The Jeremy Garrett Bluegrass Band from the Midwinter Bluegrass Festival
Respecting the Past, Relishing the Future
Greetings fellow bluegrassers!
As incoming President, I want to thank Kevin Slick for his stewardship as President over the past 6 years and I am humbled by the past history of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society. We created what is now Rockygrass! Bill Monroe had a personal hand in creating the Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Festival and was responsible for the early direction of the CBMS. You cannot get any more bluegrass than that! The past history of the CBMS reads like a who’s who of the Colorado bluegrass scene and I have to admit a bit of trepidation in filling these shoes. But I’m willing to try.
There is some great information on our website concerning the history of the CBMS and it’s a fun read, I highly recommend it - https://www.coloradobluegrass.org/history
As for relishing the future, I believe we should respect and honor the past and grab the future with both hands and hold on. We have so much talent in the Colorado bluegrass scene. Some of it is traditional, some is what many would refer to as “Bluegrass Adjacent” and might pull elements from other genres of music. It is a big tent and I am here for it.
One of the first things I wanted to do is bring back the monthly Pow’r Pickin’ newsletter, albeit in electronic format. I hope everyone will enjoy it and look forward to a monthly email or social media post announcing a new issue with bluegrass news, articles and photos.
Let’s Pick!
John Pierce - President, Colorado Bluegrass Music Society
In This Issue:
Jim Cloud gives us his impressions of the Midwinter Bluegrass Festival which was held in February for the first time in 3 years
Nadine Sekerez interviews Jenny Hirt of Durango Meltdown which is coming up in April
Nick Einterz regales us with Tales of the 5th String
Amy Martin tells us about her recent experience at the McAwesome Ranch house concert in Castlerock with fantastic new band The Fretliners
Kevin Slick recounts “The State of Bluegrass” and also provides us with an image of a Pow’r Pickin’ newsletter from 1976!
Lots more to come in 2023, if you are not already a member, sign up!
It’s All Good
By Jim Cloud
We’ve been through times of uncertainty and change so it was reassuring that the 2023 Midwinter Bluegrass Festival offered the same, memorable experience of midwinter festivals of years past.
One notable change is the absence of Ken Seaman. His spirit and heritage now continue with Dianne Stober and Ben Slocumb at the helm. For those unfamiliar, Dianne and Ben are among the co-founders (and the burner under the stove) of the Coleman Camp extravaganza. They are the co-inventors of the Festival Fun Meter and the co-instigators (and therefore the winners) of the unofficial Covid Era Anxiety Distraction Award for demonstrating the most creative ways to pose a family of yard-skeletons over an entire Halloween season. They are the warm-hearted hosts of many a house concert and they generously offer their time and energy to the music community. These beloved friends managed the festival with professionalism and grace and their vision promises many joyful midwinter experiences for years to come. For this, we are grateful.
An overview of the 2023 MBF experience:
It’s always fun to see the smiling faces and hear the familiar voices of bands from our past. FY5 and Blue Canyon Boys have been playing this festival since my first midwinter experience years ago and probably well before that. These bands have endured, a testament to their music, hard work and persistence, and their presence is comforting. Special Consensus blended the familiar old with some of the unfamiliar new. This festival also gave us a peek at things to come. Wood Belly beautifully and respectfully crossed the lines between americana and bluegrass. And look for Jake Leg’s first album - due later this year. Their skills are polished and this particular blend of instrumental and voice talent is a powerful combination that leaves us eager to discover what comes next.
The new environs offered another reflection of our emergence from Covid. The nooks and crannies still echoed the melodies, harmonies, G-runs, banjo rolls and the overall spirit of the annual gatherings of the bluegrass faithful who bonded over countless songs and fiddle tunes. But the hotel is now open, airy. The wallpaper no longer peels to reveal layers of paint. The color palette is no longer polyester brown. The rooms no longer smell of who-knows-what and the carpet isn’t stained with unintentional spin-art that defies closer examination yet begs the question “… is that what I think it is?” This was a great makeover, and just in time.
FEATURED FESTIVAL - Durango Bluegrass Meltdown
April 21-23 - Durango, Colorado
Interview with Jenny Hirt by Nadine Sekerez
Lineup: Missy Raines and Allegheny, Tunnel Drive featuring Keith Reed, Josh Williams, Shadd Cobb, Don Rigsby, and Gene Libbea; The Slocan Ramblers, The Kody Norris Show, Barbaro, Tall Poppy String Band, The Cody Sisters, High Country Hustle, Basin and Grange, and more.
The event includes workshops, a band contest, free Friday concert, barn dance, and late-night events. Jenny Hirt, Board President of The Durango Bluegrass Meltdown (non-profit organizer), was kind enough to answer some questions about one of Colorado’s favorite Bluegrass Festivals:
When and how did the first festival come about?
The Durango Bluegrass Meltdown was first started in 1995 by a small group of bluegrass enthusiasts who wanted to bring more music to the Durango community during a slower time of year. They formed a non-profit and a board of directors, and partnered up with the Historic Strater Hotel in downtown Durango to host the festivities during the shoulder season in April after the ski resort has closed, but before the spring and summer tourist season begins. The Meltdown has now grown to span 3 main stage venues and two auxiliary venues and fills three days with amazing national, regional, and local bluegrass artists. These are intimate performances with the average venue capacity hovering around 200 audience members, so it is an unforgettable experience for both the patrons and the artists.
How long have you been involved?
I attended Meltdowns off and on since 2000 and joined the board of directors in 2015. I was elected as the first female board president in 2019.
What is your role?
I’m currently the Board President. That involves wearing many hats such as ticket sales, merchandise coordinator, graphic design liaison, venue liaison, sponsorship and fundraising coordinator, grant writer, herding kittens, etc. But the board is a passionate and driven group of bluegrass enthusiasts, and we all are run by a 100% volunteer effort.
Do you have particular goals when booking the lineup?
We are primarily known as a traditional bluegrass festival, so we tend to look for those bluegrass artists who follow that vein of the genre. We also seek out artists to fill specific slots, such as our old-time barn dance and late-night progressive sets on Saturday night. Our lineup consists of 4-5 national acts performing 4 sets each, 3-4 regional acts performing 3 sets each, and around 10 local bands each performing one set. We are working towards gender parity in the lineup, purposely booking more women-led bands with a goal of 50/50 representation in the coming years. I am also pushing for more racial diversity in our lineups since the bluegrass world is expanding and more diverse artists are emerging.
Any special relationships with those non-profit organizations and goals in partnership with them?
We try to help our fellow non-profits with in-kind trades and thank them profusely. For example, we could trade two weekend passes for radio advertising. The local business community is amazing in supporting the Meltdown as it brings in so many folks during a slower time of year and increases business during the shoulder season.
How does the festival interplay with your local community?
We are highly cognizant that this festival would not happen without the support of the local Durango community. About half of our audience is from the Four Corners area. We mindfully promote local businesses, have lodging partnerships, and receive food and beverage donations from local restaurants for our famously robust artist green room and hospitality suite. The Meltdown not only allows our local community to watch the performances of these amazing artists, but also allows it to happen in such an intimate setting of only about 200 audience members, and of course the JAMMING after the sets are over is where all of the magic happens. Every year, Meltdown patrons can rub elbows with some national acts in picking circles in the basement rooms of the Strater Hotel into the wee hours.
Do you feel that you bring bluegrass to a wider audience that would not otherwise experience bluegrass music?
Although Durango is blessed with a robust local bluegrass music scene, we are fairly remote down here in Southwestern Colorado, and we do not see as many national or big-name acts in our area. The annual festival allows our local patrons to experience many big named artists’ performances they would need otherwise to travel to the Front Range or out of state to see. And don’t forget about kiddos. The Meltdown’s long-running Bluegrass in the Schools program has been bringing live bluegrass performances into our local schools since 1997. Thanks to recent donations from Can’d Aid, we have also been able to purchase several bluegrass instruments and distribute these out to children through our free loaner program during our twice-annual KidsPick gatherings. This absolutely opens the world of bluegrass up to children in our area who would otherwise not have any exposure to this music that we all know so well and love dearly. We hope to nurture the next generation of bluegrass lovers who will carry on the traditions of the Meltdown family.
More information on ticketing, venues, lodging discounts, and the 2023 lineup can be found at www.DurangoMeltdown.com
Aloha Y'all: Tales of the 5th String
By Nick Einterz
Everybody knows Joel Sweeney invented the five-string banjo, right? He learned to play the four-string banjo from a slave living on his family's plantation in the antebellum South. Later, Joel cleverly added a high string to the low end of the four string instrument, replaced the gourd pot with a wooden drum, and the rest is history.
But Jay Bailey wasn't having it. In "Historical Origin and Stylistic Developments of the Five-String Banjo", Jay notes a couple five string banjos mentioned in books from 1791 England, a good 20 years before old Joel was born. Sometimes legend has it and sometimes legend don't has it.
Today, the fifth string defines an entire genre. Bill Monroe sure as hell is the father of bluegrass, and his boys have the name. But to many, Earl Scruggs and his five-string banjo soon followed as the instrumental center of bluegrass in the 20th century. Earl's drive and drone on the 5-string became a truly American sound.
The 5-string only has one other American counterpart... (banjo roll please), Hawaii's ukulele! Just like the five string, the ukulele has a re-entrant tuning where the strings are unordered. For the ukulele, the fourth string is higher than the third and the second. And just like the five-string banjo, the ukulele defines an entire American genre: modern Hawaiian folk music.
The ukulele has a slightly more straight forward origin story. Manuel Nunes, a plantation hand himself in Hawaii circa 1870, is widely credited with adapting Portuguese instruments to "invent" the ukulele. Along with two other woodworkers and the patronage of King David Kalakua, Manuel popularized the ukulele until Hawaii's own Earl Scruggs, Ernest Ka'ai, showed what the instrument could really do. Similar to Dixieland jazz banjo players, Ernest strummed melodies by moving chords up and down the neck for each melodic note.
It's possible and even likely that the banjo and ukulele tunings derive from instruments that are thousands of years old. From ancient Egyptian instruments to the medieval lute and oud, re-entrant tunings were common. The tuning tends to add a droning quality that many cultures appreciate, particularly Americans.
Featured band — The Fretliners at McAwesome Ranch barn concert
by Amy Martin
In one single night, The Fretliners, McAwesome Ranch, and Five Strings Barn Concerts collided with a fierce bang to deliver an experience that merited two standing ovations and a loud buzz from the sold-out crowd that included “that was the best show I’ve ever seen,” and “THAT’S good bluegrass right there.”
The show opened with an a cappella piece that hushed the entire crowd in an instant, and angelic harmonies filled the barn while the world around disappeared. The band went on to prove that their songwriting is to be taken seriously and their instrumental ability is at the top of their class. Taylor Shuck on upright bass never misses a beat, Sam Parks on mandolin has solid rhythm-driving chops that hit perfectly in every single stroke, Dan Andree is a master fiddle player with tasteful bowing throughout, and Tom Knowlton matches his instrumental ability with a voice that gracefully moves around to fit each lyrical journey this band takes you on.
Couple this all with jaw-dropping solos from every single member and humorous banter that evoked belly-roll laughter from the entire audience, this group of musicians is going places, and a live performance from this band is an invigorating experience and wild ride you do not want to miss.
Fretliners website
For more information on Five Strings Barn concerts visit their Facebook page.
Follow McAwesome Ranch on Facebook for festivals, concerts and more! It’s a private group, but trust us, you want to find it and join it.
The State of Bluegrass
By Kevin Slick
2023 may go down in musical history as the year that the term “Arena Bluegrass” entered the lexicon. Strangely enough I expected to hear more pushback from fans that this wasn’t bluegrass or that that guy was ruining the genre. Maybe it’s living in Colorado where our definitions of bluegrass have been expanding for several decades now or blocking more aggressively on social media, but whatever the reason I’m pleased that I haven’t really confronted a lot of angst about the huge sellout shows featuring Billy Strings. I’ve been around long enough to have lived through several different versions of “This will ruin bluegrass” or “This will really put bluegrass on the map” In every case, the great hope or fear turns out to be unwarranted.
For the record, I love the fact that people are packing arenas to hear roots-based music and that they’re crowding the dance floors in clubs for the same purpose. The world has changed, the days of someone growing up hearing only one narrow band of music or being exposed to a similarly narrow selection of popular culture are long gone. Even at the beginning of bluegrass, radio had opened the world well beyond the valleys and hollers where it was born which is easily heard in the multitude of influences what went into the first generation. It’s worth remembering that the venerated first generation of bluegrass artists were not seen as traditionalists preserving sacred elements of a musical genre but innovators working within the music scene as a whole, pulling songs from a variety of sources.
We can all access just about the entire history of recorded music from our smart phones so the possible range of influences is unmeasurable. To ask, let alone expect, artists to conform to one narrow definition of what music can be is rather absurd.
There will always be a place for tribute bands or artists who reenact a particular moment in history whether it’s early rock and roll, Dixieland jazz or bluegrass bands who’s boundaries go from 1946-1950. There will always be a place for artists who expand whatever genre they choose to work from. The two ends of the spectrum are not mutually exclusive and can co-exist quite nicely.
I suggest that artists today who draw material from far and wide, from Bill Monroe to Black Sabbath are squarely in the tradition of bluegrass. Speaking from experience I listened to the Will The Circle Be Unbroken album as much as I listened to Dark Side of The Moon and thanks to bands like The Blue Canyon Boys I can enjoy that wonderful memory mash-up.
I would also suggest that no one can ruin bluegrass. No one can cause the recordings of Flat and Scruggs to disappear. Just because someone might say they enjoy bluegrass, but upon intense cross examination reveal that they don’t know any of your favorite early artists, doesn’t destroy the music, but rather that should be cause for celebration.
If one’s definition of a musical genre is so narrow and rigid and the idea that it might be wider than imagined causes some kind of mental distress, that’s also cause for celebration, that means learning is taking place and that’s always a good thing.
This Month’s Pow’r Pickin’ From the Past image is from February, 1976
Contributors to this month’s newsletter:
John Pierce — President, CBMS
Kevin Slick — Past President, CBMS, member of Orchard Creek Band
Nadine Sekerez — Board member of CBMS and owner of Snowygrass Music Festival, member of Lost Penny band
Amy Martin — Board member and social media honcho for CBMS
Nick Einterz - Board member of CBMS and member of The Grass Project band
Jim Cloud - Local denizen of bluegrass events living in Colorado Springs