Bluegrass is Used, Gold Watches: The History and Present Life of Bluegrass
By: Becky Firesheets

Granny wiped her tears with one hand and reached towards me with the other.  I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed while Bill Monroe picked out the tune to Blue Moon of Kentucky on his mandolin.  The Bluegrass Boys plucked along on their banjo, guitar, fiddle and bass, all of them singing a harmony.

“He’s the king of Bluegrass,” Granny said, agreeing with everyone who knows anything about bluegrass. “Sometimes I just enjoy hearin’ him sing, and other times, it brings back a lot of memories, of the family and us all bein’ together.  We didn’t have much but we enjoyed life.  Some of the memories are good.  Others are painful, ‘cause they’re all gone now.  But you, you’re my girl.”  She patted my hand a few times then continued.  

“Your Uncle Dude, my older brother, he used to pick the guitar at home.  And Grandfather used to aggravate me to death.  I’d be workin’ in the kitchen and he’d saw on that fiddle every night.  All the time, you know.  But I’d give anything to hear it now.”

My Great Grandfather and Great Uncle played country music together every day, sawin' and pluckin' when everybody else wanted them to stop.  But when Bill Monroe hit the scene with bluegrass, every Kentuckian musician picked it up and nobody could get enough.  Heavily influenced by Nashville country, traditional Irish tunes, slave songs, early blues and African American gospel music, Mr. Monroe decided to bring his Bluegrass Boys together in 1936 (pictured above) and started playing the Kentucky circuit.

Because bluegrass so strongly resembled country music, people often mistakenly labeled it as such (and still do).  However, the differences are distinct and strong.  The hard-driving, powerful style on all the strings, the acoustic instrumentation and the distinctive vocal harmonies noticeably separate bluegrass from its country cousin.  And the Bluegrass Boys’ lineup is essential.  No bluegrass band is complete without its family of fiddles and mandolins, guitars and banjos.

Once Bill Monroe started playing, bluegrass spread through Kentucky like Baptism.  The Grand Ol’ Opry stepped in and elevated bluegrass musicians to a wider audience.  Broadcast on the radio weekly, twang-loving farmers throughout the South learned all of Monroe’s lyrics, how to pick a banjo like Scruggs and how to sing in Monroe’s unique, nasal-y sound (“It’s hard to find voices like his,” says Granny).  Local musicians, including Dude and my Great Grandfather, would make a night out of sitting around one another’s tables, riffing on popular tunes.  Square dances were all the rage, and the opportunity to shake the night away to a bluegrass band in a neighborhood barn was deeply relished by my hard-working, sharecropping ancestors.

But despite the essentials he laid down, Bill Monroe in no way controlled the development of bluegrass music, creating the democratic feel the genre still maintains today.  In 1945, twenty-one-year-old Earl Scruggs joined the Bluegrass Boys on banjo and invented the three-finger pickin’-style, what we now call “Scruggs style.”  Later, Scruggs split to form his own band, the Foggy Mountain Boys, and added the Dobro, or slide guitar, into the mix.  Other musicians agreed with this addition and adopted it, making it a more modern bluegrass essential.  

Bluegrass remained only for the country-folk and square dancers, though, until the 1950s when more artists like Ralph Stanley and Lester Flatt adopted the style.  In 1965, the first, weekend-long bluegrass festival took over Mr. Cantrell’s horse farm in Fincastle, Virginia, with artists like the Stanley Brothers, Benny Martin, and, of course, Bill Monroe.  They played alongside newcomers for all of 150 people on the first night.  The following two nights never saw more than 1,000, but those people fell so in love that hosting more bluegrass festivals seemed the only proper thing to do.  Nowadays, every weekend during the summer is booked with festivals from Virginia to California, all thanks to the first festival producer and organizer, promoter Carlton Haney.

In 1967, the soundtrack to “Bonnie and Clyde” featured a wide range of bluegrass artists, bringing the music to an audience who had never heard of it before.  As the popularity of festivals grew and the Grand Ol’ Opry featured Bill Monroe and others more often, bluegrass became a well-known genre.  Other movies, like “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Deliverance,” highlighted bluegrass-style banjo and other songs from the genre on their soundtracks, increasing the popularity.

When Bill Monroe passed away on September 9, 1996, more and more people began to understand his contributions to music in general.  His acceptances into the Rock, Country and Bluegrass Halls of Fame over the years are just three examples of many established institutions that have recognized his ingenuity and influence.  In 1991, the International Bluegrass Museum opened in Owensboro, Kentucky, and still works toward collecting old recordings, videos, and remnants from the early world of bluegrass.  Bill Monroe was the first person inducted into their Hall of Fame, honoring him with an entire exhibition.

However, bluegrass didn’t stop in ’96 with the death of its founding father.  “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” featured an entire soundtrack of bluegrass and country favorites that reached a much younger audience than ever before, some who viewed bluegrass as a connection to their past and their families and others who saw it as a completely new cultural experience.  

Like Reid Burgess, a north-easterner in his 20s who ventured to his mother’s home state, Virginia, after graduating college.  According to an interview with Cara Modisett from The Faces of Mountain Music, Burgess feels that bluegrass is “almost an alternative to the alternative…something completely unique and different.”  Later in the interview, he said he and his band mates “gravitated toward that [bluegrass music] in almost a rebellion kind of way.”  Now a successful, up-and-coming band, King Wilkie, named after one of Bill Monroe’s horses, tours the country with their straight-up bluegrass delivered by young, stylish men.

Other modern bands have adopted bluegrass, even fusing it with jazz and funk.  Bands like Nicklecreek
and Yonder Mountain String Band add their own style to the classic tradition.  And Crooked Still (pictured above), a group of twenty-somethings out of Boston, challenge yet embrace tradition by combining a banjo, cello and double bass to bust out folky bluegrass tunes.  In fact, bluegrass and Americana musicians are developing a strong movement even in Brooklyn and New York City.  Just check out banjoist Hilary Hawke's (pictured left) rootsy pop/folk tunes or The Woes' blend of bluegrass, country and blues at one of many venues supporting this scene (Banjo Jim's, Rockwood Music Hall, The Living Room, Jalopy...) 

While some veterans may disagree with these fusions, or claim that northern bluegrass isn't the same, none would protest.  Bluegrass was born out of fusion, and adapting the instrumentation, playing-style and lyrics has been its history since its creation.

And anyway, it’s not that hard to find the traditional bands.  Carnegie Hall hosts Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys from time to time, and just five minutes sitting with Granny brings any funk-bluegrass lover back to the basics.

“It was such a special occasion, why, I never forgot it,” Granny said about her 14th birthday present from Uncle Dude.  “He traded his first guitar for a used watch and some extra money to take me to see Bill Monroe in Cave City.  No doubt I was wearing one of my two dresses.  The men wore their overalls and white t-shirts, and some of ‘em did get up and square dance.”  A smile spread over her face and her eyes gazed passed me, lost in being awestruck and fourteen, wearing her new watch and dancin' to bluegrass during its first few years of existence.

And that’s when it hit me.  Bluegrass isn’t just another type of music, another passing genre. Bluegrass is annoyance with grandfathers and older brothers.  Bluegrass is used gold watches and that rare night out to the square dance.  Bluegrass is connection, rebellion, tradition, innovation.  Bluegrass is part of what makes Granny my Granny, and me her girl.

For more info on bluegrass in New York, check out NYC Bluegrass or our NY Venues Listing.

By: John Mabery

Several months ago, I had this — at the time — far-fetched idea for my 25^th birthday, which was to host a musical festival featuring live performances by some of my favorite bands. All I had was a title: “Johnaroo,” a witty play on words that made people laugh whenever I uttered the name. “I like it, I like it,” was the oft-spoken response, followed by a commitment to help out. Apparently, the name was witty enough for people to believe in it. 

Around the same time, I was hired by the YJCC, located in Washington Township, NJ, to work at a program called BOOST! The program, which is funded by a grant from the New York Center for Autism, was designed to help young children (ages of 4-13) with autism develop social skills in order to improve their everyday lives. Needless to say, working with these children has affected me in ways I never would have thought possible, and I wanted to continue finding avenues through which I could help out more. Fortunately, the Y offers a wide array of programs for children with special needs, and through these programs, I was lucky enough to meet a lot of amazing people.  

The downside to all of this is that programs like Boost are in trouble of having their funding cut because they are expensive to run. To further this problem, the Y was also one of the many organizations affected by the greed of Bernie Madoff. Thinking about those kids and not being able to offer them the opportunity at a better life because of the selfishness of others weighed on my mind. So it was three months ago that I decided that this little idea for a festival might not be such a long shot, and that it could be a great platform to help out those kids.    

Now, I can now call this silly little dream known as “Johnaroo” a reality. “Johnaroo” will take place at 8 p.m. on January 8th, 2010, at Liberty’s Bar and Grill, located at 501 Route 303 in Tappan, NY. Liberty's will be donating 20% of its entire tab to programs at the YJCC. The festival will feature four bands from the NY/NJ area, including FiKus, Hops, NeveroddoreveN, and HMS Revenge. There is no cover charge, and it is 18 to enter and 21 to drink. We’re more or less giving away a night of tremendous free music to support a great cause. 

I have been blessed with a group of musicians who are dually committed to the cause and vastly talented. Collectively, they offer a diverse variety of sounds, from the universally-conscious hip-hop of Hops to the dancehall rhythms of FiKus, from the powerhouse blues of NeveroddoreveN to the all out rock of HMS Revenge. Rarely does the opportunity to see such an eclectic and phenomenal array of musicians for free, let alone in one place, present itself. That was my birthday present to myself, one that I wish to share with all of you.        

I hope you can join me at Liberty’s on January 8^th for a wonderful night of free music that will benefit a really amazing group of kids. For information on “Johnaroo” on Facebook, go to: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=226442874602&ref=ts

By: Sam Houghton

I like songs with some gumption. When you choose a top five list of songs, those songs need to stand out on their own, without the album to fall back on. Gumption helps. All of these songs rock pretty hard.

5. “Friend” – Courtesy Tier (pictured right), Map and Marker 
Every time I hear this song live it gets better. The guitar on this track is like John Lee Hooker amped on a couple Red Bulls and a handful of uppers, mixed with an equally insane, pounding drum. But like some of the punk songs listed above, it does pause for some moments in there, a few bridges, where the two let you get your head around the sound, and the finger picking, and the rhythm. The song isn’t about the lyrics, it’s about headbanging and blues, maybe a combination of the two, which sounds impossible but these two do it, adding some gitty-up to blues and some authenticity and skill to hardcore.

4. “10 Moons” – Foster McGinty, Peach Red
All the attention from Peach Red was given to “Can’t Help but Shine.” It’s a great song with great songwriting and the guitar and the video are sweet, but I think Foster’s genuine sound can be heard in the song “10 Moons.” After the first drum lick, this song kicks off into a rolling tune filled with Stevie Ray type riffs and some ripping blues solos. The song definitely has some obvious swagger to it, Foster’s signature feel, along with his great guitar work. The singing is excellent, a Hendrix like cool cat voice, and the random background noises give the song a bar-like atmosphere. Great tune.

3. “All You Need” – Gunfight!, Hide Your Empties EP
This song doesn’t stop. It’s 3 minutes and 27 seconds, and the band doesn’t quit its relentless attack on their strings and skins and vocal chords. It’s balls to the walls country punk, whatever that means. The singing has an original, guttural, all out bravado – not screaming like hardcore, or yelling like the Sex Pistols – but like Bon Scott of the first AC/DC, with passion and guitar breaking, London Calling style, aggression releasing. They manage to harmonize the bass and rhythm and lead guitar, above the clamor, to give punk some clarity and soul. Great song, great EP.

2. “Post 110 Pills” – Calypso, Teenage EP
Surf rock has long been the unknown, mysterious, badass brother of rock ‘n’ roll. No one knows who Link Wray is, except a handful of Quentin Tarantino fans, and yet he’s one of the rawest, gnarliest, best guitarists ever. Sadly, everyone confuses surf rock with cute blonde boys in Hawaiian shirts singing falsetto. Calypso knows Link Wray and the real meaning behind the surf groove, and they use the style to give punk an even grungier, slicker sound with their sleek, teeth-gritting guitars on this track. This song is pure punk. It’s scary sick good.

1. “Tammany Hall” – Kill Henry Sugar (pictured left), Swing Back and Down
You wouldn’t expect Kill Henry Sugar to be from NYC. Perhaps Vermont or the back woods of Ohio or something far away from smoke stacks and high rises. But they are straight from the streets, same as Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes, and their rootsy blues folk couldn’t clash anymore with the bogus, capitalist agenda. “Tammany Hall” is like the “Street Fighting Man” for a lumberjack or an old Folkie. It drives with raw power from the dobro and pounding drum combo. It exhales with revolution and fist pounding gumption. This is my number 1.

By: Becky Firesheets

When Will and I created Knocks in January, I thought I was already well versed in New York’s underground rock scene.  Damn was I wrong.  In Williamsburg alone there are 27 live music venues that, as we all know, mostly book rock-and-roll.  I needed to buff up.  So I dove in, listening to five different local bands a day and attending two or more shows a week.  A daunting commitment, I know, but all in the name of the underground.

So here we are, at the summer’s end, about to lose ourselves in CMJ and all the upcoming fall shows.  To help guide our dear readers toward the best of underplayed New York, I humbly present to you, My Top Five Local, Underground Rock Bands (as of right now).

5. Akudama

Akudama (pictured left) carefully composes each of their songs, mixing layered instrumental breakdowns and catchy guitar hooks with experimental passages and dynamic vocal harmonies.  Their detailed tunes blend various styles of rock, some falling into the delicious pop ditty category while others are darker and more complex.  Having formed in high school as a response to the hardcore scene, Akudama has spent quite a few years perfecting their tight yet relaxed performance style.  And with enough creativity to produce a free EP each month, their recorded collection is only growing stronger.

4. The Press

The Press underwent a series of lineup changes for years, not only shuffling members but also shuffling who played what.  At last they have found their solid core.  With an album release on the way, The Press has been busy spreading their impossible-to-label tunes across the Northeast while also collaborating with other locals, like dub remix master Nate Mars.  Whether playing boppy pop or grittier rock, adding a twangy feel or a ska flair, bouncing a 2-step beat or raging the punk, The Press nail it.  

3. The Wild Yaks

Swaying, barroom choruses, upbeat riffs, haunting guitar effects and endearingly gruff vocals all combine in The Wild Yaks’ bluesy, punk collection.  These clearly talented musicians have perfected playing loosely yet still together, allowing a little drunken delay to hang in their tunes.  Their live shows are pulsating, each Yak letting his inner beast rage freely while still acing his part.  They are rowdy, destructive and in your face, in the most loving and welcoming kind of way.  Expect to leave a show sweaty and exhausted, singing some kind of darkly funny lyric over and over.  The one always stuck in my head: “How do I get my tomahawk back, my tomahawk back, my tomahawk back.”  Though, “I wish I had a whip long enough to keep the gates of hell open tonight,” gets trapped in there, too.

2. The Life and Times Of…

Rooted in hard rock with a heavy dose of soul and R&B, The Life and Times Of multiply the energy level of a typical Brooklyn show by 800.  With singer Cedric Lamar, who can wail like Motown and jam like classic rock, backed up by a stellar bass player, squealin’ guitarist and steady drummer, no one is sittin’ still.  Especially not the band, whose members contagiously gyrate and jump for the entire set.  Their songs weave in and out of melancholy blues, hoppin’ twang and hard rock breakdowns, all featuring poetic, thoughtful lyrics.  Watch out for the insane slap bass solo and be sure to have some whiskey on hand; this band goes well with liquor.

1. Gutz

When Gutz (pictured right) sings, “We’re havin’ a party, who’s gonna be there?” make sure to get on the list.  These nerdy white boys, complete with bowties and cropped haircuts, know exactly how to bust out some straight-up soul music, completely defying any stereotypes from the get-go.  Lead vocalist Daniel Lorenzo’s shouts are spot on and with sexy singer LaDonna crooning the back up, even a Williamsburg audience shakes it.  Mixing in some funk tunes with catchy pop/rock, Gutz maintain the groove till the end, leaping and hopping onstage like little kids on sugar highs.  And their recordings are just as good as their live shows, somehow capturing the giddiness yet polishing everything a bit.  Listen up for a few surprise instrument additions, as well (hint: horns).  Gutz, please have another party!

By: Joseph VanBuren

Once upon a time, not long ago, the internet was a thing of mystery and secrecy, known only to a select group of people and used only for a small amount of purposes. This phenomenon gradually grew in popularity, becoming more available over time. Today, the internet is a common, household item and a large part of many people’s everyday lives. Much of the same can be said about hip hop. A distinct style of music that started in the New York underground has gone global, beyond mainstream, and can now be found everywhere in an assortment of shapes and sizes.

Hip hop is not only what you think it is, but it is also everything you think it is not. Like the internet, it showcases the best and worst that society has to offer. It borrows from the past to create something new for the present, then recycles and remixes itself for the future. Starting as a melting pot of the genres that inspired its pioneers, hip hop now influences every other type of popular music. From conscious to gangster, Christian to horrorcore, mainstream to underground - hip hop tells tales from every walk of life.

So, when a venue owner says, “We don’t do hip hop shows,” or a music fan says, “I don’t like hip hop,” they are probably lumping the entire spectrum of an art form into one package, wrapped in a negative stereotype created by a few bad examples and irresponsible media coverage. Which is a shame, because those same people often recognize the differences between sub-genres in rock or other genres and, in fact, don’t normally use such exclusive criteria to decide what sounds good to them.

Different strokes for different folks, of course. Everyone has his own taste and is entitled to his own opinion. From a hip hop artist’s point of view, however, it seems that the genre often gets judged unfairly by both those in the industry and those in the crowd. Perhaps that is hip hop’s place in the world, much like the pioneers that started it: to overcome the odds and be submerged in the spotlight while forever maintaining a bad rep. In this light, hip hop has a lot in common with rock and metal and, once again, content on the internet. Everybody knows about it, not everybody likes it, and not everybody who dislikes it is properly informed about it.

All that most artists want from listeners is a fair trial. No artist can reasonably expect to please everyone. If you dislike the music, however, at least dislike it for the right reasons, because hip hop is not only what you think it is.

* Editor's Note: The Sugarhill Gang, a trio that produced the first hip hop single recorded to become a top 40 hit ("Rapper's Delight"), is pictured above.