiences. You’ll find old timers picking songs they learned on their farms just outside of town. There is a square dance revival taking place with young men and women passing around jigs and waltzes ‘til 4:00 a.m. Debauchery can be found running through the midnight streets like the unaccountable and unpredictable sage brush on the Four Corners wind. Families frolic in the Southwest sun as a dobro finds a melody on a neighboring sidewalk. The evening brings out the elements of jamgrass within the genre, much to the delight of those who have been sitting patiently throughout the days listening to the traditional sounds. All in all it’s those traditional sounds that have held true over the last 20 years.

With lineups that have held the likes of James King, David Davis, Danny Paisley, Junior Sisk, Audie Blaylock, Larry Gillis, Open Road, and Town Mountain – one can always count on hearing the high and lonesome in Durango. Perhaps that’s a rarity in Colorado. Perhaps it’s just the sound of a rural mountain town.

Photos and video courtesy of Dave Harrison, Stephanie Dressen, Jonas Grushkin, and David Smith.

Durango Meltdown coverage at Bluegrass Today

I’m honored to be returning to Bluegrass Today as a guest blogger in highlighting events throughout the 2014 Durango Bluegrass Meltdown. As I did with the 2013 Telluride Bluegrass Festival, I’ll attempt to gain a bit of “behind the scenes” perspective and respective video of offshoot performances. Please look for these posts come mid-April.

I grew up with the Meltdown. That isn’t to say that I was coddled and rocked to sleep to the sounds of bluegrass. No, I learned those valuable lessons of life from being a teenager to age 36 during the first 18 years of the festival. Moving to Durango, Colorado from Virginia in 1993, I knew a little bit about bluegrass and even less about life. Upon moving from Durango 18 years later, having attending each and every one of the festivals (as a fan, sometimes volunteering, performing, or being on the board of directors), I left with a strong schooling in bluegrass, a maturity that comes with the responsibilities in helping to run a festival, and a liver that could handle any late-night pick thrown my way.

The Meltdown is unique in Colorado. It came about years before every town up and down the Rockies started bluegrass festivals and it’s stuck to its guns in true Old West fashion: the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown was contrived as a traditional bluegrass festival and a tradition bluegrass festival it has stayed. There are longtime locals and past residents too numerous to name that made this true. But in continuing the “growing up with the festival” metaphor, I can say that Durangoans Michael Burke, Pat Dressen, Elwin Johnston, Steve Williams, and others were like questionable uncles that raised me (reaching the elevations of “father-figures” every now and then). Though I knew and enjoyed bluegrass growing up in Virginia, it was these fellas that showed me that a song about the San Juan River can be just as emotional as one about the Cumberland; that a three-part harmony can be more powerful than a Fender through a Marshall stack; that learning of the legends should come before breaching out; and that traditional bluegrass music is an amazing American voice that should be embraced.

These are the lessons of the Meltdown that formed my attitudes on bluegrass at an impressionable time in life. As they continue to this day, I hope and trust that today’s 20-year-olds are planning their weekends in Durango, April 11th through the 13th. Perhaps it’ll be my turn at the “questionable uncle” role in singing an old Stanley Brothers number in a circle of young pickers and waxing of the high lonesome that can be found in the foothills of the Rockies as easily as in the hollows of Appalachia.

For the 20th Anniversary of the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown I’ll be returning and sitting front and center as Rob Ickes kicks off, The Game and as Robert Greer croons, Leave the Bottle. What a treat it will be to see Blue Highway (a 1996 past Meltdown performer) and Town Mountain (a 2010 past Meltdown performer) returning as the 2014 headliners. Joining the “old guard” and the “young guns” will be outlaw talents of The Earl Brothers, favorites of the Centennial State, Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, the allusive songwriter, Benny “Burle” Galloway, Durango stalwarts, The Badly Bent, and many local and regional bands.

A full lineup and additional information on the festival can be found online.

Reflections on Pilot on a Steam Powered Aereo-plain

I have a vivid memory of the first time I ever heard John Hartford’s Aereo-Plain album. It was on vinyl; played on a record player that dated back to the time of the album’s release, with speakers stretching out to their wires’ limits to the deck of a homespun cabin 15 miles south of Durango, Colorado amongst the juniper and piñon pines on the Animas River. This was a full-blown hippie party back in 1997 at the home of a river rat raft guide who had brought together hard-earned dollars to purchase a desolate piece of land, where he could find the privacy needed to throw epic gatherings. I was 22 years old and by far the youngest attendee surrounded by barflies, rafters, backcountry skiers, addicts of all sorts, and the many other ragtag groupings that make up small town Colorado mountain living. There was unfamiliar, but enjoyable bluegrass on the radio as I pitched horseshoes and then I heard it:

Ehh, ehh, ehhh, ehhh
Hey babe you wanna boogie?
Boogie woogie woogie with me.

This was a time of transition for me; being away from family back in Virginia; working for a living while taking some time off of college, and “maturing” through those life lessons that come with such times. But I only realize that in retrospect. For who plans for transitional times? Who purposely brings about evolution, or has the power to state that their work will be something altogether new?

In such an unplanned revolutionary fashion John Hartford, Vassar Clements, Tut Taylor, Norman Blake, and Randy Scruggs joined forces in 1971 and recorded Aereo-plain. And here lies the great irony of what has been declared the birth of newgrass:

John Hartford was returning to his acoustic roots in recording Aereo-plain.

No more Hollywood. No more glamor of Los Angeles television shows, commercials and comedy programs. Hartford would bring together a fiddlin’ former Blue Grass Boy, a country dobro flat-picker, a pickin’ pal from the Johnny Cash Show, and a guitar playing son of a living legend who didn’t normally play bass. He’d return to his Nashville roots, return to his bluegrass past – and in returning to the beginning – he’d forever change what was to come.

As bluegrass fans today discuss, debate, and define the genre of bluegrass, the book, John Hartford, Pilot on a Steam Powered Aereo-plain by Andrew Vaughan, should be a part of the conversation. For the book takes on a look at John Hartford’s great transition from a Hollywood star, to a long-haired, wild-bearded folk musician – simply doing what folk musicians do: telling their story with instrument in-hand. And in doing so the book portrays a man who was not attempting to set the bluegrass world on fire with progressive words and radical instrumentation. John Hartford just wanted to write a song, oh, and he wanted to put a vamp in the middle.

I’m waxing on a bit for a “book review,” so I will throw some critique out there. I found the background images and patterns used throughout the book to be distracting, as text was often hard to read when overlaying the darker backgrounds. From an editing perspective, more could have been done. There were a few incorrect paragraphs breaks that hurt the flow of the read. Also, the same quote could be found on different pages – not intentionally pulled from the text to be placed artistically in bold for emphasis, which is fine – but instead the same quote is used in one paragraph and then again in a separate paragraph on a different page. This gave me an uneasy feeling that quotes were being placed out of context.

In my opinion, those are the negatives. They do not outweigh the positives: fascinating stories from late greats and living legends are infused with full-page photos, hand-written lyric sheets, classic album covers, and other items of visual memorabilia that will thrill Hartford fans and cultural historians alike. To top things off, the book comes with a live recording from a July 12, 1994 show at the Ryman Auditorium with John Hartford, Vassar Clements, Tut Taylor, and Tony Rice.

The negatives mentioned also don’t take away from the overall theme of the book. Andrew Vaughan’s John Hartford, Pilot on a Steam Powered Aereo-plain delicately paints a rough picture. This was a time when the Grateful Dead was releasing Workingman’s Dead, the Bryds were teaming up with Gram Parsons and Sweetheart of the Rodeo was on their horizon, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was about to sit down with Mother Maybelle Carter and sing out for all to hear: Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The country was meeting the city and the hippies were brandishing Martin guitars. True times of transition need to be reported – cataloged for future generations to admire or question, to be inspired or to scorn. The Hartford book does a proper job in capturing the transition, and I for one am in admiration and inspired.

The early 1970s in bluegrass music was groundbreaking in the same fashion as the late 1940s. One era was radically progressive; one was a traditional voice tied to acoustic roots – I’ll let you decide which was which. Both attributed to the ongoing evolution of bluegrass music within the beautifully complicated genre of Americana.

Pilot Of A Steam Powered Aereo-Plain is available for sale from the official John Hartford web site.

Parting Thoughts on the 40th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival

While attending the 40^th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival I was struck by three bands in particular that caused my mind to race with an age old question. For decades it’s been asked: “What is bluegrass music?” The question comes in waves with voices raised when a new sound rouses the rising tide; arguments and discussion, many don’t care and others live with a passion to find the answer.

The three bands that brought the “define bluegrass” topic to the forefront of my mind were Greensky Bluegrass, Steep Canyon Rangers, and The Infamous Stringdusters. After seeing assorted configurations of these groups throughout various times of day and night I was struck with the answer. It’s been right in front of us fans since the dawning of the sound. I’ve got nothing to lose, so here it is:

“Bluegrass is an ongoing evolution of progressive string band ensemble music.”

This definition as easily paints a picture of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys in 1946 as it does Yonder Mountain String Band in 2013. Jesse McReynolds to Jeff Austin, Earl Scruggs to Béla Fleck, Uncle Josh Graves to Anders Beck, Chubby Wise to Jeremy Garrett… I could name musicians and bands all day long and they’d all fall under this definition. For what “traditional” band of long ago wasn’t truly “progressive” for their time and what “progressive” band of today won’t be “traditional” in decades to come?

From the late 40s to the modern-day, bluegrass music has not been based upon preservation, but instead upon innovation. Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs burst upon the scene with a fresh approach to old time music in the same way that The Infamous Stringdusters now thrive within a scene evolving from the songwriting focused/pristine engineered bluegrass of the last two decades.

Yes – there is a form of “traditional” bluegrass music today that harkens back to those “progressive” bands of yesteryear. That’s a powerful thing and I love it, but it doesn’t mean bluegrass as a genre is “traditional.” It just means that musicians chose to seek out the traditions of the genre. There are pianists that study and play Thelonious Monk and guitarists that study and play Robert Johnson, as Travers Chandler studies and plays Charlie Moore. The honoring of the traditions of bluegrass should be appreciated to the utmost, for without recognition of the past, evolution is adrift and without meaning.

At the Telluride Bluegrass Festival I heard tomorrow’s notes on the main stage where the legends-to-be of Telluride (Greensky Bluegrass, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Infamous Stringdusters…) found the originality of that storied stage’s past heroes (New Grass Revival, Strength in Numbers, John Hartford…) and played and sang along the razor’s edge of evolution – hinting at the past, while journeying into the future.

With a who’s who in the next generation of bluegrass within the 2013 Telluride Bluegrass Festival lineup, there is reason behind my singling out Greensky Bluegrass, Steep Canyon Rangers and The Infamous Stringdusters. I feel that these three bands will have substantial influence on the bluegrass bands of generations to come. They have songs that are accessible, relatable, and catchy; the vast majority of these songs you and your friends can pick around a campfire. That’s not to say they’re simplistic – on the other hand – they’re deep and resonating. They will influence those to come.

The Telluride Bluegrass Festival has “done gone on” and western Festivarian thoughts are now no doubt on to Rockygrass of Lyons, Colorado and the Folk Festival after that. This will be my last blog post on Telluride and I would like to thank Bluegrass Today and Planet Bluegrass for allowing me the fantastic opportunity to be involved with the festival in this manner.

I looked back over the archives and counted that 2013 was my 17^th time attending the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I have Planet Bluegrass to thank for seeing the legends, as well as the late greats in Telluride over the years: Mark Vann, Charles Sawtelle, John Hartford, Vassar Clements, Johnny Cash… Thank you!

So in conclusion, all of today’s progressive string bands are a part of bluegrass music (they are bluegrass music!) and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival is the proof.

Except the Punch Brothers – I have no idea what’s going on there…

Competitions at Telluride 2013

From the daily lineup of workshop style sets in the town’s Elks Park, to the tweener song performances throughout the main stage band turnovers, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival is vibrant with outlets to fill all your bluegrass cravings. Two of these additional activities to the festival have grown over the years, both in their popularity with the audiences, and in their prominence within the acoustic music world. I’m speaking of the Band Contest and the Troubadour Contest.

I was honored to have the role as a judge in the preliminary round of the Band Contest this year and, though it may sound cliché, the competition was rich with talent. To help make the difficult decision of who will be the finalist to move on to the final round on the main stage, three judges use scoring sheets with stage presence, vocals, instrumentals, and material selection all factored through the playing of a slow vocal song, a fast vocal song, and an instrumental.

The scores are tallied and a private discussion between the judges is had in order to mull over how the numerical ordering pairs up – or differs – with the general feel we have for the groups. Though this is a private discussion, and much is on the line for bands that have traveled far, practiced diligently, and wish dearly to have the Band Contest feather in their cap, I can say that in my experience, the final bands have never differed from the combined scoring totals of the judges.

I have judged the Rockygrass Band Contest several times and this was my first judging Telluride. Each time, three people with no knowledge of the bands beforehand have come to the same conclusions as to who should play in the main stage finals. I’ve found my fellow judges to be honest, open, and knowledgeable to the utmost.

If you’re a band considering entering either the Rockygrass or Telluride Band Contest, here is my advice as a multiple year judge:

Command the single mic. The stage and the audience are vast in these contests and taking a couple steps toward the mic for your solos and vocal parts won’t cut through that mountain air. Make the sound powerful and make your stage presence recognized by knowing well the dynamics of a single mic.
Don’t overly promote yourself. I admit that this is my personal opinion and not mentioned in any Planet Bluegrass Band Contest materials. It bothers me when a band talks about having a CD available for sale, or pitching an upcoming show. This isn’t your time to sell your wares; this is your time to shine through your music.
Have a trick up your sleeve and be ready to take a risk. This one can be interpreted a lot of different ways – and as it should – there are a lot of different qualities to music. You will be in this contest with 10 others bands, and if you want to win, there better be something about you that is unique. Whether it’s nailing a three part harmony, or arranging a solo between multiple instrumentalists, these tricks and risks show confidence and when done right, professionalism.
Here’s a real insider recommendation: think about it a year from the Band Contest you’re entering, and discuss that timeline as a band. Go into the contest with the trust that your band will be a group of friends and collaborators, possibly even a touring act, a year from when you’re entering. In the back of the judges’ minds they know that the overall winner is a band that will be on the festival’s main stage one year out from the contest, and they want a group that will live up to the well-deserved reputations of the festivals and the traditions that have grown over decades of top notch performances. But no pressure…

In the 2013 Telluride Band Contest it was wonderful to see the strong female vocalists within several bands, including those making it to the final round. Congratulations to Front Country out of San Francisco for winning the 2013 Band Contest!

I’ve been interested in the Troubadour Contest over the years, but I’ve always observed it from a distance. When it comes to original songwriting, my personal interests and knowledge have focused on bluegrass music: Benny “Burle” Galloway with Yonder Mountain String Band, Shawn Camp’s work with The Del McCoury Band (and others), Jeremy Garrett and Jon Weisberger with the Infamous Stringdusters, and the stellar writing channeled through bands such as Blue Highway, Lonesome River Band, and Alison Krauss and Union Station. When it comes to a single guitar and a voice my knowledge level falls sharply.

It’s for this reason that I wanted to embrace the Telluride Troubadour Contest more so this year. I was fortunate in that I could gleam a bit of insight from one of the finalists – and overall 2^nd place winner – Pete Kartsounes. Pete is a troubadour in every sense of the word; a composer and a performer, a poetic traveler who embraces the people and situations around him as he embraces his trusted guitar.

When you spend time with Pete Kartsounes you have a sense that he’s observing his surroundings for inspiration for his next song, but also very much a part of the moment with a keen ear and a welcoming personality to help inspire you a bit for your next song. Instead of ego you will find an individual who wishes to spend his time on stage collaborating with his competition. Instead of stress you will find someone who would like to stay up into the wee hours of the festival night, as the early dawn draws near and notes are found and shared.

I find Pete to be the epitome of the Telluride Troubadour Contest. It’s an event that showcases songwriters in the round, opposed to the lone guitar slinger; it’s a gathering of original voices, opposed to a chorus of mundane predictability; and it’s a time to share life experiences through song, opposed to banging out the next paycheck through lyrics of pickup trucks and PBR on a laptop in a Nashville cubical. Read up on Pete and hear his songs – it just might take you to the mountains of Telluride where there’s always a picker to sit by your side.

I had the pleasure of joining Pete Kartsounes and North Carolina guitar picker, Jon Stickley, in the Colorado blue spruce shade of Telluride’s Town Park Campground. Here they are performing Pete’s original song, Love.

MOB rules at Telluride

The main stage of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival has felt the tapping toes of many a legend over the last 40 years. From late greats such as Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, and Doc Watson, to the talents of today who bring their experiences to the crowd with each note sung and played. Two such modern-day living legends have played sets in Telluride: Emmylou Harris and Del McCoury.

Of course, both of these musicians were joined on stage by fabled pickers in their own right, Rodney Crowell with Emmylou on Thursday night and the, “Masters of Bluegrass,” Bobby Osborne, J.D. Crowe, Jerry McCoury, and Bobby Hicks with Del on Friday. I’m specifically mentioning Emmylou Harris and Del McCoury within this list of legends, as I’ve seen them both several times and I feel that the music played at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival these last few days was the best I’ve ever heard them.

With a phenomenal pedal steel player and the classic country vocals of Rodney Crowell, Emmylou was truly rocking. Swaying and stomping to the music, she brought Return of the Grievous Angel, Wheels, and Poncho and Lefty to the audience with the first opening numbers. Friend and collaborator, Sam Bush, joined the band for a few numbers and brought his ever-present vivacity to the show. There was new energy pushing classic songs.

A few songs into the Masters of Bluegrass set, Del stepped up to the mic with a solo vocal honky tonk number that had the crowd cheering loudly after individual notes he hit. I was in awe listening to the true high lonesome ways of Del McCoury – and I feel that awe was shared with all around me. Del was letting it all out with his lead vocals, but I was absolutely sold upon the first song as Del McCoury, Bobby Osborne, and J.D. Crowe gathered around the single mic with three-part soaring harmonies on Blue Ridge Cabin Home.

This was the first time in a long time where my ears actually hurt due to the piercing tenor. This is a certain type of pain that I had been missing and it was invigorating.

Nightgrass at Telluride 2013

Festivals have their moments – times when schedules and inspirations align and bluegrass magic is the result. One of these moments happened during the “Nightgrass” set of Greensky Bluegrass at the 40th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

Throughout the early and mid-2000s, Greensky Bluegrass Dobro player, Anders Beck, was a part of a band that has been called the official farm team of modern-day bluegrass. They were, The Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band. Joining Anders for these storied – and in many circles – legendary years were Travis Book (bass player for the Infamous Stringdusters), Robin Davis (the under the radar musician of today’s bluegrass generation), Andy Thorn (banjo player for Leftover Salmon) and Jon Stickley (respected by everyone in the industry as a top guitarist). Now you can see how this farm team delivered.

During a late night pick on the stage of Telluride’s Palm Theater, the band mates of Greensky Bluegrass gave the nod to their sliding steel brother-in-arms and helped bring Broke Mountain together again. Before describing the very classy way that this was done, I’d like to mention that the reunion of friends happened in the midst of a stellar Greensky Bluegrass show and it speaks volumes of the band – and their appreciation of friendships and bluegrass history – to hand their stage over.

A jam came out of a Greensky song that had the crowd entranced by acoustic rhythm. One by one the members of Broke Mountain walked out on stage and the appropriate instrument was put into their hands by a member of Greensky Bluegrass. The jam continued without pause and within moments the fortunate crowd was watching The Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band. The band ended the jam and dove into one of their popular numbers from all those years back, All That I Can Take, penned by Andy Thorn. Jamming the song out in its end, Greensky Bluegrass then returned to the stage in the same fashion that they had left: one by one with instrument being handed off with respect and friendship.

These moments are what make such festival gatherings unique. Yes, often it’s being in the right place at the right time, but that’s part of the mystique and what keeps the fans coming back again and again for more.

40th Anniversary Telluride coverage

We’d like to introduce David Smith, who will be providing on-site coverage during the Telluride Bluegrass festival next weekend in Colorado. He will join Jason Lombard who will be photographing the event for us.

I’m thrilled to be joining the Bluegrass Today team for the extended weekend of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, June 20 through 24. Please allow me to share a bit about myself, so that you may know more about my perspective on the festival to come.

I was born in Washington D.C. a few blocks away from and a few days after what I would deem to be a defining moment in bluegrass music: the performance and recording of the Seldom Scene’s Live at the Cellar Door album. Being born in Washington D.C. and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia my young ears were drawn to the vocal harmonies and acoustic sounds of bluegrass music.

Over the last 20 years or so, upon moving to Durango, Colorado to attend college in 1993, I have been involved in many areas of bluegrass: DJ with community and public radio stations, board of directors of the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown festival, feature writer for a bluegrass publication (Colorado Bluegrass Music Society’s Pow’r Pickin’), a musician and of course – a fan. I also attended nearly every Telluride Bluegrass throughout my 18 years living in Durango. It’s been two years since I moved from Durango to North Dakota, and two years since I’ve been to the festival. Rarely does a day go by that I haven’t thought about the good times in the epically beautiful locale of Telluride.

The 40^th Anniversary lineup promises to be both a walk up Telluride’s Tomboy Road in the days when school buses lined up as summertime homes, as well as a portrait of things to come. Alas, legends of past Telluride Bluegrass Festivals such as John Hartford and Vassar Clements are now late greats, and others aren’t touring with the vivacity of their younger years. Our walk into the goodle days won’t be giving us a glimpse into the storied gatherings of the late 70s and early 80s, but with musicians such as Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, and Peter Rowan, as well as bands such as Hot Rize, Leftover Salmon, and String Cheese Incident, I feel that the 40^th does a nice job in remembering the excellent lineups throughout the 80s and 90s. The portrait of things to come is easier to paint. Each day will bring the audience the best in modern-day acoustic music: Steep Canyon Rangers, Greensky Bluegrass, Trampled By Turtles, Sarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins, The Infamous Stringdusters… on and on…

One of the coolest aspects of this notion of past and future are the bands that live in both worlds. Past Telluride Bluegrass attendees may have seen Leftover Salmon with Mark Vann on banjo bursting out of the Fly Me To the Moon Saloon on a late night of years gone on – or sat in Colorado admiration as Charles Sawtelle surprised one and all with each note played in a Hot Rize solo – but what praise we should all declare for these bands as they bring their best (now with Andy Thorn and Bryan Sutton respectfully) to the event’s main stage. These two bands symbolize all that is great about the Telluride Bluegrass Festival: like the ying and the yang of the festival organizer’s Planet Bluegrass logo, past and future are symbiotic and create a sound as unique as its magnificent mountain setting.

For my Telluride Bluegrass blog posts I hope to go beyond the main stage sets and give you an inside look at several different aspects of the festival. A talented songwriter, Pete Kartsounes, is a finalist in the Troubadour Contest and will share his words with us. I’ll be backstage with the Infamous Stringdusters during their late night “Nightgrass” set – and I’m lined up to be a judge in the nationally-recognized Band Contest, where past winners have included the Dixie Chicks, Nickel Creek, The Hillbenders, and Greensky Bluegrass. Of course I’ll be in the crowd for what’s to emerge on stage and will put pen to paper – later to type and submit – on standout songs and guest musician sit-ins.

I’m looking forward to bringing all of this and much more to the readers of Bluegrass Today.