Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Bluegrass Needs More Comedy - Essay

The essay below is an unedited re-posting of my column that ran yesterday in the Welcome Page of the California Bluegrass Association web site.  I want to thank the CBA for providing me a forum and the incentive to write these monthly essays.

Bluegrass music is a pretty serious business, taking itself seriously and committing itself to presenting a particular kind of string band music hearkening back to its first generation roots and the multiple musical traditions from which it has been drawn. Often the attention to its roots overcomes what I'll call the entertainment value necessary to make bluegrass performances a significant commercial draw. Recently, I sat for a few minutes with Mike Armistead of Leroy Troy and the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, a band which recreates the sound and humor of old time music with zeal and a very positive effect, to discuss this issue. Mike easily listed a range of humorists, comedians, and baggy-pants comics who were integral to early bluegrass performances, adding significantly to their entertainment value. Among the historical comics Mike listed were David “Stringbean” Akeman, Cousin Goober, Uncle Dave Macon, Grandpa Jones, Kentucky Slim, and Snuffy Jenkins. These men, and others, brought fine musicianship along with many of the conventions of vaudeville to early bluegrass performances and the Grand Old Opry.

David “Stringbean” Akeman was an important transitional figure in the development of bluegrass music, playing with Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys during the late thirties and into the 1940's, when his work was replaced by the virtuoso inventions of Earl Scruggs. Later he performed at the Grand Old Opry until his murder in 1973, recently memorialized in Sam Bush's song “Stringbean & Estelle.” Grandpa Jones (Louis Marshall Jones 1913 – 1998) became best known as a member of the Grand Old Opry and the cast of Hee Haw for his combination of singing, old-time banjo playing, and comedy, sometimes in conjunction with Stringbean. According to Wikipedia, Uncle Dave Macon (David Harrison Macon 1870 – 1952) represents an important link between the vaudeville of the nineteenth century and twentieth century recording and radio-based musical delivery. While elements of this comedy remain in bluegrass today, there's a seriousness to the music which seems not to invite humor and wit in. I've heard bluegrass represented as “five white guys standing in a line playing and singing.”

Few links remain to the early days connecting bluegrass and old-time music to the vaudeville parts of their heritage. Leroy Troy and the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band bring the sounds and style of Uncle Dave Macon to bluegrass festivals as well as to RFD-TV where fans hear the music and get to see him twirl his banjo while playing songs like “Grandfather's Clock.” Phillip Steinmetz, a nephew of Grandpa Jones, entertains audiences with authentic reproductions of the music of his uncle, as well as Uncle Dave Macon, while banjo player Robert Montgomery has incorporated a couple of Uncle Dave's songs into the show presented by David Davis & the Warrior River Boys. Little Roy Lewis represents probably the strongest link to the baggy-pants clown still to be found in bluegrass music. During a long and storied career, he sacrificed recognition as the fine musician he is to play the clown for many years with the Lewis Family and now with the Little Roy and Lizzie Show. Little Roy's “interruptions” of other bands at bluegrass festivals in drag or other costumes form a lustrous font of memories many bluegrass performers love to recount.

Comedy, whether it's slapstick, wit, or humor, is an art in itself. As our son pointed out to me, many musicians, in their single-minded pursuit of excellence on their instruments, have neither the time nor the inclination to hone another difficult and time-consuming art. Nevertheless, a large portion of bluegrass artists' income is derived from live performances where entertainment, in a broader sense, is the coin of the realm. Several touring bands combining solid to excellent musical performance along with wit and humor provide strong examples of the appeal comedy can have. Nothin' Fancy brings together five very good musicians under the leadership of singer/songwriter Mike Andes. They do excellent covers of a number of Country Gentlemen songs as Chris Sexton on fiddle and Mitchell Davis on banjo manage to do serious work while bringing musical wit and a bit of often deadpan clowning to their performances. Audiences respond extremely well to Nothin' Fancy, adding people into the audience wherever they appear.

Ron Thomason, who has fronted Dry Branch Fire Squad for over thirty years, brings humor through story-telling, to his band's work. In many ways, his dry, mostly deadpan humor is reminiscent of the kind of topical humor Will Rogers practiced during the 1920's and 1930's. While Rogers dressed as a cowboy and twirled a trick rope during his act, Thomason has an entire band to work with. Their music, featuring a kind of raw quartet sound going back to Bill Monroe's day, stands in marked contrast to Thomason's often pointed and politically tinged wit. The Gibson Brothers, who would not consider themselves to be a humorous band, nevertheless leaven their quite serious music with the kind of loving banter shared by brothers. Their light sibling rivalry never reaches the point where an audience becomes uncomfortable, while revealing the depth of their love and respect for each other as well as providing breaks between many of their songs.

Steve Martin, who made his mark as a slapstick comedian (remember the arrow through his head?) before elevating his art as an actor and writer, has only recently emerged as a serious bluegrass banjo player and song writer, although the banjo was a prop in many of his earliest comedy bits. Martin has now released two bluegrass albums backed by The Steep Canyon Rangers and numerous other bluegrass luminaries and is currently engaged on a fifty city tour which is bringing a great deal of attention to bluegrass music in places it has only been viewed through negative stereotypes. Martin has even been announced as a candidate for nomination as IBMA Banjo Player of the Year. As an entertainer, he's bringing new audiences to bluegrass and bringing down the house at bluegrass festivals able to afford him.

Being amusing and entertaining within the context of music is very hard work. Like bluegrass itself, comedy requires timing, taste, and, yes, tone to make it effective. Some bands inject elements of humor into their shows. IIIrd Tyme Out, for instance, uses their band introductions to add notes of humor as does Adam Steffey of The Boxcars. An important element of using comedy effectively requires constant updating to keep the humor fresh to audiences. Fans will sit still for multiple musical performances, but shouldn't be able to mouth the words of a comedy routine along with the speaker. Shakespeare, in his darkest tragedies, uses humorous clown-like characters and verbal wit to create a foil for the tragedy of his characters. Many bluegrass songs deal with sad topics even while often presenting them with lilting, uplifting tunes. Nevertheless, the music and the performances can benefit from the judicious use of humor to enliven a show. Bluegrass music, especially at festivals and live shows, is as much in the entertainment business as it is in the music business. Keeping it light and funny as well as musically enthralling can only help broaden its appeal.

18 comments:

  1. Excellent post, Ted, as usual. This is something I think about a great deal with respect to music. While I must admit, I'm not necessarily a fan of reviving old-school slapstick routines into the modern era, my favorite musicians and songwriters inject wit and humor into their work. Those that come to mind are/were John Hartford and, outside of bluegrass, Todd Snider, John Prine, Hayes Carll, and well outside of bluegrass, Frank Zappa. At risk of sounding super pretentious, I think musicians and comedians serve almost a shamanistic role in our culture, sorting out difficult ideas and emotions through art. Combing the two, music and humor, can be especially cathartic and uplifting.

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  2. You touched on just about all the performers who inject humor into their act...except for two who come to mind. Doyle Lawson has been great about injecting humor into his program, and you can't forget Goldwing Express. I consider them on a par with Dry Branch Fire Squad and Nothin' Fancy as far as humor is concerned.

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  3. Thank you,Ted, for an excellent post. I was at a festival this past weekend that included The Expedition Show and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Both groups used comedy as a part of their show and I enjoyed both deliveries. Blake Williams stood and told jokes for about 5 minutes several times during his band's sets and I enjoyed it. Doyle and the band engaged in several slapstick style breaks. His banjo player,while statuesque during the songs,did a spot on imitation of Lester Flatt and sang as Flatt. Bluegrass musicians are more straightfaced than they need to be,but I agree with your son: their musicianship is of such high a caliber that they have little time to hone comedy skills. Rhonda Vincent and her band smile alot and are having fun the entire show-and they all can play! Same goes for the Gibson Brothers and actually, quite a few more. I think that as long as a band is having fun and sharing that joy with the audience that that is enough. Some comedian/musicians, while clever and insightful, are too tedious,and detract from their band's music(Ron Thomason comes to mind- and I enjoy his music very much!)

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  4. My wife and I have always enjoyed the humor of Blake Williams (Expedition Show). It's just plain good humor, family style jokes, but they make you laugh. After spending nearly 40 years in retail, we've known that if you can make the customer laugh, it's a positive direction on the way to making a sale.

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  5. Nice post. I think it's important to remember that the Dillards also used comedy to great effect. This, in addition to great musicianship, helped win them fans and helped bring new listeners to this musical art form. I'm certain that comedy isn't right for every bluegrass band, but a bit of a light touch - a bit of between-tune patter - every now and again would be, I think, very welcome.

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  6. Actually this situation with respect to humor / comedy is not unique to bluegrass but has vanished in general from what is called "country music." The comedian in the band was a part of CW long before there was BG music and some will remember Rod Brasfield, Minnie Pearl, June Carter and several others. Through the '50's most touring CW groups carried a comedian. Perhaps best remembered was Speck Rhodes who performed with Porter Wagoner for decades. The country comedian typically wore outlandish clothing, odd hats, and often had a blackened tooth, a sign of real ignorance, which was the premiss for most of this humor.

    I had the good fortune to play for 29 years with a group that placed itself directly in this tradition along with Homer and Jethro, Lonzo and Oscar, The Mayor and Buford, and other such humor acts. Actually the originator of the group held it for 44 years. We always had more bookings than we could honor and we played all over the USA, though mostly for private events such as conventions, business dinners, annual meetings and the like. Venues that most music groups never think of. Musical ability was a given and the repertoire covered everything from bluegrass to broadway, Mozart to Mussorsky to Mickey Mouse.

    One of my fondest gigs was playing at Andrews AFB at a party for Command of the AF Reserve and AF Nat'l Guard. They flew us in and out. Air Force One just over the shoulder as we played.

    We did many short spots on nat'l TV and broadcast, often as promos for events.

    But the comedy was included because the intent of the performance was audience entertainment. That's what they were paying for, not ego enhancement for instrumental star. There are many, many people who can play well, but not so many who can entertain. We used skits, parodies, original material, show offs like "OBS" and careful rehearsed timing.

    No one above has mentioned the original Dillards who understood the entertainment issues very well, and had great comedy bits, which I think were more responsible for getting them on Andy Griffith than And I will admit to shamelessly stealing comedy bits and stage persona from Lou Gottlieb of the Limeliters who was a brilliant comedian. We all borrowed from Tom Lehrer, Victor Borge, and Bob Gibson. Why not steal from the best??

    Of the more recent bands, I think Hot Rize with their alternate personas of Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers (from the back of the bus) are also brilliant.

    For groups that carried a comedian, Cousin Wilbur for example with Flatt and Scruggs, the clown emphasized the personal connection between the lives of the musicians and those of the audience while at the same time stressing the unique cultural distance between those two elements. By stretching and breaking cultural boundaries, clowns show us the tensions of our own lives and society, things that we otherwise take for granted. Lots more to be said about this, and about it has disappeared from country music and its subset, bluegrass.

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  7. Great post! I immediately thought of Hartford too; he was able to bring joy and humor while still being an incredible musician.

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  8. What was your point you were trying to make with this essay? That comedy isn't alive in Bluegrass performances? (I ask because you then went on to point out many performers who use comedy)
    Was the point more comedy is needed?
    Most every bluegrass act I've seen does at least some attempt at humor. I really can't think of any I've seen that didn't have at least a little stage patter and an old joke or two.
    I'm not sure of your point.

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  9. Has anyone mentioned the alleged wit of Hot Rize's alter egos, Reed Knuckles and the Trailblazers?

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  10. Although levity in bluegrass is a nice addition to great singing and playing, some bands use "bathroom" and "hillbilly" humor to an embarrasing degree. One of the reasons mainstream music has refrained from embracing bluegrass is that the general population wants nothing to do with an art form that reeks of ignorance and prejudicial makeup. It's no wonder many current bands are reluctant to try humor. There's a fine line between entertainment and music. Some bands are entertaining without working-up skits and slapstick. The best entertainment is from bands that relate to the audience and find little things that come up during the show to mention and find humorous. Humor related to the current performance is the most entertaining for any audience. It fits the band, and the listener. When this is done tastefully and in the "moment" it's really funny, and wins the audience for the entertainers. It is also good for the players, and keeps them from mundane performances.

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  11. Red Knuckles has been mentioned on some of the forums, but I'm not sure if they're represented here. As I was riding north this afternoon, I remembered their excellent show at the BBU in Lexington, MA last fall. Thanks for throwing them into the mix.

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  12. You've got it, anon. Just as Earl Scruggs said about playing, so with humor - taste, timing, and tone. A good band knows how to keep it tasteful, and timing in comedy is all. Thanks.

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  13. The late John Hartford had a significant element of comedy in his work that deserves mention here. Some will debate whether he was a bluegrass musician, but none can dispute that he took the time to master entertainment skills beyond just playing. His humor was mostly of the sly type that was fit into a song, as opposed to those who joked between songs, and he went for a smile instead of a guffaw, but he was much appreciated in his day.

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  14. I never had the pleasure of seeing Hartford perform live, but the humor and wit in his lyrics and the twinkle in his eye say it all. - Ted

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  15. Many years ago at the Opryland theme park I had the chance to hear Mike Snider. It was one of the funniest shows that I can remember. His comedy wasn't satarical, just plan funny things that happen in life. I was very inpressed with the quality of the music as well. One of those memories that will last forever.

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  16. I agree that there needs to be more comedy in Bluegrass. Most folks sitting out in the audience are thankful for the chance to have a good laugh; helps forget about their troubles. They feel like they are a 'part of the show' if you can poke a little fun at them or, better yet, at the person sitting close by. Timing is very important as is the unexpected. I think it also helps the musicians on stage to relax a little bit more when they too can laugh, thus putting on a little bit better show. Thanks for posting this. Maybe more bands will inject a little more humor in their shows.
    Ronnie Retherford

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  17. One of my favorite comments on the subject (and it may well be apocryphal) was the following one attributed to Uncle Dave Macon the first time that Earl Scruggs appeared with Bill Monroe on the Grand Ol' Opry: "That boy can certainly play the banjo, but he ain't one damned bit funny." Ron Thomason

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  18. At the recent Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival I had the pleasure of attending a virtuosic performance by Chris Thile and Michael Daves. One of the highlights, I thought, of the festival. Their performance was enhanced by the humorous banter of Chris Thile, even while they played some of the most incredible bluegrass instrumental duets I have heard. In particular, I enjoyed their "fiddle tune request time" when they commented humorously but gently on the quality of the suggestions made by the audience.

    I enjoy a modicum of humor with my bluegrass but I'm not sure I would advocate for a wholesale increase in humor in bluegrass musical performances. I can be very satisfied listening to simply excellent performances of the music - and I am not sure I trust most musicians to use humor wisely and well. Having said that, I do enjoy the humor of Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers, Leroy Troy and the Tennessee Mafia and, especially, Ron Thomason. Above all, I enjoyed the subtle wit of John Hartford.

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