Roll Call:BR549

I bet we're the only people on the board who will be at the Birchmere SAturday for this one.

NASHVILLE'S BR549: A FUN LITTLE NUMBER
By Patrick Foster, Washington Post dated September 7, 2002

It was the "new" BR549 that played the Birchmere on Thursday night, but an old strategy – a crackling blend of honky-tonk, hillbilly swing and rock-and-roll energy – proved it remains one of the most entertaining live acts going.

Original members Gary Bennett (guitar-vocals) and Smilin' Jay McDowell (stand-up bass) left the band earlier this year, but singer-guitarist Chuck Mead, drummer Shaw Wilson and versatile instrumentalist Don Herron have carried on, filling out the quintet with guitarist Chris Scruggs and bassist Geoff Firebaugh. Longtime fans have been shaken by the personnel changes (which may have accounted for the smaller than usual turnout for the perennial Birchmere faves), but the familiar BR549 spirit was clearly evident.

Whether he was putting a naughty twist on "Charming Betsy", tearing through Charlie Daniel's "Uneasy Rider", belting out originals like "Bettie Bettie" and "Chains of This Town" or introducing the decidedly goof-looking Scruggs as "the Jedi Knight of hillbilly music," Mead was enjoyable as ever, perhaps now feeling secure as the band's unquestioned leader.

For his part, Scruggs proved a player and singer of great ability, showing real honky-tonk chops on nuggets like Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Shotgun Boogie" and Onie Wheeler's deliciously weird "Onie's Bop".

Having played 29 songs, the musicians looked like they'd hardly broken a sweat, and this revamped lineup sounded as if it could match the four-hour marathons that BR549 a legend at Robert's Western Wear in Nashville. Thursday's show seemed a strong indicator that the BR549 story is far from over.

I bet you are right. :D

Can't wait to wear my new boots!

At least you won't have to get there early to guarantee a good table!….oh, and "quiet please"…just getting you ready for a fun time at the Sushmere.

That's what's great about the Birchmere…no gum chewing bitches talking aover tha bands…there asses would be thrown out.

And it waas pretty fully, though not sold out, the last time I saw BR549 there.

Originally posted by mankie:
At least you won't have to get there early to guarantee a good table!….oh, and "quiet please"…just getting you ready for a fun time at the Sushmere.

Are they like SR71?

More like SUM41 I think

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:


That's what's great about the Birchmere…no gum chewing bitches talking aover tha bands…there asses would be thrown out.

Unfortunately, the Shushmere is a bit extreme in that regard, they expect it to be like a bloody library in there.

Originally posted by mankie:

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:


That's what's great about the Birchmere…no gum chewing bitches talking aover tha bands…there asses would be thrown out.

Unfortunately, the Shushmere is a bit extreme in that regard, they expect it to be like a bloody library in there.

Apparently it's a place that artists really like to play, though. I was surprised at how much Bob Mould liked that venue, considering he rocks out (even solo), but he just loved it. Which kinda makes me like it more (not that I go all that often).

They are a band that took there name from a Hee Haw skit. They play REAL country (think Eddie Stubbs' show on WAMU) as opposed to pop country or alt-country.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Are they like SR71?

Bluegrass is an outgrowth of country music. Originally conceived as a way to keep country pure as the genre's popularity continued to grow, it has developed into a style of its own, with its own traditions and quirks. If there is anyone responsible for bluegrass, it's Bill Monroe; the genre itself was named after his band. Monroe developed the genre's signature style â?? hard, fast tempos; high, close harmonies; and a pronounced emphasis on instrumental technique â?? in the mid-'40s, and he popularized it during the '50s. By the end of that decade, their sound had become part of country music, and there were legions of bands that followed in their footsteps. During the '60s, such groups as the Dillards took bluegrass further, adding rock and jazz influences to the music and creating the progressive bluegrass subgenre. Progressive bluegrass continued to grow over the next three decades, as traditional bluegrass adhered to the original ideals of bluegrass.

I bow to your superior knowledge on the subject..but I read, or heard on PBS one time that Bluegrass music's origins are from traditional Irish music, "American Irish music' if you like…No?

Somebody had to settle Appalachia. Leave it to the drunks.

Originally posted by mankie:
I bow to your superior knowledge on the subject..but I read, or heard on PBS one time that Bluegrass music's origins are from traditional Irish music, "American Irish music' if you like…No?

Originally posted by mankie:
I bow to your superior knowledge on the subject..but I read, or heard on PBS one time that Bluegrass music's origins are from traditional Irish music, "American Irish music' if you like…No?

that is why the chieftains play it, just ask Markie

True enough, I would imagine potatoes yield some pretty hard liquor.

Originally posted by mankie:
You'd think they would've settled in Idaho! ;)

Yes, bluegrass music is rooted in a form of Irish music (and Scottish).

Western North Carolina has long been fertile ground for the growth of bluegrass music. In fact, no other region or state has contributed so much to its development.

For many people, the appeal of bluegrass music is that it is a relatively new form of music that sounds old. Most scholars agree that bluegrass first gained national attention when Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys appeared on the Grand Ole Opry in 1945. In addition to Bill Monroe himself, this legendary band consisted of Lester Flatt (guitar), Earl Scruggs (banjo), Chubby Wise (fiddle) and Cedric Rainwater (bass). The reason that bluegrass music sounds old is that it is a syntheses of many older styles of music.

The earliest settlers in western North Carolina were the Scotts-Irish. These early pioneers brought with them a wealth of both vocal and instrumental music traditions.

It was mainly the pioneer women who carried on the strong vocal traditions. Often barred by local custom from playing the more raucous instruments like the banjo or the fiddle, most women preferred to sing. More often than not, they sang the old ballads that had been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Most of these ballads originated in the British Isles. They were carefully preserved by a culture that was bent on keeping in tact the cultural traditions of their ancestors. They preserved these ancient ballads so well, in fact, that during the years 1916-1918 English folksong collector Cecil Sharp came to western North Carolina for the sole purpose of collecting English ballads in their purest form, because in England these ballads had long been forgotten.

Ballad singing in western North Carolina had a strong impact on what later became known as bluegrass music. The subject matter of most of the ballads was either murder or death. This leant a somber tone to the music. Today, this is referred to as Bluegrass musicâ??s "high lonesome sound." The manner in which the old ballads were sung also affected the singing styles of later bluegrass singers. The women who sang the old Scotts-Irish and English ballads normally sang with a tight voice that produced a high, shrill tone. In contrast, singers from African traditions sang with a looser voice that produced lower and more relaxed tones. Bill Monroe, who later became known as "The father of Bluegrass Music," is the perfect example of someone who sang with the tight vocal style of his Scotts-Irish ancestors. In his case, he was able to emulate the vocal styles of female ballad singers because he naturally had a high vocal range similar to many female singers.

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Bluegrass is an outgrowth of country music. Originally conceived as a way to keep country pure as the genre's popularity continued to grow, it has developed into a style of its own, with its own traditions and quirks…

This seems to be a very postmodern take on "bluegrass"…but maybe true, if the classification and promotion of the genre is what they're talking about, and not the music itself…

Originally posted by thirsty moore:
Somebody had to settle Appalachia. Leave it to the drunks.

Originally posted by mankie:
I bow to your superior knowledge on the subject..but I read, or heard on PBS one time that Bluegrass music's origins are from traditional Irish music, "American Irish music' if you like…No?

yep, all the scots and irish - the backcountry people of early northern america, settled their pale selves into appalachia where they could make some badass moonshine and raise hell without anyone else getting in their way. yea it's pretty badass