Next Full Moon

Sunday, May 3rd Full Flower Moon

15 September 2010

emergency Bluegrass intervention

For Gunnar, who may be the only one who bothers to really listen:


To start.


Suffering. Familiar and well worn, like a climb that huuuuurts and is awesome.


Talk about your training.



...and if you wanna see some folks getting it right while updating, look no furtherer.

6 comments:

Gunnar Berg said...

I'm listening.

Ralph IS pure. He sang and played mountain music, as apposed to bluegrass. Bluegrass really first emerged in the late 40s when Bill Monroe hired the young Earl Scruggs, who kicked up the pace and it became fast driving music. (Although Bill Monroe was not bashful about taking credit for it.)It was the Alt Country of it's day. It just got petrified.

I still think you're wrong about the late Vassar Clements. He was by far the best country fiddler to grace the world - bluegrass or otherwise. He just got bored playing bluegrass within it's constrains and freed himself. I think I saw him live three times with different groups. But it was Vassar I was there to hear - even had a Vassar Clements T-shirt. (Still have my Willie Nelson shirts from when he was an obscure Texas song writer. Fun times.

Also, I don't think you have to pick cotton to play the blues. Don't think you have to live through hard times to have soul.

The ball is in your court.

Jonny Hamachi said...

Alright, get a trailer.

reverend dick said...

Meh. Constraints is another term for boundaries. What separates also defines. Vassar had tremendous skill, I just dig it when it's high and lonesome as opposed to soaring and technical.
And you don't have to pick cotton but you do have to suffer.

Hamachi- your Eurotrash trip has clearly influenced you. They're called modular homes.

Gunnar Berg said...

I don't believe people have to suffer to play good music. "Soul", whatever it is, may show up in vocals. Personally,I think is is just a style of singing. I have NEVER heard evidence of it instrumentally. I guess I don't have a discerning ear.

Speaking of suffering, I have hundreds of LPs, mostly "old" music. I just gotta get them transferred to a digital format. (The guy who posted the YouTube of the Vassar "bluegrass" session must have a very good turntable and digital translation equipment - very clean sound, by YouTube standards.)

reverend dick said...

No, people don't have to suffer to play good music. Provided the music they are playing is not about suffering.

Soul is not a style of anything, it's the product of having that inner goodness shine through as a result of the surface being abraded away by trial and tribulation, then that core polishes up so nice by repeated contact with joyful work. No one who has not suffered heartache and loss can communicate the feeling of deep sorrow. Going through rotten shit(and hopefully coming out the other side) is the only way.

I'd MUCH rather listen to someone who is less than good on whatever their instrument but who really feels it. Punk as Fuck.

Gunnar Berg said...

I think we will just have to disagree on this one ... along with the orcas. "Bartender, another round!"