Though bluegrass music has done well in recent years when it comes to jumping in on new tech developments, that wasn’t always the case. Back when CDs had already become the standard in the industry, you could still buy 8-track and cassette tapes at bluegrass festivals.
We’re aware of at least one company in the bluegrass/acoustic space using blockchain to distribute recorded music, and protective the rights of copyright holders. We’ve even heard fully AI-generated bluegrass that is frighteningly real sounding.
But what about AI-generated music videos? Nu-Blu looks to be the first bluegrass act to test these waters with their latest release, for Time (Still On Your Side), which is included on the band’s 2024 album, Where You’ve Been. Video game aficionados will recognize the sort of airy, pastel-colored visuals that dominate this video, and anyone with some experience in artificial intelligence for digital images will note some of the odd and imaginative ways that musical instruments are depicted.
It’s a time-consuming prospect, what Nu-Blu has done, as each scene needs to be passed along to the image generator in text. But it makes for a compelling visual accompaniment to this song, written by Bobby Terry.
Daniel Routh, guitarist with Nu-Blu, said that they are quite pleased with the result.
“We’ve always been about pushing the envelope, whether it’s with our music or our visual art. The idea of integrating AI into the creative process while maintaining authenticity was a concern, but it opened up a whole new world of possibilities. The AI allows us to bring our vision to life in ways that we couldn’t do with a live action video. We can’t wait for our fans to experience it.
The use of artificial intelligence is controversial, but AI is just a continuation of the technology we’ve been using for decades. The first Pro Tools system was launched in 1991. Auto Tune and studio plug-ins have become commonplace in music production. We still support the true, original, human element of music creation, be we also embrace new technologies in production. It’s sort of like our music — tradition meets innovation.”
Lead vocalist and bassist, Carolyn Routh agrees, saying that AI is just a new way to spin a tale.
“We’re excited to be able to merge tradition with technology. Bluegrass music is all about storytelling. Using AI as a new artistic element helps us connect with our audience on a deeper level. AI might seem like an unlikely partner for bluegrass, but in this case, it’s allowed us to elevate the song in a way that feels incredibly authentic and moving.”
The audio track also features Austin Hefflefinger on banjo and Justin Harrison on mandolin.
Check out the video and be ready for a wild ride through some powerful computer imagery.
Well done Nu-Blu!
