The Dudeism Forum

I was in my late thirties before I fell in love with Bluegrass and Old-Time fiddle music (having been a longtime punk rock girl), but once it hit, boy howdy it hit me hard! There must be another fan or two of bluegrass music on these here boards... Maybe?

For me, it doesn't get much Dudelier than Bluegrass festivals. Camping, sitting, music on the stage, music in the camping areas, drinking, eating, rinse and repeat.

Who are some of your favorites? I love me some Bill Monroe, of course, and Stanley Brothers, Flatt and Scruggs, the whole traditional pantheon. I'm sure more will spring to mind shortly after hitting "Post," but I'm listening to my Traditional Bluegrass station on Pandora, so the ol' frame of reference is pretty focused right now...

And of course, since so many bluegrass fans are also musicians, it'd be fun to know if you play something, and what's the story there. I play the upright/doghouse bass.

Hopefully this topic doesn't die of neglect. 

Being a Brit, I don't get access to a whole heap.  I mean, we have our own folky/rootsy traditions in music over here which I love, but I am also a fan of Bluegrass and Ol' Timey.

I was very privillaged the other year to see Old Crow Medicine Show in London.  Sadly, my favourite band, The Gourds, don't tend to leave the Lower 48, let alone the American continent.  One day.... one day....

On a recent trip up north to York I happened upon a busking band from Sheffield who play their own original American roots/bluegrass/old timey/zydeco music.  Really quite good, too.  They just released an album last week, in fact.  Available for purchase (not sure internationall or not) or download.  Sample it here at: http://thebuffaloskinners.bandcamp.com/album/the-buffalo-skinners

Likewise, if you've got any Bluegrass suggestions, please send them my way, I'd love to expand my collection a little

Sweet! Thank you so much for the Buffalo Skinners tip! Listening to them now on that site you posted, and they are a blast. Good and rowdy - love that.

I've not heard The Gourds, but I'll be sure to check them out today.

Old Crow puts on one hell of a live show, don't they? I didn't much care for them until I (oddly enough) saw them live. Glad to hear they're gaining some international fans.

And, ergh, since you asked... 

Hot Mustard is a local-to-me band that I love - they play traditional stuff, and the vocals are just phenomenal: http://www.reverbnation.com/#!/hotmustard

There's also a (I believe) Swedish bluegrass/old timey band called The Rockridge Brothers who tear it up, on the old timey side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U58giFJhy1k   and  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR8GaUcH1FU   for starters!

Riley Baugus is a national treasure, as far as I'm concerned: http://www.rileybaugus.com/listen.html

And, for pure, hilarious fun, there's Leroy Troy and the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDsAVq4rolM   for just a start. They are SO much fun live, and Lester, the tenor singer (and jug player, and player of about everything else) is awesome. Just great performers.

Sorry for the deluge. I hope you enjoy some of it!

Yeah - really digging the Buffalo Skinners!

Bluegrass fest are very Dude.
We have several in the area here and they are really great. Camping and bluegrass music all day.
I prefer the more Hippie ah I mean 60's type fests but the bluegrass fests are no slouch.
The mountain folk know how to party. No doubt about it.
Some music sort of spans the gap also.
I'd recommend Railroad Earth and Tea Leaf Green.

http://iclips.net/watch/rre-jam-cruise-8


Also for pure bluegrass Yonder Mountain String Band...

http://www.archive.org/details/ymsb2011-02-04.spyder9.flac16

I'll delve through all those suggestions tomorrow, make a morning of it.

Afterwards, I'll probably tune into Boot Liqour radio.  Great station that plays a mix of Alt-country and the like.  Not had much time to check in of late:

http://somafm.com/play/bootliquor

It's the station a friend put me onto that got me into The Gourds (whose motton, incidentally, is "Unwashed and Well-read").  Sometimes drop it a little financial support to keep on going, when I can spare the baksheesh.

Busmum Dude is a big Bluegrass fan (apparently she plays the banjo but we don't own a banjo and I have not heard her play); most of her family play guitars and can sing ( I can't hold a note and  stopped trying when I caught the mother-in-law wincing at my feeble attempt to sing  ). Anyway, just got back from Utah (her son, Jakebelly, got himself hitched) - her elder kids are natural Dudes. Her daughter Nial (and her band: Rumble Rumble) played at the ceremony and at the party later on. Here she is singing "Walking Cane" - you may even hear her in lapses between Busmum's happy (proud) hollering  
http://youtu.be/kJhxc70K5g4

Punk, Blues, Bluegrass . . ah, Dudeism/Abideism, we got the grooves.  

ps. If you are interested here's a slide show of the wedding (my girls got to be Flower Girls) http://youtu.be/queqjOEOeQQ  Shit, the sound quality on that has gone down the toilet - don't know what happened there.

Awesome! Thanks for the musical tips, Biker Dude! I'll check them out later on, while putting off silly, much less important job tasks.

Have you been to the Grey Fox bluegrass fest (formerly called Winterhawk)? It's a nice crossover festival - enough bluegrass to satisfy bluegrassers, but plenty for the hippies to dig on, man. I prefer the smaller, more hillbilly music-oriented ones myself, mostly cuz I don't like huge crowds.

Festival weekends are so much fun!

Quote from: BikerDude on August 16, 2011, 09:50:01 AM
Bluegrass fest are very Dude.
We have several in the area here and they are really great. Camping and bluegrass music all day.
I prefer the more Hippie ah I mean 60's type fests but the bluegrass fests are no slouch.
The mountain folk know how to party. No doubt about it.
Some music sort of spans the gap also.
I'd recommend Railroad Earth and Tea Leaf Green.

http://iclips.net/watch/rre-jam-cruise-8


Also for pure bluegrass Yonder Mountain String Band...

http://www.archive.org/details/ymsb2011-02-04.spyder9.flac16

OH! I had not realized that Busmum was your special lady dude, dude! That makes me happy. She's a very cool Dude - even cooler that she plays the banjo! My special gentleman has been learning banjo for a couple years now - it is not an easy instrument (for the player or the person or people they live with, ha ha).

Her daughter did awesome! I love that song, and she did a great version there - thanks for posting that. LOVE her dress, too.

Thanks for posting the wedding stuff - love wedding pics, because I am a bit of a sap. I'll also dial those up this afternoon.

This is so neat! I knew I'd found my people here at Dudeism - this thread just confirms it.

Quote from: cakebelly on August 16, 2011, 01:10:18 PM
Busmum Dude is a big Bluegrass fan (apparently she plays the banjo but we don't own a banjo and I have not heard her play); most of her family play guitars and can sing ( I can't hold a note and have stopped trying when I caught the mother-in-law wincing at my feeble attempt to sing  ). Anyway, just got back from Utah (her son, Jakebelly, got himself hitched) - her elder kids are natural Dudes. Her daughter Nial (and her band) played at the ceremony and at the party later on. Here she is singing "Walking Cane" - you may even hear her in lapses between Busmum's happy (proud) hollering 
http://youtu.be/kJhxc70K5g4

Punk, Blues, Bluegrass . . ah, Dudeism/Abideism, we got the grooves. 

ps. If you are interested here's a slide show of the wedding (my girls got to be Flower Girls) http://youtu.be/queqjOEOeQQ  Shit, the sound quality on that has gone down the toilet - don't know what happened there.

Here is the worlds best Bluegrass Festival comming up...... and the whole shebang is FREE.........

http://www.bing.com/search?q=hardly+strictly+bluegrass&src=IE-SearchBox&FORM=IE8SRC

Quote from: cakebelly on August 16, 2011, 01:10:18 PM
Busmum Dude is a big Bluegrass fan (apparently she plays the banjo but we don't own a banjo and I have not heard her play); most of her family play guitars and can sing ( I can't hold a note and  stopped trying when I caught the mother-in-law wincing at my feeble attempt to sing  ). Anyway, just got back from Utah (her son, Jakebelly, got himself hitched) - her elder kids are natural Dudes. Her daughter Nial (and her band: Rumble Rumble) played at the ceremony and at the party later on. Here she is singing "Walking Cane" - you may even hear her in lapses between Busmum's happy (proud) hollering  
http://youtu.be/kJhxc70K5g4

Punk, Blues, Bluegrass . . ah, Dudeism/Abideism, we got the grooves.  

ps. If you are interested here's a slide show of the wedding (my girls got to be Flower Girls) http://youtu.be/queqjOEOeQQ  Shit, the sound quality on that has gone down the toilet - don't know what happened there.

Thanks and yeah, Busmum and yours truly got hitched 3 years ago (this coming Sunday).

All the young Dudes: Jakebelly and (sister) Niall (best Lady/woman) on the wedding day:

Niall and The Joes (Abigail/Adeline):

Quote from: cakebelly on August 16, 2011, 04:37:10 PM
Thanks and yeah, Busmum and yours truly got hitched 3 years ago (this coming Sunday).

Belated congrats, Cakey
And kudos on marrying into music.  I'm half-tone deaf, on my father's side, I'm hoping to breed that back out in successive generations

Cheers, Dude - it's been a helluva ride  

I'd like to hear 'em do something together: have heard B's Pa but not her Ma, yet (B's Ma plays twelve string).

Guess I'm just a groupie 

yes i can play... unfortunately, my hands and fingers don't want to cooperate these days (fucking carpal tunnel-things go numb)... so i tend to just sing and stomp and hoot and holler 

my dreamiest dream is to have all of us play together and take it on the road for some kicking good times... even though my parents are divorced, they still get along, and still play well for being in their sunset years.

i'm dancing and singing in my head right now (at my desk at work) at the thought of it 

has anybody been to the strawberry festival in yosemite? that's my personal fave!

http://www.strawberrymusic.com/home.aspx

Can I just say, I love it.

A punk comes around to that high lonesome.

It tickles me somethin' fierce, you see, on account of my having had a good number of friends in high school who were punks, and it weren't no problem that I was a hippy-ass Deadhead, and we could hang out, have a drink, have a smoke, eat some sugarcubes, you know, have great conversations and listen to good music.  As long as it was THEIR music.

I could never understand the revulsion these kids had for the Dead and the like, but given the definite bluegrass and folk influence in the Grateful Dead's music, I have to laugh at your "conversion"

Don't get me wrong, punk music is fantastic; I just recently re-discovered Op Ivy, and have been loving it.

I like your style, Banjo Dude!

I must confess, the Dead is where I tend to part ways with many of my bluegrass compeers around here. I can't abide them. Just can't. I have tried, I really and truly have! I even went to see the Dead live in the summer of '93 because I figured that would be the missing link, that would pull back the proverbial curtain! I got the whole experience - my car broke down, and I had to hitch hike for the first time in my life with my then-gentleman friend (not my special gentleman, mind you), and... Oh, I could go on. But still... I just didn't enjoy the show. I opened my punk-ass mind way up, but I still just didn't dig the music at all. And I was totally disappointed in myself. I've liked an awful lot of Deadheads throughout the years (still do), and it sure would make my life easier if I liked the band!

I get the Dead and bluegrass connection - Jerry, Grisman, etc. and so on. But I... Like the non-Deady  bluegrass stuff, myself.

That all said, the typical bluegrass song structure (1-4-5) is absolutely punk rock! The songs are short, high energy, and deal with gritty subject matter. Or... Punk rock is absolutely bluegrass, technically, I guess. 

The high lonesome is one of the most beautiful things man has done.

I also know that punks can be real assholes, so good on you for putting up with that in the name of friendship!