The past ten to fifteen years of bluegrass have clearly created a shift in what is expected and what is acceptable. I remember one of my first experiences seeing Cadillac Sky when IBMA was still in Nashville. People were pissed. Whether it be the shirtless display of Baker Mayfield, the disruption of the audience-performer dynamic done by both Bryan Simpson and Mayfield, or the implementation of drums that weren’t used as much for accompaniment as they were for heightened noise and extremity, it seemed like “bluegrass” had reached it’s breaking point. With a music that has partially been identified by its non-rock properties, what does that music do when those same sensibilities become one of the main success points for the band? As we can tell, drums aren’t going away. But luckily for many, their use has not been one of ten minute drum solos and sticks thrown and lodged into an elderly front row listener’s eye. No, drums have been appropriated for the sake of “country” music. It’s a much more subtle swing, but it creates what in bluegrass world we have determined to be a “modern” aesthetic. In other words, it derives its standards and sensibilities not exclusively from the first generation of bluegrass.
Another band whose primary inspirations is not the first generation, (their listed inspirations include the Country Gentlemen, Hot Rize, and the Bluegrass Album Band) is Jeff Scroggins & Colorado. This generation of groups was influenced by another genre that itself was also an explicit reaction or negation to Rock’s seemingly endless reign and America’s popular music, Folk. Softer timbres and more story oriented songwriting were a hallmark of O’Brien certainly, and you could say that Tony Rice’s solo albums share that same desire to not come at you like a ton of bricks, but to gently and convincing sweep the listener off their feet with authenticity and sleek skill. There’s no doubt that JS&C have this skill in spades. Whether it be the perfectly dynamic and pristine right hands of both Jeff and Tristan Scroggins on banjo and mandolin respectively, the sincerity in the left hand and vocals of fiddle player Ellie Hankanson, the unparalleled control of Greg Blake’s voice to go with his solid rhythm guitar, or the Mark Schatziness of Mark Schatz on bass, this band has the chops, the material and the influences to create a new sensitivity for what bluegrass can be in 2018.
“Piney River Girl” written by William R. Staines, is a perfect example of the aesthetic this band is desiring. While not my favorite song on the project, it accomplishes its goal of mixing intricate instrumental work with a softer folk sensitivity. The chorus’s lullaby type melody could be dismissed, but it does succeed in recalling an earlier American era which is some regards is one of the highest and deceptively difficult heights to reach in bluegrass. More intriguing is “Darcy Farrow”. A very similar pacing and melody makes up this track, but Blake’s dynamics, innate phrasing and bends reminds one of the proud and unique tradition of the Irish vocals and the personal expression it can instill in the singer and audience alike.
Folk also has the adds implied political aspirations which JS&C take advantage of with “Curse the Ohio”. With lines such as, “Old money helped hide his lack of education, and now he’s using it to hide all the bruises on her” and “Learned how to cook, learned how to sow, learned how to take a punch so no one would ever know” are designed to be gruesome and thought provoking like much of folk music from especially the Vietnam war on. Here, it is taking on a more contemporary issue of spousal abuse and female empowerment. The lesson: kill the guy. Honestly, not a bad one.
Even songs that seem to desire to be more honkey-tonk get merged in with folk sensibilities to promising results. Interestingly we can see a song of this ilk again from both a male and female
perspective. “Hide your Heart” has Ellie singing about restraint to avoid from melancholy. An interesting tidbit, the classic 5-1-2-5 chorus is implemented here, which at least in my listening has been used almost as a soap box for a male protagonist to release his sorrow. “Room over Mine” and “What Made Milwaukee Famous” are good examples. Here, it is the female perspective that gets the advantage of this tried and true progression, which makes for a jarring and piercing listen.
I’m going to be honest and admit I had no idea who Micky Newbury was. After hearing the original, I am also kind of glad that I heard the Blake version of this song first because he actually uses this thing called “subtlety”. And while Newbury’s voice is raspy and unassured, Blake sings it with this undefinable calm, and his borderline idiosyncratic guitar background adds so much to this track that Newbury was able to implement. Again, Blake’s soothing yet undeniable timbre adds new life to this song that has such piercing lines such as the title, and “I hit the soup lines my morning and the dive bars every night”.
I have gone this far without mentioning what some would say is the hallmark of this band, instrumental ability. While Ellie is a beyond serviceable fiddle player as you can see on her slides on “The Future is Not What it Used to Be”. The Scroggins duo controls the instrumental narrative. If anybody listens to Tristan’s Facebook videos, which are basically public right hand practicing sessions, you can see how these exercises influence his instrumental compositions. The mandolin has become a right hand oriented instrument ever since Steffey, and that has had its pros and cons. It has created a proficiency that wasn’t there with many amateur players, but it has created what I deem to be a “soft” character that I do not find desirable. Tristan, doesn’t not fall into this trap. His right hand has moved beyond cleanliness and has focused on dynamics, stroke implementation and other loftier goals than simply clarity of notes.
This is a perfect microcosm for the whole band. Mark Schatz (who is obviously so amazing I didn’t feel the need to simply, say “Ya, he’s really freaking good”) says that this band is not some quiet Mercedes, but a Pontiac GTO ready to get up and go. This get up and go is not comparable to a Michael Cleveland or a Sammy Shelor, but instead this band’s vocal and instrumental fire power takes place in the margins and at opportune times. This is not a genre and performance practice based on shirtless displays, clashing of drums and other instrumental theatrics. It is based on a clean and simple proficiency of a craft.
