As a birthday gift last month my wife got tickets for a Bluegrass concert tonight in a nice theater in a nearby town. I’m not going to mention the band’s name but I will describe them a little bit. They’re considered one of the top acts in the business. They’ve had Grammy nominations, IBMA awards and SPGMA awards. And they’ve been around for quite a long time. The group consists of a bass, mandolin, banjo, fiddle and two guitars. The lead singing is divided between two fellows and the bass player sings harmony on most songs. They’re very good.
Everyone who knows me knows that my favorite Bluegrass group is the Gibson Brothers. Some folks think that I’m not objective enough in evaluating the appeal of their music and their live performances. In fact some say that I like the GB’s mostly because they’re nice guys from the North Country. Nope.
Hearing this other band tonight brought into clear focus why the Gibson Brothers are a cut above so many other bands on the festival and concert circuit. So here’s a little bit more about the show we saw tonight. All of the instrumentalists were technically excellent. They took solos and really dazzled with their picking skills. The harmonies of the lead singers were also first rate and when the third part singer came in it was really nice. The songs played were a mixture of hard driving standards and a few old time ballads along with some original material. There was one kind of non-denominational gospel song I’d call more of an inspirational piece. Every song was delivered with energy and professionalism. But something was missing. On only one or two songs did I feel like these fine musicians cared about the music. They enjoyed performing and were good at it. But they weren’t emotionally connected.
Every time I see the Gibson Brothers play, or listen to one of their CDs, I sense that they really love each and every song they play. The instrumental work serves the song. The vocals serve the song. And the harmonies always serve the music. When Joe Walsh or Clayton Campbell or either of the brothers take a solo it’s not about showing their considerable skills, and their skills are as technically sound as any band in the business. The solo enhances and emphasizes the song being played. Mike Barber’s bass is technically sophisticated and precisely right. But he always provides the solid foundation for the song and never swerves from that purpose.
Another thing that the Gibson Brothers have is clarity. The band we saw tonight had a fine sound system and they were pretty tight in their arrangements. But they sometimes stepped on one another in transitions and seemed a little muddy in their vocal and instrumental delivery. I’ve seen the Gibson Brothers play with some sound systems that were barely adequate and yet their clarity of tone in voice and instrument was clean and crisp. They achieve that result through coherence of the band members that shows the humility of each member as they serve the song and the whole concept of the performance.
Making Art is what I’m talking about, I guess. The band we saw tonight may consist of some fine musical artists. In fact I’m sure it does. But they didn’t all seem to share the vision of what that art should be as a musical organization. The Gibson Brothers band really knows that they’re creating art as individuals and, when they’re together, as a band.
So there you have it. This should be just one more reason for you to pick up a copy of the new Gibson Brothers CD “They Called It Music” available through their website or Compass Records or Amazon and other outlets. But this also should give you a good reason to catch the band when they perform live at festivals and concerts over the next several months. They’re worth a whole lot of driving.
Now have a fine day.
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