Tag: kristin scott benson

Wes Corbett’s Banjo Needs: 10 Songs That Make Him Happy

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Wes Corbett is a banjo player who wears many hats. The self-described “musically omnivorous bluegrass musician” is a true multi-hyphenate: 5-string aficionado (having released his solo album Cascade back in 2021), producer, former professor at Berklee College of Music, and musician with the likes of Joy Kills Sorrow, Molly Tuttle, and most recently Sam Bush Band.

Before hitting the road again with Sam Bush, the Washington native shared an exclusive playlist for BGS of “Wes Corbett’s Banjo Needs,” or as he puts it: the official home of all the songs that take him to his “happy place.”

“Fortune” – Adam Hurt

“Sliding Down” – Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mike Marshall

“Saint Elizabeth” – Kaia Kater

“The Hunt” – Kristin Scott Benson

“Milford’s Reel” – Noam Pikelny

“Your Love Is Like a Flower” – Flatt & Scruggs

“Come Back Darlin’” – The Bluegrass Album Band

“Poe’s Pickin’ Party” – Alison Brown

“The Over Grown Waltz” – Béla Fleck

“Goodbye, Honey, You Call That Gone” – Jake Blount

We’re giving away a Recording King Songster Banjo in honor of Banjo Month! Enter to win your very own RK-R20 here.

Kristin Scott Benson Shares Her Essential ’80s Bluegrass Banjo Tracks

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

I started playing banjo in 1989 and like most people, once I was hooked, I devoured all the banjo I could find. In my quest for the latest, coolest bluegrass, I ended up covering most of the music recorded in the ’80s. It took years to discover because (brace yourself, kids) there was no streaming or internet to bring it to us. We found music by buying CDs, listening to friends’ CDs, going to shows, and trial and error. In this list, I tried to represent the successful bands and players from the decade, who were recording music just before I fell in love with banjo.

Seeing Scott Vestal with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver is what made me want to play, so his “Up on the Blue Ridge” is of special significance. I played along with Bill Emerson’s instrumental album, Home of the Red Fox, for countless hours. Sonny’s cut on “Listening to the Rain” (sung by Paul Brewster) is still a bit mystifying. I was sure I had two of these key phrases exactly right, but Sonny never thought I did. Shocking, I know. Thing is, he wasn’t entirely sure how he played them either.

Some of my favorite current music from formative years just missed the deadline, like Alison Brown’s “Simple Pleasures,” which was released in 1990, but I tried to stick with the ’80s only. I love these banjo players, bands, and songs. To this day, if I get sleepy driving in the middle of the night, I can turn on this music and get a second wind. I hope you enjoy these 19 glimpses into the ’80s. — Kristin Scott Benson

We’re giving away a Recording King Songster Banjo in honor of Banjo Month! Enter to win your very own RK-R20 here.

WATCH: Jim Hurst, “Weary Old Highway” (Feat. Darin & Brooke Aldridge)

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jim Hurst
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Song: “Weary Old Highway” (feat. Darin & Brooke Aldridge)
Album: From the Ground Up
Release Date: July 1, 2022
Label: Pinecastle Records

In Their Words: “Road musicians are driven by desire, the pulling of what lies ahead, and searching for opportunities to grow, learn, and perfect — as much as possible — their craft, their art. But not perfection really, because to play the perfect performance, set, song, solo, last note… is extraordinary and uncommon. And maybe that’s the way it should be, because not unlike so many explorers, most if not all artisans/musicians/songwriters are always looking for the unknown ‘next.’ Once found, we want, need really to go for something. Something else, something further than what we have found.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be a road musician, songwriter, troubadour of sorts… and kinda doing it my way. And sometimes I find a song written by another of the same ilk that I am so fond of I request to cover it on a recording project and/or perform it live. Such is the case with Keith Little’s ‘Weary Old Highway,’ a road musician’s journal of sorts. I first heard this song on Keith’s Distant Land to Roam CD, and immediately fell in love with the song. Years later, I asked him if I could get his permission to record my version of it, and he graciously said yes. So I did, on my newest project: From the Ground Up on Pinecastle Records. I had wonderful musician friends to help me: Kristin Scott Benson (banjo), Wayne Benson (mandolin), Shawn Lane (fiddle), Ethan Burkhart (bass), Darin Aldridge (tenor vocal), and Brooke Aldridge (high baritone vocal). Oh, and Keith gave my version his approval… which matters to me. I hope you approve as well!” — Jim Hurst

Photo Credit: Pinecastle Records

LISTEN: Benson, “Conway”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Benson (Kristin Scott Benson and Wayne Benson)
Hometown: Boiling Springs, South Carolina
Song: “Conway”
Release Date: February 18, 2022
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: Kristin: After 20 plus years of marriage, we’re finally getting around to recording some music together.

Wayne: Yep. I’ve played on Kristin’s solo projects and we’ve both played as session players on a lot of the same projects for other artists, but this is the first collaboration between us.

Kristin: One thing I love about doing this is that we get to record some of Wayne’s instrumentals. On my banjo records, I only recorded tunes I wrote that featured banjo, but I always hear what he’s writing and wish they were mine. (laughs)

Wayne: This is exciting for me because none of my original instrumental music has been recorded in a long while. I had the Instrumental Anthology album that was all-original and was largely compiled from the Bluegrass ’90s series. We added a few to make an entire record. I’ve recorded a few originals with Russell (of Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out), but I’ve had a lot of songs just sitting there.

Kristin: And “Conway” is one of those! I like the groove on this one and I think that’s why the folks at Mountain Home liked it. It’s got a simple melody that anybody can hum, but then on the B part, it really grooves with electric bass.

Wayne: That’s mainly why I demoed it. I’m a closet electric bass player and it was a chance for me to have fun doing that. Paul Watson really did a great job and Tony Creasman added some nice, tasteful percussion.

Crossroads Label Group · Conway – Benson

Photo Credit: Sandlin Gaither

WATCH: J.D. Crowe Receives an All-Star “Blackjack” Tribute at 2020 IBMA Awards

Posted on by Editor

When the IBMA Awards celebrated the 75th birthday of bluegrass in 2020, they brought out the best banjo pickers in the business for an all-star tribute to J.D. Crowe. A pioneering figure of the 1970s whose hard-driving approach has never gone out of style, Crowe remains a musical hero to many. When the community learned of his death on December 24, 2021, the IBMA honored his legacy by posting this special performance of “Blackjack” from the 2020 broadcast. Due to COVID protocols, all of the musicians were socially distanced but nonetheless forged a strong connection standing side by side on the Ryman Auditorium stage.

With an introduction from good friend and former bandmate Jerry Douglas, the clip features cornerstones of the industry like Sam Bush on mandolin, David Grier on guitar, and Missy Raines on bass. In a fitting gesture, the spotlight also shines on all five nominees for Banjo Player of the Year: Kristin Scott Benson, Gena Britt, Gina Furtado, Ned Luberecki, and Scott Vestal. Watch all the way through, as Crowe himself gives it his stamp of approval at the end.

Photo Credit: Shelly Swanger

So Many Supergroups: Hear IBMA’s 2021 Instrumental Recording Nominees

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

We’re just over a week and a half away from the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual awards show held in Raleigh, North Carolina. Bluegrass being a technical, virtuosic genre, the awards have always included efforts to note, encourage, and honor instrumental music and instrumentalists. Each year five bands or acts are nominated for Instrumental Group of the Year, as well as individual songs nominated for Instrumental Recording of the Year. Today we’ll spend a little time with each of the nominees in the latter category, a collection of five instrumentals that showcase collaborative, exciting lineups, some acrobatic mandolin picking, and the exciting depth and breadth of the musical talent evident in the bluegrass community. 

Appalachian Road Show — “The Appalachian Road”

Appalachian Road Show is Barry Abernathy, Jim VanCleve, Darrell Webb, Zeb Snyder, and Todd Phillips, kicking off the Instrumental Recording category with our first supergroup of the bunch. Their titular tune, from the 2020 album, Tribulation, feels like an exciting, galloping journey with twists and turns and a slight darkness, like evening creeping over an Appalachian holler. Appalachian Road Show is the second-most nominated band this year at the IBMA awards, also up for New Artist of the Year – but don’t be fooled, this group has been making fiery music like this centered on VanCleve’s signature sawing for several years now.

Bluegrass 2020 — “Foggy Mountain Chimes”

Scott Vestal reprised his Bluegrass ‘95, Bluegrass ‘96, and Bluegrass 2001 records in 2020 with a new generation, filling out the band with IBMA Award winner and fiddler Patrick McAvinue, guitarist Cody Kilby, Hawktail mandolinist Dominick Leslie, and his brother Curtis Vestal on bass. His ‘95 edition included Wayne Benson, Adam Steffey, Aubrey Haynie, Barry Bales, and Clay Jones, while the ‘96 record featured Mark Schatz, Jeff Autry, and Rob Ickes – in addition to Haynie and Benson. In 2001, Autry and Benson were joined by John Cowan, Randy Kohrs, and Jim VanCleve. 

It’s easy to tell, from this 2020 rendition of “Foggy Mountain Chimes” or from any sample taken from this series of recordings helmed by Vestal, that his commitment to traditional bluegrass, that constantly pushes the envelope, is matched only by his commitment to crafting recordings such as these, where the most tangible throughline – perhaps the only throughline, besides Vestal himself – is the community and the music-making first and foremost.

Bluegrass at the Crossroads — “Ground Speed”

And, another supergroup! Mountain Home Music Company, an imprint of Crossroads Label Group in Arden, North Carolina, has been releasing a series of recordings featuring crackerjack bands of artists and musicians from across their label community and friends. This lineup includes Kristin Scott Benson of the Grascals, Darren Nicholson of Balsam Range, Jeremy Garrett of the Infamous Stringdusters,  Skip Cherryholmes of Sideline (and yes, Cherryholmes), and professor, bassist, and musicologist Kevin Kehrberg. 

It’s not uncommon for this IBMA Awards category to include traditional numbers from the bluegrass canon but it’s certainly a treat to have two such thoughtful – and downright fun – Earl Scruggs numbers up for the trophy this year.

Industrial Strength Bluegrass — “Mountain Strings”

If you haven’t had the good fortune to stumble upon it yet, scholar Neil V. Rosenberg has been taking BGS readers down memory lane, describing the 1989 Dayton Bluegrass Reunion that went on to inspire not only a book, Industrial Strength Bluegrass, but this new Joe Mullins-produced Smithsonian Folkways compilation album by various artists, too. This track features Sierra Hull with a band including Ben Isaacs, Kristin Scott Benson, Glen Duncan, Josh Williams, and the rarest of rare, bluegrass drums by Phil Paul. “Mountain Strings” was originally recorded by Red Allen and its composer, mandolinist Frank Wakefield. The album’s in-depth and museum-like liner notes get it right when they describe Hull’s rendering of the tune as inhabiting “rock and roll swagger,” much like the song’s originators. The ear-puckering cross tuning will stick in your craw, executed with a precision Hull accomplishes universally and deftly.

Justin Moses with Sierra Hull — “Taxland”

The Instrumental Recording of the Year category is always great at showcasing bluegrass’s endemic talent, but this year it really confirms and reconfirms the skill of many pickers, several of whom are nominated on more than one recording in this category, as you will have read already! Sierra Hull appears once again, this time on a track with her husband and musical compatriot Justin Moses, who assembled yet another Instrumental Recording supergroup on his Fall Like Rain project released in January of 2021. “Taxland” – a Tunesday Tuesday feature when it was released as a single in October 2020 – was inspired by all self-employed musicians’ least favorite time of year and features some of Hull and Moses’ signature double mandolin stylings, backed by Michael Cleveland’s jaw-dropping fiddle, Bryan Sutton on guitar, and Barry Bales on bass. It’s a tune that feels rollicking and impressive, but entirely musical, too – a quality not all bluegrass instrumentals share.

Congratulations goes to all of this year’s Instrumental Recording nominees, every one a deserving finalist for the award.

 

As Banjo Players and Friends, These Women Set the Tone in Bluegrass

Posted on by Editor

It’s always an honor to be nominated, as they often say, and even more special when you share a category with close friends. Achieving nominations once again for the 2021 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, Kristin Scott Benson, Gena Britt and Gina Furtado are competing for Banjo Player of the Year — and cheering each other on at the same time.

In a nod to the growing prominence of women who play one of bluegrass’s most iconic instruments, Benson and Furtado found themselves collaborating as producer and artist respectively on the latter’s most recent recording session, resulting in the release of “Made Up My Mind” and “Kansas City Railroad Blues” by the Gina Furtado Project.

Each also picked up additional IBMA Award nominations — the Project qualifying in the organization’s bellwether New Artist category, while Benson, already a five-time Banjo Player of the Year recipient, Steve Martin Banjo Prize winner, and a member of Grammy-nominated band The Grascals, earned an additional nomination in the Instrumental Recording field for her lead role in “Ground Speed,” released as one of a series of special in-studio collaborations for the Mountain Home label’s Bluegrass at the Crossroads series.

Furtado says, “Sometime last year during COVID, Kristin contacted me and said, ‘Hey, we’re so similar! We both play for Mountain Home. We both played with Chris Jones for a while. We both love dogs… we’re mothers… we play the banjo, and we’re not men! Why don’t we combine forces in some way and record a tune or something?’ Our busy lives prevented that from ever happening, but many months later I really needed to think of the perfect person to ask to produce my new batch of singles, and Kristin was exactly the right person.”

She adds, “I was really needing someone who brought not only brilliant musical ideas, but positive, feminine energy. Studios can be such man caves! I guess that’s not PC, but it is completely true. Kristin has motivated and inspired me so very much as a banjo player and human; from her sparkling solos, to formidable tone and timing… and yes, as a young woman learning to play the banjo, I was inspired in a unique way by this amazing woman out there shredding the best into the ground. Being nominated alongside her is super fun and above all extremely humbling!!”

As a producer, Benson brought out the best in Furtado’s recordings. “Gina can stand on her own as an artist,” she says. “My goal wasn’t to change anything about who she is as a writer, singer, or banjo player. I wanted to facilitate and shepherd her and the band through the recording process, from arranging to mixing, to hopefully help her achieve her goals in how she presents her music.”

Benson continues, “I think the ultimate success for women in bluegrass, or any other field, will be when we don’t pause to celebrate it because it’s so normal. That’s when we’ll know that women have seamlessly integrated into whatever we’re doing. Until then, I think we encourage and help each other as much as possible along the way..”

Attesting to the long-standing friendships that bluegrass nurtures, Benson adds, “I first met Gena Britt when I was in high school. She was already out-and-about, playing with an all-female group called Petticoat Junction, though she played bass in that band. She was always so kind and inviting to me. I’ll forever appreciate that.”

In addition, Britt shared an IBMA win with Sister Sadie last year as the Entertainer of the Year. Composed wholly of female musicians, the ensemble has picked up Vocal Group of the Year trophies for the last two years — and they’re back in that category this year, too. “I’m honored to be included in the final nominations for this year’s IBMA awards,” Britt concludes. “There are many incredible women nominated this year. But mostly… there are many amazing musicians that I’m proud to accompany.”

Photo courtesy of BGS sponsors, Crossroads Label Group. Pictured L-R: Gena Britt, Kristin Scott Benson, Gina Furtado

The BGS Radio Hour – Episode 204

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

Welcome to the BGS Radio Hour! Since 2017, the weekly show has been a recap of all the great music, new and old, featured on BGS. This week, we bring you old bluegrass newly recorded by the Infamous Stringdusters, music from our Artist of the Month, Peggy Seeger, and so much more! Remember to check back every Monday for a new episode of the BGS Radio Hour.

The Brother Brothers – “Circles”

Celebrating their upcoming Calla Lily (available April 16), Adam and David Moss of the Brother Brothers joined us on a recent 5+5. We talked John Hartford, writing music for dance, and the inspirations and songwriting techniques behind these two brothers and their new album.

Johnny Chops – “Trouble With the Truth”

Austin-based Johnny Chops brings us a song this week from his upcoming Yours, Mine and the Truth EP. This song pretty much fell out of the sky and onto Chops’ paper in his writing room one morning. The video continues to tell the story of the song, building a dark and bleak vibe through dramatic and abandoned filming locations.

Sinner Friends – “Unforgivable You”

Sinner Friends don’t just sound like vintage bluegrass: they record like it too, down to just a few microphones, no editing, everything done right then and there. Recorded and released by Bigtone Records, the result is on par with those early bluegrass recordings that defined the genre. This week, they bring us a song from their newly released Sinner Friends Miss You (The Quarantine EP). 

Keb’ Mo’ – Yamaha x BGS Artist Session

For 2021’s Folk Alliance International and SXSW conferences, BGS teamed up with Yamaha to film performances from some of the artists we’re most excited about. Our first segment is from none other than Keb’ Mo’, playing a Yamaha FGX5 – modeled after the vintage FG180, Keb’s first guitar which he unfortunately lost in the Nashville flood of 2010. Aren’t we all just waiting on the medicine man these days? Keb’ performs two songs for us, “Every Morning” and “The Action.”

The Gina Furtado Project – “Kansas City Railroad Blues”

Gina Furtado brings us the “magic fire” of the banjo on this new single, finding the sound that first made her fall in love with the instrument. It’s the latest single in an exciting and excellent batch from Furtado and Mountain Home Music Company, produced by banjo phenom Kristin Scott Benson, and accompanied by Drew Matulich, Wayne Benson, and siblings Malia and Lu Furtado.

Ervin Stellar – “Nothing to Prove”

From Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ervin Stellars joined us on a 5+5 last week – that is, 5 questions, 5 songs. We talked everything from Wes Anderson and the Coen Brothers to waves and mountains. And let’s not forget his new album, Nothing to Prove.

Mimi Naja – “All You Know of Me”

Known for her work with Fruition, Mimi Naja recently dropped Nothing Has Changed, her first solo release since 2014. We caught up with Naja to talk about songwriting, inspirations, and a dream meal pairing of Thai with Khruangbin.

Peggy Seeger – “The Invisible Woman”

Peggy Seeger is our Artist of the Month for April here at BGS! Her just-released First Farewell is a goodbye to recording and the road, but she is not leaving that lineage behind. Coming from a musical family including the likes of Pete and Mike Seeger, the traditional continues, as Seeger enlists her sons Neill and Callum MacColl on the new album. Stay tuned all month long where we’ll be featuring Peggy Seeger!

The Alex Leach Band – “The Turntable”

Alex Leach has been adored by the Eastern Tennessee bluegrass community since he first started appearing at the WDVX radio station in Knoxville as a small child. Through the years, he’s played with Ralph Stanley, hosts a weekly show on WDVX, and now has his newest endeavor, The Alex Leach Band, who just released their latest album (produced by Jim Lauderdale), I’m the Happiest When I’m Moving. 

Acoustic Syndicate – “Sunny”

Acoustic Syndicate has been making music in Western North Carolina’s jamband scene for over two decades, but their latest studio endeavor is the first in seven years. “Sunny” is a promising first release with Organic Records, the band joined by Brian Felix on piano and Lyndsay Pruett on violin.

Elizabeth King – “Living in the Last Days”

Memphis-based Elizabeth King brings us this deeply thought number this week from her latest album of the same title. “Living in the Last Days” is about the trouble that so casually surrounds our current days, and King sings about it with a lot of conviction. The song should inspire us all to look a little more closely at what surrounds us, and what we can do to make this world a better place for all.

Bobby Osborne – “White Line Fever”

“White Line Fever” was a hit for Merle Haggard in the 60s, but had never been cut as a bluegrass song. That is, until Alison Brown and Bobby Osborne got a hold of it. One thing leading to another, and Jeff Tweedy wrote a second verse about Bobby (being the voice of Rocky Top) and his 60 years on the road as a musician. Mixing all of this with some A-list bluegrass musicians like Sierra Hull and Stuart Duncan, well… this is the result! As Brown says, “it was hard to believe the song hadn’t been a bluegrass standard all along.”

Cha Wa – “My People”

Joseph Boudreaux Jr, vocalist for Cha Wa, teaches us about ‘ancestral recall’ with this song, a phenomenon where people consciously or subconsciously draw on the experiences and lives of their ancestors to perpetuate a certain lifestyle or culture. “‘My People’ reminds us that no matter who you are — rich or poor, big or small — we’re all in this together as humans,” Boudreaux told BGS. “Cause one day we gon’ all be in the same boat.”

Photos: (L to R) Keb’ Mo’; Gina Furtado by Sandlin Gaither; Peggy Seeger by Vicki Sharp

LISTEN: The Gina Furtado Project, “Kansas City Railroad Blues”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: The Gina Furtado Project
Hometown: Winchester, Virginia
Song: “Kansas City Railroad Blues”
Release Date: April 9, 2021
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “How in the world I made it all these years as a banjo player and not heard of ‘Kansas City Railroad Blues,’ I have no idea. Nonetheless, I heard this tune for the very first time last year and it quickly became my new favorite. This tune has the magic fire that drew me to the banjo as a kid and hasn’t let me put it down since. I chose it knowing it would be a great way to show off the hot pickers in the band. It provides a perfect template for Drew and Malia to exhibit their pristine swing style chops. This is also the first single of ours that includes our newest band member, Lu Furtado. And boy, does she make a grand entrance with her stellar bass playing! Lastly, Wayne Benson and Kristin Scott Benson, joining us on mandolin and from the producer’s chair, respectively, made this a super special recording. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it!” — Gina Furtado

Photo credit: Sandlin Gaither

‘Bluegrass at the Crossroads’ Series Displays a Big-Tent View of Bluegrass

Posted on by Editor

Over the last several years, it’s been fun watching the rapid creative growth happening at sister labels Mountain Home Music Company and Organic Records. Their rosters are musically diverse — a reflection of the music-rich mountains of Western North Carolina where the label group is based — thanks to the effort they’ve put into signing adventurous bands that redraw musical boundaries on stage every night, along with artists that are able to sound like themselves while keeping tradition’s torches shining. The prevailing attitude in the building, among staff and artists alike, is decidedly forward-looking; the music these groups and artists create is mutually influential, and the territory between them fertile ground for collaboration.

Mountain Home’s new series of releases, Bluegrass at the Crossroads, takes advantage of this by putting these artists together in unique and intriguing combinations to record mostly new music. The label’s team gets that this homegrown stylistic breadth is a great asset, and they aren’t shy in their commitment to the highly cooperative, big-tent view of bluegrass that’s proudly on display in the series.

Bluegrass styles cover a remarkable amount of ground — from Red, White, and Bluegrass to Red Rocks, if you will — while still remaining totally recognizable as the genuine article. As a result, there’s enough range within the genre that a gap exists to be filled by an ongoing project of this kind. And, since touring has been largely benched for the time being, this is the moment to gather these threads together, invite great players into the studio for new creative partnerships, and press “record.”

Music in general has become so cross-pollinated that you never know what you’ll find on another musician’s playlist or turntable, and as more musicians and producers jump their creative tracks to explore different genres, bringing their tastes and vocabularies along with them, they’re invariably influenced by the new sounds and ideas they encounter, and they exert their own influence in return.

Bluegrass is good at absorbing new ideas while holding on to its identity — the sometimes regrettable, sometimes successful, move of giving the bluegrass treatment to rock and pop hits is a perfect example – and so, as the music grows, bluegrass musicians of all kinds freely pull new ideas from all directions, incorporate them into their own expressions of the style, and wind up with something that is still absolutely bluegrass.

It’s easy to pick out classical music, jazz, indie rock, folk, metal, even electronic music, in the sounds of some of today’s bands. Other bands choose reach into the past to create new interpretations of Celtic music, old-time, classic country, and Tin Pan Alley. Turn your ear to a record from any performer on Bluegrass at the Crossroads and you’ll hear these influences effortlessly knit into the songs and arrangements.

It’s not surprising, then, that Bluegrass at the Crossroads is good, but it is striking how much fun it is to listen to. One-off bands like these can be like wrapped presents: lots of promise on the outside, but what’s inside might or might not meet expectations. Happily, there’s nothing to be disappointed about on these tracks; they’re full of life, maybe given a boost by a collective sense of cabin fever.

It also likely helps that most of the material is new. A few tunes from the standard repertoire appear, but few of the songs have been heard before. This keeps a lot of baggage out of a performer’s approach to a tune — each one is a blank slate, with no so-called “definitive” version to consult, and that extra space leaves room for a kind of subtle magic to happen.

Bluegrass may have a restless heart, but it also tends to hew close to tradition where it can be found (if you don’t believe me, listen to five different bands kick off “Steam Powered Aereo Plane,” you’ll see what I mean), and songs with unwritten histories don’t have conventions that must be attended to. So players are more free to search for new ideas, calling on their wide-ranging taste and experience, to create statements that seem more personal, the best of which sound as if they had always been there — just like the best songs.

These sorts of moments are everywhere in this series, and even though the players are all going for it, they’re also paying close attention to each other. The level of ensemble play is high, there are moments that have the intensity of a live performance, and a feeling that everyone involved was making themselves fully present for the project. That sense of life can be hard to come by in studio recordings, and the energy that’s captured is a refreshing reminder of what playing music is really about. It comes at a time when I know a lot of us could use something like this, and I’m excited for more!

A socially-distanced Bluegrass at the Crossroads session. (L to R: Joe Cicero, Sammy Shelor, Travis Book, Jon Weisberger, Carley Arrowood, Wayne Benson)

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Photo and graphics courtesy Crossroads Label Group