DelFest goes Letterman on the marketing for 2012. Check out their new vid below–we are excited to be a part of it. Last year I wrote an article about the festival after an amazing weekend with the whole McCoury crew. We are lucky to have them representing everything that’s great about bluegrass to such a huge and diverse audience. Big thanks to that whole team.
2011 was a crazy and amazing year for the Infamous Stringdusters. But it’s over, and the door to 2012 is flying open right in front of our eyes. Incredible things are happening. Here’s a bit about what’s up next, and why.
We are a five piece band now. It has been unexpectedly liberating. Changes of any sort bring fresh ideas and perspectives. New music and new sounds are finding their way in faster than ever, as we devote more time to learning/rehearsing, both on and off the road. And our show has an amazing revived energy, more inventive all the time. We’ve found that less guys does not mean fewer decibels or energy, but it does mean more space and more options. Working on new material with my bandmates is such a highlight, and we have more incentive than ever before to create, record and perform our music.
Stefon Harris is an amazing musician–check him out, especially if you are into jazz. But he also has this zen quality about him that is magical. About 11 years ago, soon after I had started playing banjo, he came to do a clinic at Dartmouth. A group of us played a few tunes and I was blown away by how present he was, how he listened and reacted, moving the music with such artistry/transparency. He spoke about listening, and I could tell he was observant on another level. It was heavily inspiring. On a recent TED talk binge I found this video of Harris explaining the notion that mistakes are irrelevant, in fact they are opportunities if we know how to listen, react and work together. Check it:
Thanks to Joe Kendrick for having me on WNCW to talk about Bluegrass, the Stringdusters, etc. The program, What It Is Radio, just went up on-line. Check out the stream here. Joe has other noteworthy endeavors that you should check out, including Lingua Musica Live, a cool series of video conversations with musicians including the amazing Danny Barnes, our boys Toubab Krewe, Billy Cardine and many more. Erin Scholze conducts a bunch of the interviews. Really good stuff.
I got some sad news last week when I learned that my friend and musical inspiration Pete Soukas passed away on Nov 13th after a long battle with cancer. Pete was a significant musician (born 8.19.1933), performing with the best regional bands in New England as well as a host of national acts including JD Crowe, Tony Rice, Vassar Clements and Opry Member Boxcar Willie. But more importantly to me, he was a significant person. I learned a ton in the short time that I was lucky enough to work with him–subtle lessons you don’t get in music school, things that are hard to articulate, things I will never forget.
I first met Pete in 1998, during my freshman year in college. I had just started playing banjo and was lucky enough to fall in with a local bluegrass scene in NH through my first banjo teacher, Chuck Honsinger. Pete was among a great group of folks I would occasionally jam with as I was just learning banjo. Four years later I got the call to join the New England Bluegrass Band. Soukas was a founding member. We played together for about 2 years along with Cecil Abels, Lincoln Meyers and Roger Williams, touring and recording one full length album, ‘Things in Life.’
It was an amazing time and I learned so much from them all, but Pete was definitely the elder statesman. I remember his subtle encouragement, always perched in back on his stool paying attention to the sounds around him, anchoring the music without ever overpowering. He had amazing tone/authority and I loved his music, but I was even more inspired by his presence. Pete never stole the attention. He was the quintessential team player, on and off the stage. I was young and totally inexperienced but he treated me with respect and kindness always, consistently reassuring me that he was listening to me at shows, encouraging me to do my own thing, most of the time with very few words, if any. They all treated me that way, and in retrospect that confidence was huge, a much needed element of any young music career. I remember looking forward to the 3 hour round trip drive for rehearsal just because I was so excited to be in band with them. It was a joyous and deeply educational experience, and Pete was a big part of that. It never felt like work, and the idea that great relationships lead to great music has always stayed with me.
I will miss you Pete. We will all miss you. Thanks for your time, your music and all the amazing things you showed us along the way.
I was the guest on Lightning 100′s Music Business Radio program a few weeks back, and the edited show just went up. It was a real treat to visit David Hooper and co. after having heard them a handful times during my Nashville tenure. We cover everything from bluegrass/IBMA to the inner workings of the Stringdusters business. Below is a scanned page of notes from the show that they put up on thier blog. Check out the recording here.
The NBA is dealing with a lockout, so the Dusters dusted off some Celtics uni’s and hit the bluegrass hardwood for a Halloween throwdown. Dominick was there to take home the sixth man award, sitting in on a few songs, along with the amazing Dr. Greg Liszt. Post show we all made our way to an amazing musical house party in Brighton. Best Halloween ever! Thanks to Rich Gastwirt for the pics.
We just started our own record label! Here’s the first offering–a full production live album from our spring tour. ‘We’ll Do It Live’ is Duster mayhem caught on tape, available for all the world to hear, released today, 10.11.11.
We will also be “doing it live” at all of these places over the next 6 weeks, in support of our first independent release. Come join the family…
I’d love to take a few days off after the IBMA madness but it’s not looking good. The Stringdusters are gearing up for the second annual Festy Experience this weekend. Our amazing team is putting the finishing touches on this magical event. Check out the American Songwriter preview. Next week we leave for 6 weeks of epic shows all over the country–2 weeks with Toubab Krewe, 2 weeks with Yonder and 2 weeks with the Emmitt-Nershi Band, in support of our brand new live album, WE’LL DO IT LIVE. We’re living the dream!
What’s next for the ‘bluegrass’ people of the world?
Definitely good things. I had an amazing time preparing for the speech I gave last week in Nashville. It put me in touch with so many different people, and so many different perspectives–a great way to learn new things about the world. Just about everyone I reached out to was more than generous with their time and ideas. Thank you all very much. Many people care deeply about this music, which leads me to believe that good things must be ahead. If you want to check it out, the speech lives here, but the general idea goes like this:
Here’s the full length video of the keynote address I gave at the 2011 IBMA business conference in Nashville, TN. And I got out alive! Big thanks to my main man Drew Becker for the video work. He’s the best in the business people.
Our new album is done: WE’LL DO IT LIVE. It’s our first independent release.
Get it here. Name your own price, download, pre-order, CD, vinyl, etc
I just finished shooting/editing two new music videos for That 1 Guy, one of the most unique and amazing artists I’ve worked with. Big thanks to Andy Gems for letting us use the Southern. Are you in this Funk Bean video?
Why would someone who loves traditional music fear for its survival?
If you love a form of music, doesn’t that imply that you believe in it?
It’s ironic that someone might think traditional music is superior, but that it’s also in danger, and in need of preservation. To me, traditional bluegrass is undeniable–some of the most soulful and pure music ever. What Monroe and Scruggs did will never go away. Its influence on other styles is far reaching at this point, and its evolution is vibrant. THAT IS AMAZING, and something to be very proud of. It will live on in all its forms only because it’s good, not because we helped it out. Nobody (and no organization) can ‘change’ bluegrass, limit its growth or define its bounds–this is a lost cause, especially given that it’s a pure opinion issue.
What we can do is celebrate bluegrass and its many connections, and this will be the best way to ensure that the music is always flourishing.
Does great art (and the process that creates it) ever need to be ‘preserved?’
I don’t think it does. Great art happens, it always has and it always will. If a great form of music exists, why would anyone put energy into keeping it the same, when good art is defined by evolution, new voices and growth? People support what they love and that’s all they ever have to do. Supporting is very different from preserving. The music is up to the artists. Great acts find the support they need whether they are old or new sounding. These people love the music for what it is, without ever wanting to change it. Acoustic music is primed to make that kind of authentic connection to more people. As the old recording industry model disintegrates, quality/authentic music continues to rise. This will help bluegrass across the whole spectrum, building respect for the old school masters and creating new paths for the droves of young picking talent about to emerge.
More than ever before, bluegrass can take care of itself. Better yet, it has the opportunity to grow.
Could a specific form of music disappear? Could something bad like that actually happen?
I suppose that if it had little popular appeal, it might fade away. But bluegrass is far too deep, far too real to suffer any such trend. We should have no concerns about competing with other forms of music, especially when string band popularity in general is hitting new and unprecedented heights. You can’t isolate yourself from the larger music world and hope to find success–nearly no musicians actually want that anyway. Bluegrass, along with all its branches, is so unique and so full of skill, and those things are truly a leg up in this industry climate. And for those who fear that the intimacy will disappear, bigger shows are actually what most artists want (and if they don’t they just need to tell their booking agent!!). I believe that most traditional settings will remain the same, if not becoming a slightly larger version of exactly what they are now. Artists do what they want to do. If you find yourself disagreeing with it, something is wrong.
We just need to enjoy and support the music we think is great, and in turn great things will happen to it.
Have faith in the music you love. Don’t worry about everything else!
This is amazing! Nothing more flattering than another band covering one of your songs, especially when they are 9000 miles away. Same arrangement, complete with shredding solo sections.
