The Song - Rockygrass 2008

The Song - Rockygrass 2008

In the beginning Bill Monroe, took the quintessential American musical idiom and re-invented IT, and he in turn was re-invented, re-created by IT.

This quintessential American musical idiom was patriotic and conservative (but always nursed an anti-rich people resentment). It was religiously orthodox (in a lunatic, fundamentalist way). It was played by extremely talented and skillful musicians in a fast, fluid, novel way. And it was danced in a joyous American way. It was called bluegrass music (because of Monroe's origins in the Blue Grass state of Kentucky).

Then, starting in the late 1960's, Sam Bush and the hippies took IT over. They re-invented bluegrass. And then were themselves re-invented by IT.

This still quintessential American music preserves remnants of its lunatic fundamental orthodoxy. It still preserves an anti-rich people/corporation agenda political resentment. And IT is a kind of psychedelic music, broadly influenced by entheogenic plants, attaining greater and further powers of musical virtuosity, fluidity, speed, novelty, musical elegance. And is danced to in a joyous, American way.

For the 36th year in Lyons, the music and the counter-cultural bluegrass sub-culture which surrounds and pervades the music, was celebrated at Rockygrass.

Monroe's legacy was still very much there in Garrettgrass Gospel Extravaganza (who performed gospel music on Sunday morning), JD Crowe & The New South, and Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band (Peter Rowan played with Bill Monroe, and also played and hung out with Jerry Garcia).

And the greater, further, new psychedelic possibilities of the music were well represented by The Steeldrivers, Russ Barenberg & Bryan Sutton, John Cowan Band, Bela Fleck & Friends, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas & Edgar Meyer, Infamous Stringdusters, Psychograss, Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet.

Perhaps the furthest psychedelic, classical possibilities of the music was represented by Punch Brothers, Featuring Chris Thile. They incorporate into their music a musical dissonance that is reminescent of the classical music of the early 20th Century. They played a 40 minute, four movement' classical-style suite, 'The Blind leaving the Blind'.

The Punch Brothers could be the rough equivalent of what happened to American jazz in the 1950's when it for the most part stopped being a music that was joyously and athletically danced to, and became a very challenging, intellectual, esoteric music that had to be intently listened to.

And yet the band that seized the show was Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Carolina Chocolate Drops clearly demonstrate that bluegrass is not only the music of mountain white people, that in fact, the thickest roots of the music extend to Africa and black string bands.

The festival crowd rose to their feet and embraced the music of the black musicians of the Carolinas' Piedmont. Rhiannon Giddens, was embraced by the crowd as a lost and now found sister, and Justin Robinson, and Dom Flemons were embraced as lost and now found brothers in the music.

And it was a further demonstration that bluegrass is in all ways the quintessential American music.

An intent of Rockygrass is to musically empower, to impart the tradition, the virtuosity of the music, the craftsmanship of the musical instruments to new generations. Young people who attend 'The Academy' during the week that precedes the actual festival learn to play the music, learn to make the musical instruments from world acknowledged masters.

But, perhaps the greatest cross generational thing that happens at Rockygrass is when old, grizzled, veterans of the festival become fresh faced youths in the mystery of the playing, the picking, the participating in the song.