BLUEGRASS REVISITED: A GIBSON BROTHERS SHOW March 1, 2009
Today, on the spur of the moment, my wife and I decided to go to a bluegrass show over in Hughesville, Maryland. It was spur of the moment because even though I knew about the show some time ago I thought Hughesville was out in the western part of the state. But when I discovered that the town was just on the western shore of the Chesapeake I decided to see if tickets were still available. They were and we went. The headliner on the two band show was my favorite group The Gibson Brothers, so the decision was doubly easy. We hopped in the car and in about two and a half hours we were at the Legion post in Hughesville.
The opening band was a local one whose name, I regret to say, I forgot. They did a credible job and they were fun to listen to. One of the neat things about bluegrass is the way the music can be appreciated at all levels, from the down home pick up group to the highly proficient professionals. At festivals and multiple band shows there is a lot of sharing going on between all levels of musicians. The less skilled player can learn new stuff from the better ones. The best players may find new songs or different versions of old standards from the local guys that they can incorporate into their sets. It’s a gregarious group of musicians and the competition, while fierce, is pretty friendly. The fans benefit from all of this and are treated to some amazing displays of musical passion and skill.
Now I’m going to do a little praise heaping on The Gibson Brothers. The Legion hall that they played in last night had some tough acoustic problems to work around. During the first half of their show there was also quite a bit of distraction from folks talking in the back of the hall. But the band overcame those problems and gradually adjusted to the conditions. They introduced some new songs, played a bunch of older favorites and entertained with off the cuff repartee in the intervals. In the second part of their show they kicked butt. Sound adjustments had been made and everything was right. The audience had a lot of old-timey bluegrass folks and they were won over and the Gibsons picked up a couple hundred new fans. Conversations I overheard indicated that everyone was well pleased.
The Gibson Brothers Band seems tighter than ever. They know each other well and they each feed off the energy of the others. The new mandolin player, Joe Walsh, is outstanding. I really liked the previous mandolin guys, Mark and Rick. But Joe more than fills their shoes. The line up of Clayton Campbell, Mike Barber, and Joe and of course Eric and Leigh is just right. They attack each song and focus totally on the moment. When they play a traditional bluegrass song they do it straight forward and with respect. When they play something that stretches the genre they do it with energy and without apology. Some of their crossover material is as good as anything in popular country music today.
But what really set the Gibsons apart are the songs that they write. Songs about their Northern New York home and family are honest and heartfelt as well as being beautifully crafted. They know how to make a song breathe and aren’t afraid to let the piece develop. Songs like “The Barn”, “Arleigh” and my favorite, since I’m a Lyon Mountain native, “Iron and Diamonds” are all skillfully written and perfectly performed. Last night’s audience positively ate those numbers up.
A new album will be released on May 5th and some of the songs in last night’s show were a preview of that effort. The title of the album is “Ring the Bell” and the title track is a spiritually moving song. Another great song is “Angel Dream” which I believe is a Tom Petty cover. I’ll be first in line for the CD on release day.
On a personal note I would like to say that the Gibson brothers and the entire band are true gentlemen. They sincerely appreciate their fans and they bend over backwards to accommodate everyone. And I’d like to thank them for playing my request of “Ophelia” last night. It was great.
So friends, if you never listen to bluegrass you’re missing one of the most enjoyable, exciting and interesting experiences that you can have. And if you never see The Gibson Brothers, or never listen to their CD’s, then you’re missing the best that bluegrass has to offer.
Have a fine day.
Today, on the spur of the moment, my wife and I decided to go to a bluegrass show over in Hughesville, Maryland. It was spur of the moment because even though I knew about the show some time ago I thought Hughesville was out in the western part of the state. But when I discovered that the town was just on the western shore of the Chesapeake I decided to see if tickets were still available. They were and we went. The headliner on the two band show was my favorite group The Gibson Brothers, so the decision was doubly easy. We hopped in the car and in about two and a half hours we were at the Legion post in Hughesville.
The opening band was a local one whose name, I regret to say, I forgot. They did a credible job and they were fun to listen to. One of the neat things about bluegrass is the way the music can be appreciated at all levels, from the down home pick up group to the highly proficient professionals. At festivals and multiple band shows there is a lot of sharing going on between all levels of musicians. The less skilled player can learn new stuff from the better ones. The best players may find new songs or different versions of old standards from the local guys that they can incorporate into their sets. It’s a gregarious group of musicians and the competition, while fierce, is pretty friendly. The fans benefit from all of this and are treated to some amazing displays of musical passion and skill.
Now I’m going to do a little praise heaping on The Gibson Brothers. The Legion hall that they played in last night had some tough acoustic problems to work around. During the first half of their show there was also quite a bit of distraction from folks talking in the back of the hall. But the band overcame those problems and gradually adjusted to the conditions. They introduced some new songs, played a bunch of older favorites and entertained with off the cuff repartee in the intervals. In the second part of their show they kicked butt. Sound adjustments had been made and everything was right. The audience had a lot of old-timey bluegrass folks and they were won over and the Gibsons picked up a couple hundred new fans. Conversations I overheard indicated that everyone was well pleased.
The Gibson Brothers Band seems tighter than ever. They know each other well and they each feed off the energy of the others. The new mandolin player, Joe Walsh, is outstanding. I really liked the previous mandolin guys, Mark and Rick. But Joe more than fills their shoes. The line up of Clayton Campbell, Mike Barber, and Joe and of course Eric and Leigh is just right. They attack each song and focus totally on the moment. When they play a traditional bluegrass song they do it straight forward and with respect. When they play something that stretches the genre they do it with energy and without apology. Some of their crossover material is as good as anything in popular country music today.
But what really set the Gibsons apart are the songs that they write. Songs about their Northern New York home and family are honest and heartfelt as well as being beautifully crafted. They know how to make a song breathe and aren’t afraid to let the piece develop. Songs like “The Barn”, “Arleigh” and my favorite, since I’m a Lyon Mountain native, “Iron and Diamonds” are all skillfully written and perfectly performed. Last night’s audience positively ate those numbers up.
A new album will be released on May 5th and some of the songs in last night’s show were a preview of that effort. The title of the album is “Ring the Bell” and the title track is a spiritually moving song. Another great song is “Angel Dream” which I believe is a Tom Petty cover. I’ll be first in line for the CD on release day.
On a personal note I would like to say that the Gibson brothers and the entire band are true gentlemen. They sincerely appreciate their fans and they bend over backwards to accommodate everyone. And I’d like to thank them for playing my request of “Ophelia” last night. It was great.
So friends, if you never listen to bluegrass you’re missing one of the most enjoyable, exciting and interesting experiences that you can have. And if you never see The Gibson Brothers, or never listen to their CD’s, then you’re missing the best that bluegrass has to offer.
Have a fine day.
1 comment:
Well written review...you should write for Rollingstone magazine (not sure of the country music alternative)! :)
Monica
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