Kids on Bluegrass

Guestblogger Marina Gorbis is executive director at Institute for the Future.

The title of this post is actually the name of the program started by the California Bluegrass Association, an organization that brings together young pickers, ages 3 to 18, to play at various bluegrass festivals. Before I, or more precisely, my son and his friends, found bluegrass, I could never imagine that this traditional American music genre could be the epicenter of young musical talent. And when I mean young, I mean very young. I've seen some amazingly hot pickers who are under 10! What I love about bluegrass festivals is that there is as much great music offstage as on, in the campground where small and large groups, many including very young musicians, jam together. Bluegrass is the ideal medium for these musicians. The basic chords are easy to learn, bluegrass jams are cross-generational affairs with pros often happy to share their skills with novices, and the music is highly social and ad hoc, i.e. you can play acoustic instruments virtually anywhere without any major set up. Although the chords are easy, the possibilities for virtuosity in this genre are immense (think Chris Thile , Bela Fleck , or Bryan Sutton). I also love the fact that at most any bluegrass festivals you can see the "stars," mixing with the audience or standing in line for coffee just like anyone else. Imagine such a thing at a huge rock festival.

Above are videos of a few amazing young bluegrass musicians I've come across: Annie Staniec, Molly Tuttle, and AJ Lee with the Tuttles. There are many more out there, young and old, so feel free to link to your favorites in the comments.

Previously:

MORE: guestblog

More at Boing Boing

Ants and Stars: Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic visit the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Italy

The Snowden Principle

chris23

And it’s great porch music for the New Depression!
Anonymous

Wow — how fun to see the kids up there. Thank you for this topic. Bluegrass festivals are great to go to because the music ranges from very easy to play all the way to nearly impossible. Anyone can learn to play the chords behind the melody, and devoted musicians can do amazing impovisations around the melody.
Anonymous

I’ve been to many bluegrass festivals for the past few decades — no pedophiles at any of them. What is that early comment on this blog talking about??!! Families attend with their children and enjoy live music and jamming together. It is an extremely safe and wholesome activity for parents and children to enjoy together. Please don’t be put off by that odd comment about pedophiles!
kostia

We take the kids (5 and 8) to bluegrass festivals and they love it. At Delfest they actually shout out requests to Sam Bush (“Bringing in the Georgia Mail,” mainly), and this year they sang along with Del McCoury’s “Nashville Cats.” Some people camping near us had a little girl whose actual NAME was Mandolin. I just love the whole thing.
Anonymous

I was in Ireland in 2002 and attended an American Bluegrass Festival. I think that the only American band was the headline act (I can’t remember their name but it wasn’t a major name band). It was quite amusing/impressive to hear a band from somewhere in eastern Europe, that couldn’t speak a lick of English otherwise, (well, maybe a lick) belt out those bluegrass harmonies and absolutely rip on the banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
igilmore

Some of those kids you mentioned (i.e. the Tuttles with AJ Lee) are playing at Yoshi’s in San Francisco tonight, Tues, July 14th, opening for the Seldom Scene.
Takuan

ah good, a bluegrass post. Now, can someone please tell me why it is wrong for me to like Cotton-eyed Joe?
Mojave

I’m not going to name names( you’ll see why in a minute), but I will pass along anecdotal information from a very trusted source (someone who is involved pretty deeply with this particular scene) and so take it as you will. The bluegrass/traditional music scene is very popular with pedophiles. I don’t know why. I don’t know if it is any more so than any other music “scene” Trust me on this one. It just is. Maybe something about those weeklong camping “festivals” up in the mountains like Swannanoa or CliffTop…..
Takuan

what?! Is this some inbred hillbilly incest trope a la Deliverance?
Takuan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVsovDXPBb8
Flying Orca

The Chris Thile link is a bit outdated, as Nickel Creek is no more; Chris has a new band, the Punch Brothers, who were a big hit at this weekend’s local folk festival.
nutmeag

For some great blue-grassy (but not all of it) music, check out The Ryan Montbleau Band (absolutely awesome at small venues) http://www.myspace.com/ryanmontbleau. Jenny Lewis, of course, is another great pick for the genre.
telaquapacky

I sometimes go to the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest in Agoura, California. I bring my stand-up bass because I find it easier to fake it on bass than banjo. Under the trees and among old-western-town movie sets, there are crowds of musicians and it’s easy to get into some rewarding jams. There are also some good live shows.

http://www.topangabanjofiddle.org/

We camp at Malibu Creek State Park, where they used to film M*A*S*H, and we go to the beach at Malibu. Makes for a great weekend.
David Bruce Murray

Traditional Bluegrass artists can mix and mingle with people who come to their events because bluegrass artists don’t, as a general rule, cultivate the sort of insane fans that are part of Pop, Rock, and Country.

Bela Fleck uses his banjo to record jazz at times, proving that bluegrass is ripe for blending with styles the average fan might not consider.

Despite a few flashes of popularity with mainstream audiences (Beverly Hillbillies, O Brother, etc.), bluegrass has remained a relatively small and mostly unchanged genre.

I’m not a huge fan of the style, but I like it enough that I would want to see it modified to the point where it’s no longer recognizable alongside traditional forms of the genre. (Yes, I’m sadly thinking about how good Country music used to be and how awful it’s become now.)
David Bruce Murray

Make that:
I WOULDN’T want to see it modified to the point where it’s no longer recognizable alongside traditional forms of the genre.
Anonymous

Oh my Gosh! This post floored me, the Tuttles are my little cousins. They are awesome kids, and work hard for their skills. I am so glad to see them here on boingboing. Good job, Marina!
gollux

Try on some Russian Bluegrass. Taint only Appalachian music anymore!

A local band plays Beetlegrass. Makes the Fab Four just sparkle. English rock gets owned by Bluegrass.