By David Todoran (11/18/99)
Following in the footsteps of bluegrass innovators New Grass Revival, a new generation of back porch pickers are less likely to call it a day when the Saturday afternoon folk festivals wrap up. Instead, they pack up their axes and hightail it to local coffee houses or taverns to pursue a more radical approach to traditional picking. Thanks to the proliferation of eclectic coffeehouse culture, and the public's increasing appetite for innovative and eclectic forms of original sounds, new hybrids of Bill Monroe's high lonesome can often be heard among the hissing of espresso machines or the tinkling of beer glasses.
While "new grass" has exploded throughout the East Coast and New England folk scene, the Midwestern cradle of bluegrass has rather ironically, or perhaps fittingly, been relatively slow to embrace the movement ã at least insofar as the typical folk oriented venues and radio formats are concerned. One local band is trying to speed that process. Bluegrass Power Company is a Decatur-based quartet straddling the line between tradition and innovation. The group regularly works the weekend festival circuit where they perform to a diverse and appreciative audience ranging from neo-folk fans in tie-dyes to Amish families. Lately, the band has branched out into other venues where they have found they are appreciated for more than their mastery of tradition.
At first, the name Bluegrass Power Company might suggest the amped-up approach of BÈla Fleck's electric leanings. Such a notion is dispelled after seeing the band perform, or hearing their debut CD, Pure Acoustic Power. As with the disc, a typical live set features a mix of Bluegrass Power Company originals and traditional tunes. And, like their trademark three- and four-part vocal harmonies, the band's own compositions blend seamlessly with the standards. Mandolin/violinist Jason Mowery is quick to point out that the group's club gigs are likely to be more experimental than festival sets. At certain venues, they've been known to tear through a progressive but decidedly rural rendition of Green Day's "Time of Your Life," a tune that exemplifies what Mowery calls their "no holds barred approach to bluegrass."
That mix of tradition and experimentation is an extension of the diverse musical experience of each member. Mowery, along with Bruce Stiltner (vocals, guitar) and Doug Eyink (banjo, vocals) all have strong family roots in bluegrass music. All three honed their skills participating in the numerous picking contests and jam sessions common to the bluegrass scene. Bassist Eric Miglin fell into the bluegrass fold after a stint with Mowery in the Ohio country band, Diamondback. Mowery, Miglin and Eyink all have formal training in musical theory, classical and jazz styles, while Stiltner is what Mowery refers to as "the real deal, a purebred bluegrass musician."
I recently spoke with Mowery and Stiltner about the band and their approach to acoustic music.
WhatzUp: We talked about how your band pushes the boundaries of bluegrass music. What does it mean to you to do so?
Mowery: Basically we have a lot of other types of music running through our veins in this band ã jazz, classical, funk, etc. ã so, I personally think it would be a shame not to incorporate these other musical styles that we are capable of playing. The trick is to utilize these styles while still using traditional bluegrass instruments.
WU: Why do you feel this is important to your band philosophy?
Mowery: For me, I really like the challenge of these other styles of music. Bluegrass is incredibly challenging music, but working in other styles of music is a completely different challenge. I think the most valuable part of stepping away from the straight bluegrass sound is that it adds many more dimensions to our shows. It keeps things fresh, and it keeps the audience listening. Often times I think a lot of our audiences have had very little exposure to bluegrass. Therefore, if we can find some other common ground with these folks through some other musical territory, then it is much easier for them to appreciate and understand the bluegrass that we play.
WU: Can you give me some examples from your disc where this happens, or is it primarily a live thing?
Mowery: I think it's mostly what we do live, but that's not to say the album is totally straight bluegrass. The tune I wrote, "Long Road Home," alternates back and forth between a fast paced bluegrass groove and a funkier, half-time groove like that of a rock or jazz thing. Bluegrass is essentially blues music that is combined with mountain string music and sped way up. I think there is plenty of evidence of the blues in songs like "Saying Goodbye." The vocals are completely blues blues-oriented, and much of the instrumental work draws on blues scales and riffs.
WU: Traditional standards are important to any roots music. Tell me about some of the traditional songs you chose.
Mowery: "Old Home Place" is considered a standard, but it's not really that old. In fact, the guy who wrote it, Doug Dillard, is still alive, I think. It's one of those tunes that everybody just loves, but it isn't overplayed. That tune was pretty much where our band started. It was one of the first tunes that we played together, and it was the first tune we recorded. "East Virginia Blues" is a traditional standard, and it goes way back. We changed it all around just to be different. This is a tune that I was just getting into during the formation of our band. I brought it up, and we all kind of knew it. Fortunately, Bruce knows the words to just about every bluegrass tune out there.
WU: Is it difficult to write something new and meaningful in such a tradition-centered genre?
Stiltner: I've never felt hampered by the format. Bluegrass has a fine tradition, but it's still an evolving music.
WU: Are audiences accepting that evolution?
Stiltner: I've found that people are interested in a band's take on a standard and are often surprised by what we do with it. Most country music stations have only a couple hours of bluegrass programming a day, or even in a week, so you won't hear much new music. The radio stations really only play what's been heard a thousand times. But I've been going to festivals for 20 plus years, and I've seen the younger element ebb and flow. Bluegrass is family-oriented music, and you see whole families at the shows. I find that very encouraging because younger people are the next generation of listeners and players. That's exciting.
WU: Your song, "Looking Back," addresses that "roots and wings" issue of respecting tradition but accepting change.
Stiltner: Well, as I said, bluegrass is family-oriented, and that's why I do it. My dad and mom play, and I was raised with it. Instead of Saturday morning cartoons, we had the Stanley Brothers playing. It was like reveille. It was just a part of growing up, a real connection that we had. Like many Southern families, my father came north looking for work, and he carried that Southern culture with him. Now I'm carrying it on in my way, which is going to be a bit different because it's here and now. I try to hold to that tradition, but I am me.
Mowery: Take "Holdin' On To A Heartache." We think this tune is one of Bruce's biggest accomplishments yet. We put a lot of creativity and music into that tune. It sort of defines contemporary bluegrass. All the elements of great traditional bluegrass are there, yet at the same time you've got all these harmonies, solos and arrangements that have a sort of jazz/pop awareness to them.
WU: Would you consider yourselves to be anti-electric?
Mowery: Absolutely not. Eric is using an acoustic-electric bass guitar instead of the traditional upright bass. We really like the tone and power we get from that instrument. It suits the hard drivin' stuff we play, and it's a heck of a lot easier to tote around. The rest of us use good old microphones to amplify our instruments. In bluegrass, there is a huge emphasis on high quality instruments and good tone. Some of the best instruments being made today are in the hands of bluegrass musicians. So we really want that vintage tone to be enjoyed in our sound. Right now, our band is concentrating on "pure acoustic power."
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