Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to get to go to the Blue Note in Columbia, MO for the first time. It's one of the great music scenes in town, and I was really excited to go, and pretty excited about the act that was playing there that night. The band (The Hipnecks), whom I really like, put on a good show that evening. I like the Hipnecks for their unique sound, which is basically a blend of many different musical styles. Over the course of the evening, I heard more than one person refer to the band as a bluegrass band, which couldn't be farther from the truth, and it's a trend I've been noticing. It seems any band today that has a more traditional folk sound and a lot of cool, unique acoustic instruments gets labeled as "Bluegrass" whether or not that's the case.
Bluegrass itself is a blend of musical styles, well really two dominant styles. It blends appalachia hill music with blues. Bill Monroe, known as the father of bluegrass music, harnessed this sound. He came from a poor family in east Kentucky, and grew up listening to the fiddle tunes his mother would play and sing. Most of the folk songs that were played and sang across Appalachia came from the British Isles; Ireland, Scotland and England. Monroe learned to play the Mandolin and grew up singing these songs. Another type of music being sang in poor areas of the south, was blues. This was a style of music played and sang throughout the South, predominantly in poor, African-American communities. The old spirituals and songs sang by slaves in the old south were the basis for what would eventually become "the Blues", and then of course, Blues music itself would later take on many different forms. Monroe became very intrigued by Blues music, starting, as he tells it, by listening to a black gentlemen playing the guitar and singing one day out front of a local store. An idea sprung into his head, and Bluegrass Music was born.
The instrumentation for the standard bluegrass band, is derived from the instruments played in many homes in the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. The acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass fiddle and the fiddle are the most common makeup of a bluegrass band. The mournful singing and harmonies is derived from the Blues music Monroe first heard as a teenager. One of the most distinguishable, yet hard to define qualities about Bluegrass music is called "The High Lonesome Sound". Much like the rebel yell during the Civil War, the High Lonesome Sound is something that is very difficult to put into words, but you know it when you hear it. Sometimes it's the result of the high harmony in the tenor line in a bluegrass song, or the incredibly high, mournful lead, sung by the lead singer. It's an incredibly unique blend of music that has a sound all it's own.
Through the years, bluegrass has morphed and changed, but only the nuances. It's never wandered all that far from the sound Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys first put forth for the American public to hear. Earl Scruggs revolutionized the way the banjo was played, JD Crowe, The Country Gentlemen, and Tony Rice, among others, have changed the type of song that is accepted for Bluegrass music, but the sound has remained nearly the same. Only the technology in the studio has enhanced the quality of the music on the records. Sure, they have been off-shoots, like Alison Krauss who has taken a traditional bluegrass band and created a sound all her own, "walking the fine line between bluegrass and country music".
Which brings me back to The Hipnecks. I really like them, but, they're not a bluegrass band. They are mix of Southern Rock, Folk Rock, and Ozark Fusion. Sure, they have a stand-up base. The lead singer busts out a mandolin every now and again. They have a fiddle player, and some ripping harmonica solos. All of these qualities make them an awesome band. Just not a bluegrass band. It's not the instruments in one's band, but the way those instruments are being played. And don't forget the singing. The lead melody and the harmonic structure of the back-up singers is also huge part of what makes Bluegrass music, Bluegrass. I could give a bluegrass history lesson, but I'm not going to do that. My only point is, don't make generalizations. Just because a band is a little off the beaten path and sounds a little different, don't assume it's a bluegrass band. Besides, most likely, the band itself will tell you they're not one either. And please, don't take this as a rip on the Hipnecks or any of the bands that played at the Blue Note that particular Friday night, or any of the groups that people mistakenly refer to as Bluegrass, because it's not. I like them, I like their sound, but as a "music snob" as I've been called, I just don't like seeing bands mis-classified. Especially when their classified as a style whose people are very protective of their music. Bluegrass is Bluegrass, and trust me, you'll know it when you hear it.
