Danny Paisley & Southern Grass Find a Family Blend on ‘Bluegrass Troubadour’

After nearly 50 years in bluegrass, Danny Paisley has reached something of a breakout moment. He won Male Vocalist of the Year honors at the 2020 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards — his second time in the past five years and his third IBMA trophy overall.

Paisley started performing bluegrass music as a teenager when he joined the Southern Mountain Boys, a band his father Bob co-founded with Ted Lundy. Lundy’s sons, TJ and Bobby, played in that group too, and now are in Southern Grass, the band Danny now leads. The lineup also features his son, Ryan, giving this traditional bluegrass group a unique two-family, three-generation legacy. Earlier this month, the band released Bluegrass Troubadour, their first album for Pinecastle Records. They recorded it last fall with producer Wes Easter, whom Paisley praises for his good ideas and good vibes, sharing that “after every session we were just happy and couldn’t wait to go back the next day.”

Speaking to BGS from his home in Landenberg, the southeastern Pennsylvania town where the singer-guitarist grew up, Paisley talks about how his not-strictly-traditional sound was shaped by that area’s rich musical history and how the new generation is rethinkng bluegrass.

BGS: You’ve been a bluegrass professional almost your entire life. When did you join your father’s band?

Paisley: I started playing with my father and traveling the rooms around 1974-75. Ted Lundy and my dad had a band for years. Ted’s sons, TJ and Bobby, started playing and I started playing, so we became a family group within the two families. Totally like a big family. Their mom is like my mom. And they call my mom “mom.” We grew up together. Basically all our lives we’ve been playing music together. That pretty much carried all the way through, because the Lundy brothers are back playing with me.

How was it being in a band where your dad was the boss?

Sometimes I would say to my dad, “I have this great idea.” Ever patient as he was, he always knew how to handle every situation. He’d always look at you and go: “That’s great, that’s great, when you get your own band you can try that.” To this day, I laugh about that. And I use that, too, on my son.

Now you have a similar situation with your son Ryan in Southern Grass. Does he bring a different generational perspective?

He wants to do more things [with technology], where I’m still old school and like to do things my way. He has good ideas and it makes me have to rethink… Young minds are sometimes way better than old minds. It’s hard for the younger generation today — for the third generation of bluegrassers to relate to the “Blue Ridge Cabin Home on the Hill.” They love the song, but not that theme of the cabin on the hill and things like that from the old days. I have heard of that from my grandparents. Now with the next generation, it is washed down even more.

The area where you grew up seems to have been a great musical influence.

I was very lucky. I grew up in a place here where there was a country music park, Sunset Park. On Sundays, they would have a major country or bluegrass artist… Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman, Osborne Brothers… I got to see all of my heroes within five miles of my house. Down the road about 15-20 miles was another park called New River Ranch. It had the Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Reno & Smiley. Any given Sunday within 20 miles, you could go somewhere and hear some incredible music.

When I was very young, Flatt & Scruggs came and everyone was there to see Earl Scruggs. He was god to every banjo player and rightfully so. I remember that day leaving with this impression of Lester Flatt — just how calm he was and how he talked from the stage. He was in control of the whole thing so easily. … Del McCoury lived the next county over from me, so we often played shows with him. I loved his rhythm guitar playing and his voice. He could play that rhythm guitar and keep that band in time – he’d drive that band with that guitar. There was nothing like hearing him live.

Your music has been associated with “Baltimore Barroom Bluegrass” What was that scene like?

When I got older, there were all these bars and clubs in Baltimore, which is about 30 miles from home. I ended up playing in these clubs, four or five nights a week… you’d played from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., sometimes four or five sets. You got your chops in. You had a broad repertoire and you were playing to people who knew the music because Baltimore became a hub for Southerners who moved up from Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky for work. They were hard-living, hard-drinking, and hard-driving bluegrass fans. There’d be fights. There’d be carrying on, but boy you could have fun!

And another regional musical influence on you was the Galax sound, right?

Galax is a town in southern Virginia, on the state line of North Carolina and Virginia, and the Old Fiddlers Convention there draws thousands from all over the world. The Galax sound features a lot of fiddle — maybe not your standard bluegrass fiddle tunes, but a lot of different fiddle tunes that made their way into bluegrass music. …

Their banjo players had a certain sound to their playing. Ted Lundy had it. He came from Galax and my dad’s family came from over the state line in Ashe County, North Carolina. So naturally they would be drawn together when they got up here. Ola Belle Reed, who wrote “High on a Mountain,” lived a few miles from where I’m at here. She was from that same region. The driving banjo — there is a certain style in their hands and in their noting. You can tell they are from the Galax area. I play [guitar] with a thumb pick where a lot of the bluegrass guys play with a flat pick. That was from my dad also.

So Southern Grass’ driving rhythms are like a handed-down legacy?

Yes, of that area and of our fathers. We keep the rhythm sort of pumping, but you’ve got to play to each song. We’ll work the song. As the singer eases off singing, the rhythm will pull back, too, and then you can build back up. We do a lot of stuff like that dynamic. That’s what I like about my style of music, knowing and feeling the song.

Bobby Lundy used to play the banjo in the band and decided he needed some time off. When he said he was able to play, I needed a bass player. I call him my utility man of bluegrass, like he could play any position on a baseball team — he’s that talented. Because he has known me for so long, he knows what I am going to do on a guitar. He knows what I am going to do singing. He can walk me right into the singing with his bass. He can lead me right into the voice. He can just push the band and keep that timing from not going too fast or too slow. He can just keep it rock steady.

How did you pick songs for your new album?

Two of them [“He Can’t Own Them” and “I Never Was Too Much”] were written by Eric Gibson of the Gibson Brothers. He’s always one of my favorite writers. He sent a gang of songs he had not recorded. Every one of them was a great song. Those were the two that fit my style. Brink Brinkman — another excellent bluegrass songwriter — told me, “I have a song that I’d like you to hear.” As soon as I heard it [“Date With an Angel”], I wrote back: “I want it!”

“May I Sleep in Your Barn, Mister,” I learned from a guy named Cullen Galyean, a banjo picker and a great mountain singer from down in the Galax, Virginia, area. “Eat at the Welcome Table” is an old-timey spiritual song. When my dad moved up here to Pennsylvania, his neighbors were an African-American farming family. They had an old-timey string band and played gospel songs. They would sing that song. We put our own spin on it.

The album has an interesting mix of songs that come from different styles and influences.

That’s how music generally works for me. I love it all, and then I make it my own. My band is rooted in traditional music and traditional ways, but that shouldn’t hamper or restrict you. So, I keep my ears open to all kinds of things. You can sometimes take an idea from a non-bluegrass artist and use it in bluegrass.

It’s that way with my singing. I listen to everything from George Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis and Vince Gill to opera singers like Pavarotti – these guys all amaze me. How they control their voice and present it with such tone. For me that was lacking in my singing and I had to work at that… I learned to sing a little different as I got older – to take the edge off the high tenor part a bit. Things like that, and I noticed that people were responding better.

Congratulations on winning your second IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year win. Was the victory sweeter the second time around?

The first time I was so shocked. Any category when you are up there with Russell Moore, Del McCoury — all these guys that I enjoy. You’re shocked that people would appreciate what you do. The second time, it was like, “Oh my goodness.” It didn’t really set in until the next day or so. I love to go out and play to make people happy. I never thought of being something like Male Vocalist of the Year. It’s always the dream for everybody. It’s always a dream to play the Grand Ole Opry, but you’ve got to keep it realistic. A life lesson early on that I got from my dad: never get to where you think you’re better than anybody else. Because as soon as you do that, you’ll realize that you’re not.


Photo of Danny Paisley and Ryan Paisley courtesy of Pinecastle Records.

LISTEN: June Star, “I Don’t Wanna Know”

Artist: June Star
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Song: “I Don’t Wanna Know”
Album: How We See It Now
Release Date: April 16, 2021
Label: WhistlePig Records

In Their Words: “Human beings are messy emotional creatures. Sometimes when we struggle to communicate in relationships it’s because there’s the voice we speak with and that voice in our head. ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ bounces between a professed love to another person and a confessed loneliness on the inside.” — Andrew Grimm, June Star


Photo credit: Shane Gardner

LISTEN: Miles Gannett, “Thunder River, Tumbling Down”

Artist: Miles Gannett
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Song: “Thunder River, Tumbling Down”
Album: Meridian
Release Date: April 16, 2021

In Their Words: “I heard the melody and a few of the lyrics, including the lines ‘Thunder River, tumbling down; catch your babes before they drown’ in a dream, and I woke up and sang what I could remember into my phone. It kind of creeped me out, so it sat around for a couple years until I figured out where to go with the rest of the lyrics. It contains a lot of trippy apocalyptic imagery and I guess quasi-religious commentary. Musically, I was inspired by the vibe of some of my favorite late ’60s and early ’70s progressive bluegrass artists, especially Dillard & Clark, who combined bluegrass and psychedelic folk rock in a way that I think is really cool, and J.D. Crowe & the New South, who used drums and pedal steel on their Bluegrass Evolution album, which I love even if Tony Rice didn’t (ha ha). I was honored to have such great players on the record, who could help me achieve the sound I was searching for. Ron Stewart of the Seldom Scene played banjo on the track, which, along with Eric Selby’s drumming and Joe Martone’s bass, really propels the song and creates a solid foundation for Dave Hadley’s pedal steel and Sean P. Finn’s fiddle. I did my best to keep up on acoustic guitar!” — Miles Gannett


Photo credit: Chancey June Gannett

LISTEN: Andrew Grimm, “A Little Heat”

Artist: Andrew Grimm
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Song: “A Little Heat”
Album: A Little Heat
Release Date: October 30, 2020
Label: WhistlePig Records

In Their Words: “This song is a departure from the rest. I cannot offer up dark and depressing ideas without suggesting some type of a salve or solution. That’s the deal here: when we start seeing each other as humans, when we smash our phones, when we begin to trust each other, when we thaw the frost between us, we will come out the other side of crisis, together. ‘All we need is a little heat.'” — Andrew Grimm


Photo credit: Chad Cochran

LISTEN: Cris Jacobs, “Holler and Hum”

Artist: Cris Jacobs
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Song: “Holler and Hum”
Album: Color Where You Are
Release Date: April 12, 2019
Label: Blue Rose Music

In Their Words: “When we sing, play music, dance, cook, garden, we are looking for some sort of connection to our roots and ancient impulses. The best creations for me are the ones that tap into those universal emotions, when we are made to feel something rather than told exactly what to think. When I write songs, the way they feel to sing, the way the melody rolls off the tongue, the way the vocal cords vibrate, is where I feel that primal connection. More so than a cleverly-worded phrase that breaks the flow. The lyrics to this one formed themselves in one sitting, and I wasn’t sure ahead of time what I was writing about; but in essence, they feel as though they are about this very idea.” — Cris Jacobs


Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen

STREAM: The Honey Dewdrops, ‘Anyone Can See’

Artist: The Honey Dewdrops
Hometown: Virginia, but now living in Baltimore, Maryland
Album: Anyone Can See
Release Date: March 1, 2019

In Their Words:Anyone Can See came out of wanting to record the feeling of our live show. It’s the sound of us playing and singing together side by side and letting the songs unwind themselves down the paths they wanted to go. This is a record about what we’ve been thinking and feeling over the last few years. The songs are about what we can and cannot see, and the process of trying to see even when we’re not sure what we’re looking at.” — The Honey Dewdrops


Photo credit: Michael Patrick O’Leary

3×3: ENTRANCE on Vegetables, Violence, and Vulnerability

Artist: ENTRANCE 
Hometown: Born in Baltimore, currently torn between L.A. and London 
Latest Album: Promises EP
Personal Nicknames: Froggy, Guy-o

If Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Mohammed were in a band together, who would play what?
Krishna obviously would play flute, since he's depicted with a flute in most images I've seen. Buddha would have to play drums. Jesus and Mohammad wouldn't likely get along very well, as each of them is claiming to be the one true prophet. They might be a bit like Noel and Liam from Oasis or Ray and Dave from the Kinks … brilliant songwriting team that can't stand each other personally … but let's just say Jesus on guitar and Mohammed on bass and they'd both sing … 

If you were a candle, what scent would you be? 
Lavender with a hint of sandalwood 

What literary character or story do you most relate to?
This is a great question and hard to answer succinctly. There is a James Joyce story called "Araby," and I always felt a special connection to the main character, describing the irrational, almost mystical possession that happens when a young boy experiences the mystery of obsessive love for the first time. I've also been reading a lot of Virginia Woolf and really connect with her — the insights she shows into the subconscious and the inner workings of the mind. I've always identified with the archetype of the "Hero," especially as portrayed in science fiction, like the character of Luke Skywalker, or Paul Atreides in Dune … the sensitive youth endowed (blessed or cursed?) with special powers and drawn by destiny into the epic battle between good and evil. I'm also following the My Struggle series of autobiographical novels by Karl Ove Knausgaard, and i feel that the way he reveals and explores the nature of awareness and attention and pushes the limit of raw honesty is inspiring, and I identify with a lot of his personality. 

How many pairs of shoes do you own?  
4

What's your best physical attribute? 
My voice — I try to take care of it and not take it for granted. I've accepted the unique and unusual quality of it and do my best to honor that and keep it pure and true to myself. 

Who is your favorite Bruce: Willis, Springsteen, or Lee?
Bruce Lee … his peaceful warrior philosophy appeals to me. I like the idea (and the practice) of cultivating inner power, but reserving it for the right moment, never projecting it outward or using force, but always ready to respond in a crisis or to protect the vulnerable. Nebraska by Springsteen is a personal favorite, though. 

Animal, mineral, or vegetable?
I guess I'd have to choose vegetable. It's important to embody all of these qualities as human beings are made up of all three. I'd been vegetarian since the age of 10 and recently (about three years ago) became a full carnivore. Now I'm easing back into vegetarianism, as I still see the connection between violence toward other species and the violence of our society in this time of escalating aggression. Plants have a lot to teach us, at this point. 

Rain or shine? 
This has been a big issue for me recently. As I mentioned before, I'm currently torn between living in L.A. and London. I'd have to take the side of RAIN. I've become so accustomed to the endless sunshine of Los Angeles that the gloom and moody atmosphere of English weather is exciting and refreshing … then when the sunshine breaks through a cloud it's a special gift and is easier to appreciate. I guess underlying this is that I prefer changes to everything always being the same. A lot of the songs I've been writing are about the seasons and weather and how contrast is such a huge part of perception. 

Mild, medium, or spicy? 
 I like extremes, so i'm tempted to say spicy, but really I'm more likely to ask for things to be mild. Moderation in all things, even moderation.