This interview was my first Welcome and Porch Talk/Bluegrass Breakdown column with now Grammy Nominated mandolinist for Front Country, the superb Adam Roszkiewicz. It was not called Porch Talk yet. – Dave
Bluegrass Interviews
This is a new occasional column by Dave Berry, a San Francisco-based CBA member, singer and mandolin player who has an insatiable bluegrass curiosity.
Adam Roszkiewicz
The subject of this very first Bluegrass Interviews column is the multi-instrumentalist and singer Adam “Roscoe” Roszkiewicz, who plays mandolin and other instruments in Front Country, the Modern Mandolin Quartet, Small Town Therapy, and other bands.
Hi Adam, thanks for your time. Do you go by Adam or the nickname “Roscoe”?
Either really. I played with this songwriter named AJ Roach for several years, and he started calling me that, put it on the stage plot, promo stuff, so I think it caught on that way.
Is your entire family musical, either amateur or professional? We love details.
Both my parents played music. My dad played guitar and bass and my Mom played piano. My dad used to play Mississippi John Hurt and Doc Watson to put me to sleep when I was little. It never worked.
Who was your biggest musical influence growing up? And now?
Probably my dad. He had a really good ear and was always kicking my butt to listen harder and write better. Definitely Tony Rice, Dawg, and Mike Marshall. My biggest influence now is the people I get to make music with. All the folks in Front Country and the MMQ.
When did you know music was your calling?
Pretty early on. I remember after my first real lesson I couldn’t stop laughing, like I’d just learned the best secret in the world. I think I was 12. I’d been playing different instruments since I was 7, but it wasn’t by choice till I was 12.
You do some composing. What instrument do you generally find yourself holding when the muse strikes?
Whatever’s closest usually. Sometimes I’ll hear something for a specific instrument and I’ll try and make that happen. Or if I’m writing for someone in particular. Probably guitar the most. The truth is I try not to wait for inspiration. When I need/want to write I’ll sit down and write, but the stuff that sticks is usually because I’m in a non-judgmental frame of mind and not editing as I write. I remember hearing an interview with Martin Scorsese, and his advice was to write everyday and not look at it until the next week. I’ll do the same thing, recording ideas, not listening to them till later, and it really frees you up from judging your ideas in the moment.
What inspires you for composing and who are your favorites?
My friends, people, silly sayings. Bach… Matt Flinner is one of my favorites… But the thing that really inspires me is tone. Just the sound, and how it feels to make a sound on the instrument.
How long do you generally work on a piece?
It depends. Sometimes it just writes itself, sometimes it takes longer. With the duo, a piece can evolve over months of performing it and continue evolving with each performance.
Tell me about various bands past and present you have been in and your role?
I had a long run doing sideman stuff for various singer songwriters. Ana Egge, Anais Mitchell, AJ Roach, Indianna Hale, Nels Andrews. Then I got real heavy into playing country guitar. I played in a modern honky-tonk band called the Whisky Richards for several years, as well as Misisipi Mike’s band for a couple of years. Right now I have my duo [with fiddler Leif Karlstrom], Small Town Therapy, which plays mostly original instrumentals, kind of a cross between the Anger/Marshall duo and Tin Hat Trio. I also play in the Modern Mandolin Quartet, like a string quartet but made up of mandolins. I used to listen to that group when I was a kid, so it’s a real honor to get to play with them. We made a record a couple of years ago that got nominated for a Grammy. The focus for me right now, however, is my progressive bluegrass band Front Country. Being in that band is an amazing experience. We got to play Telluride last summer and RockyGrass the summer before that, and this summer we are playing MerleFest, Grey Fox, and Strawberry. It’s an honor making music with those guys.
Tell us about your mandocello and how you connected with it?
It’s a Randy Wood Mandocello. Serial No. 1798. It’s on loan from the MMQ. I like that instrument a lot. We’ve grown together.
What connections do you see, if any, between classical and bluegrass?
I think a big connection is that both genres have very high standards of performance, technique, and musicianship. When Bill Monroe said that if you can play bluegrass you can play anything, I always took that to mean that it gives you the tools you need to be an accomplished and versatile musician. It’s the same with classical music. I know there are people with very strong opinions on both sides of the fence on this issue.
Have you ever been a bandleader or desire to be?
I haven’t really been a bandleader long term… It’s hard work! I’ve learned a lot over the years working with great bandleaders. One of the great things about working with Leif is that there are things that he’s really good at, and he steps into that role very easily. And there are things that I’m good at, and he’s comfortable (presumably) letting me take the reigns in those situations.
What do you like to do on you day off?
Cook. I’ve recently started pickling things. I’ve been cooking since I was a kid, and at one point I seriously considered pursuing that instead of music.
Do you have any/many students and if so, what do you consider your or anyone’s best quality as a teacher?
I have a handful of students. I think it’s really important as a teacher to recognize that different people get different things out of music. People have a different relationship to music then you (as a performer) do, and that you have to be flexible and tailor your approach to that particular student. However, I’m not talking about compromising or sacrificing fundamental musical principals.
Front Country is deservingly getting a lot of attention. Why do you think that band has hit pay dirt?
I’m amazed by what this band has accomplished in such a short period of time! I’m really lucky to get to play with such great musicians. I think one of the keys to Front Country’s success has been the chemistry on stage, and the variety of sounds and approaches to music that we each bring to the table. We each tackle making music in a different and complimentary way. Also, we all realize that at the end of the day, the song is the most important thing, so we do everything we can to support the song.
Any tours planned for Front Country?
We have a big East Coast tour coming up in April, which will include MerleFest and the Oberlin Folk Fest. Then we have the summer festival tour, which will include Strawberry, Pagosa Folk n’ Bluegrass, and Grey Fox, among others.
I’ll also be sneaking in some MMQ concerts and a Ger Mandolin Orchestra concert this summer, so stay tuned.
Tell us about your involvement with the Ger Mandolin Orchestra?
The Ger Mandolin Orchestra is a memorial project reviving the Jewish Mandolin Orchestra of the same name that was active in Gora Kalwaria, Poland between 1920 to 1930. Most of its members died in the Holocaust. The project began when Avner Yoni, the grandson of one of the members of the original orchestra approached Mike Marshall about reviving the group for the Jewish Music Festival in Berkeley in 2010. I was asked to play guitar and mandocello for the performance and it was an amazing experience. The group is made up of a pretty stellar lineup of mandolin players including Dana Rath from the MMQ, Radim Zenkl, Don Stiernberg, Mr. Marshall, Sharon Gilchrist, Avi Avital, Tim Connell, Eric Stein, Jeff Warshauer, Chris Acquavella and Brian Oberlin. Since that first concert we’ve also performed in Warsaw, Toronto, and LA, and there are plans to give a performance in New York late this year.
What cities, events, or venues that you have played are most memorable for you and why?
Telluride really stands out. Playing on that stage after spending more than half my life looking at pictures of my heroes playing on the same stage was a very emotional experience.
Any good band stories you want to share about Front Country? There seem to be a lot of distinct personalities that play off of each other in that band.
I’m saving those for my memoir.
A lot of folks know you as the sound guy at Amnesia in San Francisco. Do you do any studio sound work?
No. Years ago I was Shawn Magee’s (the owner of Amnesia) guitar teacher, and I’d just gotten back from tour and was very frustrated with the sound engineers in the various clubs and theaters we were playing in. I was mostly annoyed by my inability to communicate what I wanted sound-wise (although I certainly wouldn’t have admitted it at the time). So I asked Shawn to let me do sound for the Monday night bluegrass at Amnesia, and to teach me as I go. It’sbeen a huge learning curve! But, it’s taught me A LOT about the reality of the sound situation in a small club and, more importantly, the realities of what a sound engineer has to deal with on any given night.
What event in life caused you to get hooked on bluegrass?
When I was a kid I hung out in the acoustic instrument shop called Shade Tree in Southern California. One day, one of the guys who worked there loaned me his copies of Manzanita by Tony Rice and Appalachian Swing by the Kentucky Colonels and that was it. Although I think he may have regretted it, as he had to listen to me hack away at Blackberry Blossom for the next six months!
Finally, for the geeks out there, what instruments do you have, play, and love?
I have a Collings MF Custom Mandolin #725 that I got new in 2005 I think.
I also play a Bourgeois Vintage D Guitar # 3969 that I got in 2004, and a Michael Gurian guitar from the mid 70’s I think.
Hope you don’t mind me not asking what kind of pick you use.
I use a BlueChip TAD 60 and endorse Straight Up Strings, mediums.
I’ve heard you singing more recently. Do you approach that differently than playing an instrument?
The singing is pretty intuitive. I’ve been working on it in a more methodical and disciplined way lately, we shall see…
I caught the Front Country CD release show at Slim’s and loved the combination of new and old, where you played the entire second album by the Band. What tunes did you enjoy learning for that event, and what other full albums would you enjoy playing?
Jawbone was probably my fave. Each section has a different feel, it’s pretty amazing. It would be fun to do Bela Fleck’s Bluegrass Sessions album all the way through, also Tony Rice’s Cold on the Shoulder.
What fiddle tunes do you love and automatically play when you first pick up a guitar or mandolin?
Depends what I’m obsessing over at the moment but St. Anne’s Reel has always been a favorite, Winderslide, Ducks on the Millpond, Chinquapin Hunting.
What do you think it is about music that makes it touch people so deeply?
Each individual creates their own connection to the music in the moment, so it is a personal experience for everyone. At a show, individuals get to experience this personally meaningful event with others. I think it’s pretty powerful. I heard an interview with Jeff Tweedy from the band Wilco once, and when asked what makes a good song, he replied “the listener.” I’ve always liked that.
What other mandolin players do you enjoy listening to and why?
Besides Monroe and Dawg: Adam Steffey, Matt Flinner, Don Stiernberg, and Tom Bekeny. In addition to their wonderful ideas and great musicianship, I love their tone.
Are you into the Stones or the Beatles?
Both. You can be both, right?
But of course, thanks for your time Roscoe.
Here is a video of Roscoe with Front Country at Wintergrass in 2018