I had some fun with this–you may see these ‘founding fathers’ again. We are so pumped about this lineup! Amazing music and amazing people in a truly amazing place. Join us for three days of music at this year’s Festy Experience.
In the unruly sea of kickstarter projects, here is one that’s definitely worth funding. Producer/director Anna Schwaber logged a bunch of time with just about every prominent voice in acoustic music (including the Stringdusters) to reflect on the history and tradition that make our music what it is. The Porchlight Sessions is equal parts beautiful film and valuable resource. Below is the trailer and also a cool kickstarter vid that features yours truly and two of my heroes, Alison Brown and Bela Fleck. Give it a few minutes and then give it a few bucks, this thing is going to be great.
Just like that, Earl has moved on. As the music world (from NPR to Pitchfork) commemorates the endless accomplishments of this rare genius, it’s clear that we’ve lost a ‘once in a lifetime’ musical figure, and there is so much to be in awe of. But as I sit here blasting ‘Get In Line Brother’ in my home studio, I’m just in awe of what it feels like to be a banjo player at this moment in time. It’s so heavy–sadness, celebration, gratitude, inspiration, amazement, etc. I literally have no idea what I would be doing with my life right now if it wasn’t for Earl Scruggs. It’s a powerful and humbling realization. So today I’m immersed in the beauty of his art and his influence, reveling in the joys of music and community, experiencing a newfound appreciation for what Earl’s done for me, and for us all. I have always loved bluegrass and the banjo, but it’s just never looked quite like it does now.
Earl was a living legend, long revered as the most innovative, influential and genius 5-string banjo player there will ever be. Very few people, if any, have done what he did: to invent/innovate the technical style that defines an instrument (a complex one at that!), and then go on to fully realize the creative expression and beauty that this new style is capable of. It’s a process that usually takes generations of players, the accumulation of influences, a collection of minds, and years of collective development. But somehow Earl tapped into the highest order of inspiration, creating a standard that defines not only an instrument but also an entire thriving genre of music. His style is the bedrock of everything that three-finger style banjo players will ever accomplish. I cannot think of another musician in any genre who’s influence is so universal on their chosen instrument.
Initially inspired by more contemporary figures, I came to Scruggs later than most banjo players. Ultimately it was Ben Eldridge who told me that I had to REALLY understand Scruggs’ playing if I wanted to be a complete musician on the banjo. I don’t remember his exact words but the message was clear: whether you want to be a straight-ahead traditional player or the most progressive banjo player out there, it all comes from Earl. Of course I had ‘learned’ a good bit of Scruggs’ music, but I never really understood it.
In the creative realms, appreciation always precedes understanding. So it was then that I really started listening, and in turn appreciating. I remember going to Jon Weisberger’s home in Madison, TN, eating dinner and then listening in amazement to vintage Earl cuts from various points in his career. I can recall the deep curiosity upon hearing the banjo solo on ‘Why Don’t You Tell Me So’ from the ‘Mercury Sessions,’ my preconceptions of Earl’s style disappearing in real time. I remember buying ‘Tis Sweet To Be Remembered,’ and listening to ‘Foggy Mountain Special’ a million times on repeat with a giant question mark over my head. I was intrigued and baffled, but also totally entranced with the musical ideas and their effortless, perfect delivery. Then I started to get it, even just a tiny bit of it, and I remember playing ‘Fireball Mail’ for the first time, even though I had played it a hundred times before. It was totally magical, all of it, and a lifetime of learning was underway.
I am by no means an expert on Earl’s style the way some are, but elements of his playing, mostly his timing and authoritative delivery, are now the most important elements of the banjo to me. And when it’s time to play something straight ahead, his amazing lexicon of musical ideas cannot be topped and never will. It’s rich with nuance, a lifetime’s worth of hard work. The mechanics of the instrument are elusive, but somehow that perfect blueprint just showed up in his mind. Even for players with a much more modern sensibility, understanding Scruggs’ style is what puts all the ideas into context. It’s the roll, the melody, the timing, the tone. It’s perfect and it’s all Earl.
We as banjo players will always continue to innovate and evolve, and Earl wouldn’t have it any other way. But the mystery of how to make beautiful music with three picks and five strings has already largely been solved. He gave us the tools, and now we celebrate him with our music. It’s unreal. It’s beautiful. Thank you Earl Scruggs. We are forever grateful.
This was the best in-store yet. Mid day on the second day of two sold out shows with Yonder at the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. We were late and about 250 people were waiting for us. Thanks to everyone at Mast General, where fans of music and the outdoors come together.
Andy Falco and I started playing together all the time when we moved to Charlottesville a year ago. Soon after, the Founding Fathers was officially formed. What started as an acoustic side project is morphing into something different, something much more experimental. We opened for Rubblebucket (unreal band!) this past weekend at the Southern in Charlottesville, mixing in a few new elements (loop pedal, percussion), but there’s more to come. We had several plugged in rehearsals a few weeks ago. We are experimenting with a wide range of sounds, drawing on our experience producing different kinds of music in our home studios and also our copious live experiences with the Stringdusters. It’s about playing our instruments live, as always, but putting that into a new and different sonic background. New songs, new toys, new musical journeys–we are excited to see where it goes.
Thanks to Milo Farineau for the excellent pics.
We had a show last Sunday night during the Grammys, but it was impossible to avoid all the commotion on-line. The big categories featured a lot of talent/quality, clear evidence that the voters still know what’s good without thinking too hard. Artists like Adele, The Black Keys, Radiohead, Mumford & Sons and Foo Fighters are good whether you like them or not–real artists that push their art forward over time, honing a real craft and delivering it live with authority. It seems impossible to miss the authenticity. But much of the buzz centered around some of the night’s more curious nominees/performers. Of course, the Grammys are totally subjective (and a total sham, depending who you ask) and thus totally insignificant in some way (it’s all just music after all). But they’re also not, and as a creative mind and a fan I can’t help wonder what this great spectacle means about the future of popular music.
Here’s a short promo I put together for our upcoming album, which we are very stoked about. I shot this time lapse 4 different times in downtown Charlottesville. This was the best one. Full screen it and watch the planes criss-cross the sky just before the sun goes away!
I’m home in one piece, but part of me remains in the magical western US, where the Stringdusters just wrapped up our annual Ski Tour. Huge thanks to all the amazing people who came to see us. It was 3 weeks of pure bliss–14 packed shows and 6 days of epic skiing in 12 mountain towns across 5 states with an endless crew of Duster friends and family. What is it about these ski towns, where people effortlessly live the good life and considerations of the future never seem to extend beyond the next big dump of snow? It’s magic, the perfect place for our band to do what we do best: capture the inspiration of the High Country lifestyle to create a musical experience that celebrates life and our connection to each other and the world around us.
We rolled west from Charlottesville to New Mexico, kicking off with shows in Taos and Durango. Next up was Telluride–time to make our first turns of the trip. They’re still awaiting the heavy snow, but we got out under blue skies and had two great sold out shows at the Sheridan Opera House with Elephant Revival, a totally unique acoustic band from CO. Crested Butte was a full on blizzard, getting around 16 inches of new snow while we were Read the rest of this entry →
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.
