Not Your Momma's Bluegrass

Bluegrass immediately invokes the stereotypical image of a four piece string band playing in a barn and possibly involving someone playing a jug. Modern bluegrass has taken on a very modern vibe widely adopted by the hipster crowds in large cities. It is still widely popular across the south, where the banjo and mandolin live strong.

My love for the genre stemmed from groups such as New Riders of the Purple Sage, Nickel Creek, and String Cheese Incident. The three artists featured this week though have many elements in common with those groups but with a modern sound. Despite the creative names for these bands the songs still maintain the lyrical melodies and sound of traditional bluegrass, while these groups have adapted a modern sound. You can still find the boom-chuck if you listen close enough, but plenty of Blues riffs as well. The voicing from the string instruments still evoke this natural sound that is hard to find these days. They may not be playing in barns but many purists still play from a single microphone and truly concentrate on blending intricate vocal harmonies and counter melodies. Soul-piercing vocals run rampant through these artists with strong lyrics and songwriting. Shuffle up and deal and enjoy this week's installment. Stay sane out there.


 

Feel It Down Deep In Your Soul

I wavered a bit with this week, but sometimes what feels right isn't what you are wanting to do. These bands all share some common elements, but most of what came to my mind was soul. Not James Brown soul but the soul that comes from music that you can feel; music that comes from deep within. These bands all exhibit some twang country and bluegrass elements, but also have funky and soul elements as well. The kind of soul that invokes the stink face. You know the face, where it could be a stinky fart, or bad cheese or the riff/beat that is so nasty that a normal facial expression simply won't work. 

Besides that, this music has a genuine upbeat and feel good vibe to it. It's hard to imagine yelling or anger accompanying this. So crank it up and listen to it loud. Have a great week.

So You Think You're Americana

This week delve into a Venn diagram of sorts.  Americana if you didn't know is a recently minted genre of music that lies at the intersection of folk, country, rock and blues. The artists and songs that fall into this genre still epitomize the storytelling of folk music but add funk and soul elements. The result is a raw, high energy sound on one end of the spectrum as well as tender, intimate acoustic performances. In all three artists you find strong powerful vocals that are accompanied by funky riffs and tight percussion sounds. I first explored this genre from a high school favorite group Medeski, Martin and Wood which were often described as a Jazz Funk Trio. Chris Wood the bass player started playing with his brother after the group disbanded, but still retaining amazing bass riffs created a unique sound and he truly is one of my favorite bassists to watch and listen to. Thanks for listening. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Wood Brothers - iTunes

Jamestown Revival - iTunes

Parker Millsap - iTunes

 

Music to Warm Your Soul and Tap your Toe

So each week i will throw out music that i am currently digging into, they may been themed they be unrelated and random but hopefully you will enjoy checking them out. So on a snowy winter day here is some music to warm you up and get the toe tapping.

This week i am featuring three bands that I am going to see here in Knoxville over the next few months. One courtesy of my wonderful wife's anniversary present, the other two are groups that I have grown to love over the past year. All three feature rock and blues elements but all feature a large band inclusive of horns. Any time an artist is incorporating the use of strings or horns (non-synth) its a move in a good direction in my book. So listen and enjoy and maybe i will see you at the concert.