Ain't No Blue In Bluegrass

I've been out of town and haven't posted for a while.

I went to a bluegrass festival with my daughter. Mary started going to bluegrass concerts with me to have an activity to share with me and ended up liking the music. This thrills me no end since no one else in the family likes it. Mary says that bluegrass is the perfect cure for sadness and depression - you can't be blue listening to a 5-string banjo.

I never cease to be amazed at the skill of the musicians in picking this hard-as-nails, lightning-fast music and singing the high mountain-tenor harmonies. Most of it is home-grown, done out of pure love for the music.

The concerts are always alcohol- and smoke-free in a good family environment and there is never anything off-color. Bluegrass groups always include gospel songs in their performances and have at least one gospel CD; they talk openly about their love for the Lord Jesus.

Mary and I have a favorite group that we follow around. The group is called Phoenix and they are based in Charlottesville, VA. The 4 members of this band have all played professionally with full-time travelling bands (a secret desire of mine) but stopped that and now play bluegrass just for enjoyment. It really comes through in their performances, not that the other groups lack anything, but Phoenix really spreads joy and excitement in a concert.

One thing that grabs me about bluegrass is that 4 or 5 people can create that hard-driving music with little acoustic wooden instruments using no electronics (other than a PA system so they can be heard). The bass (almost always an upright, hardly ever electric) provides a rock-steady 1-2 beat, while the banjo, mandolin and fiddle weave intricate patterns around it.

I grew up with bluegrass and country music in the '40's and '50's. Bluegrass was raw and had an edge to it in those seminal years. Much-improved recording technology and the need to reach a wider audience have resulted in a more refined sound while retaining the essential form and feel of the music.

They don't play bluegrass on the radio like they used to, so the festival has emerged as the venue for playing and hearing the music. These are 1-to 3-day events with a variety of artists each doing two 45-minute sets during the day. There are also some concert halls around. And my wife never has any shortage of bluegrass music in our house (not that she wants it).