Our journey has thus far been a rocky one. Scheduling became a problem early on. We six kids are busy, like everyone else, I imagine. Rehearsing and arranging music is, though enjoyable, a chore, but getting everyone in the same room at any given time is a task in itself.
A quick run-down of our trials, little trials that plague all young bands: First of all, one guitarist, Ian, never shows up to practice. We run a loose ship, so his absences are taken lightly. It's still a mystery, however, whether or not he knows the songs.
Zach, our "mandoltitar" player (he plays his guitar like a mandolin), has been to all of two rehearsals. Both rehearsals were killer, but they were but two.
We had a brief scare with Chrissy not being able to attend the show. She'll be there now, but you could imagine that this posed a problem, as we had already arranged the songs with her. Her absence would have thrown quite the wrench in the works.
This adds a bit of intrigue to the whole affair, too: Theresa, our fiddle player, has the flu. Will she get better? Who knows.
Also, I began panicking a couple of weeks ago when I realized just how much time we had. I didn't think we had enough songs to fill the time, and we weren't as rehearsed as I would have liked.
Therefore, I made a decision to divide and conquer. Instead of insisting that we all play together for every song, as we would in a more perfect world, different songs will feature different sections. For example, we are going to cover The Kinks' song "Death of a Clown," which will be me playing guitar and singing with Lauren Jacobs. On "Promised Land," a song I wrote about death and Jesus, I'll sing and play guitar while Chrissy Hassell and Lauren sing harmonies. On the other hand, such traditional songs like "I Saw the Light" and "I'll Fly Away" will feature the whole band.
That said, a little note about our songs: In preparing for this show, I first went to the most obvious place: Jesus. That's what most bluegrass is about. It's all about leaving this world of miseries and going someplace better. That's where Gospel and old string band and mountain music come together, thematically.
The choice of songs reflects more my personal affinity to those old string band music and mountain Gospel traditions than the relatively younger bluegrass traditions, even though we are billed as a "bluegrass" band. Our lack of proper mandolin player should, to purists, immediately kick us out of that category.
For example, you'll hear no "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" or "Ballad of Jed Clampett." What you will hear are old standards, like the aforementioned "I Saw the Light" and "I'll Fly Away," as well as "Wayfaring Stranger" and "Amazing Grace," which all predate the proper formation of bluegrass by generations. You'll hear some harmony-filled, twangy tunes I wrote a while back when I had a strong case of folky-fever, and you'll hear some covers of songs ranging from Neutral Milk Hotel's "Holland, 1945" to Bonnie "Prince" Billy's "New Partner" (which is actually a cover of a Palace Brothers song, but who's counting).
Lastly, I've sensed a hint of irony in this whole affair that doesn't sit quite right with me. I am by absolutely no means a scholar of music or of bluegrass in particular, but I respect it as a legitimate art form. It seems the Democrats are using it to poke fun of their common enemy, the Republicans. To me, they're exploiting the music, mocking it in some sense.
The event is called the "If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em" Hoedown. Irony, that cruel, sincerity-sucking creature that it is, seems to have caught us in its jaws. It's a reality I have, with some effort, let pass until now, but my conscience has gotten the better of me. Though we're not quite genuine, the whole day will, weather permitting, surely be fun. Please join me in ignoring the ignoble cause of the Democrats, who, though a lovable bunch to be sure, have been lead astray by envy or rage or God knows what else. Come have some fun and cut a rug. April 2, 2:00 p.m., the Amphitheater.
