Friday, October 5, 2007

2007 IBMA Awards - Analysis

The IBMA awards were covered live by XM radio with Kyle Cantrell doing the honors last night. While the portion we listened to was enjoyable and professional with Kyle conducting skillful interviews to fill the inevitable on-stage lulls, we simply couldn’t stay up until one in the morning to listen to the show. The Bluegrass Blog had a live Internet connection backstage and live blogged throughout the evening. For the most part Brance and John did straight reporting with very little rooting or cheering, even though blogging relieves the writer of having to exercise editorial objectivity as if he or she were a journalist. Nevertheless, I’m grateful to John and Brance for their professionalism, so I’m relying on their blog for my reactions this morning.

Ordinarily, IBMA awards are pretty ho-hum with few surprises and the usual suspects winning. Over time, there are categories where there have been few different winners and many deserving performers have never won an IBMA award. For instance, there have been only three Dobro players of the year in the entire history of IBMA (Rob Ickes, Jerry Douglas, and Phil Leadbetter). Similarly only four performers (Adam Steffey, Chris Thile, Ronnie McCoury, and Sam Bush) have won mandolin player of the year. Rhonda Vincent won seven consecutive female vocalist awards. Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder have won eight Instrumental Group of the Year awards and Del McCoury won Entertainer of the Year nine times. I’m not for a moment suggesting that any of these recipients aren’t worthy or that they don’t represent bluegrass music at the highest standard. My comment is meant to suggest, however, that the voting members of IBMA are generally not inclined to take risks in their choices or to look widely for standout performances in a given year. An overview of the awards provides a core list of music and musicians who should be in your collection of The Best of Bluegrass.

The 2007 Awards stand as a very pleasant surprise. Awards did not necessarily go to the old standbys and some remarkable 2007 recorded events and performers were recognized. The Infamous Stringdusters burst onto the bluegrass scene this year with a refreshing sound that does honor to the traditions of bluegrass while forging a new instrumental and vocal flourish that is instantly recognizable and always pleasing and exciting. Their Fork in the Road was awarded Song of the Year. They were recognized as Emerging Artist of the Year and Fork in the Road tied with J.D. Crowe and the New South’s Lefty’s Old Guitar for 2007 Album of the Year. This is quite a haul for a new band composed of young pickers who two years ago were mostly session players new to Nashville. This group will bear close watching over the coming years, and their next album will be eagerly awaited by all. Their schedule of festival appearances will become even more crowded than it already is.

Perhaps the big winner in this year’s IBMA was the very deserving Tony Trischka. Tony Trischka has never before won Banjo Player of the Year, despite being widely recognized as one of the most skillful and innovative pickers out there. He joins a distinguished list of winners that still isn’t graced by the granddaddy of them all – Earle Scruggs. That isn’t to say that the people who have won awards aren’t deserving. They are, but voting members need to consider the choices more broadly and recognize outstanding achievement as it emerges. Trischka also won awards for his Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular as Instrumental Album of the Year, and Recorded Event of the Year. Tony’s playing and teaching have influenced every major progressive banjo player in bluegrass music, and no-one deserves recognition more than he.

There were some other surprises, some of the wonderful choices. Dale Ann Bradley was named Female Vocalist of the Year. Her sweet, melodic voice and commanding stage presence stand as proof positive that bluegrass music is still focused on sound, style, and substance. No singer has created a better catalog and she deserves this award royally. More confusing is the choice of Bradley Walker, who has a fine voice, but whose recorded music, at least as played on XM sounds more like classic country than it does like bluegrass to me. We’ve never seen him perform, so my judgment is based purely on his recorded voice on satellite radio. While Sam Bush richly deserves recognition again as Mandolin Player of the Year, it bewilders me how IBMA has consistently neglected Alan Bibey. There is no more elegant or accomplished picker in bluegrass. Bush’s recognition, however, stands as an indication of the widening acceptance of progressive, rock oriented sounds within the bluegrass community. The irony of Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper featuring Audie Blaylock winning Instrumental Group of the Year is obvious, as the Blaylock has already left the group after less than a year together. I'm told, however, that Flamekeeper is alive and more than well. Awards to Tony Rice and J.D. Crowe are particularly nice to see, as their work has shown renewed vigor and continued creativity during the past year.

These are my preliminary reactions to this year’s IBMA awards. The comments are not meant to be comprehensive, and I may want to revise and extend my remarks, as they say in Congress, but I want to post this. During the day I’ll try to add pictures to the text.

13 comments:

  1. As a former voting member of the IBMA, I must confess that I wasn't always familiar with a particular band, album or musician before voting. I would make an effort to hear a new band's music but if unable to do so I'd vote based on familiarity. In the non-musical catagories such as print media, graphic design or liner notes, I tended to vote based guess work since those catagories don't really "stick to the bones".

    These award shows are not really for the musician but for the audience; for public consumption and glam. I would much prefer if the voting members were those who purchase the CD. Buy a CD, get a vote.

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  2. I always find it interesting that the IBMA still wishes and maintains that only national touring groups or long-standing IBMA regulars are the ones slated for awards. Regional or local singers and pickers are overlooked in large part as they do not constitute $$$ into what has become "big business". I would rather pick music and listen to the non-stars who don't need or use protools+, lip/break syncs, or pitch correction to ensure that their performance measures up to the jaded post-modern ear of the "new" bluegrass audience. I'm really saddened to watch bluegrass lose its rural roots and give over to the one with the biggest production budgets go home with the gold... as someone once told me, "Shut and pick, boy!"

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  3. Just to clarify one statement. Mike Cleveland's band is not broken up. Audie Blaylock is no longer with him but his new lead singer will fit in just fine. The rest of the band works hard and it shows at every showcase they did down at IBMA's. Mike never stops working to get better and no matter who is with him will continue to shine for years to come. Don't miss his show when he's in the area.

    Roger Moss

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  4. I am surprised that Fork in the Road won song of the year. Don't get me wrong, it's a good song...but it's not my fav on the album and I think there were several other songs from other artists this year that are better. But I'm a big fan of the stringdusters, so more power to them I guess.

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  5. Ted, Good Job here. I've often been critical of the voting, and largely because my view of it as a popularity contest that didn't necessarily reflect talent and ability. Your comment about Earl Scruggs reinforces that, as does Rhonda's "Seven in a row". Bluegrass, as a whole, is sometimes looked upon as "clannish" or "cliquish", and the IBMA does little to dispel that appearance, in my opinion. Thanks, and keep up the good work.

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  6. Amen, you've got it right. Too many wonderful bands get overlooked.

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  7. I'm glad for the Stringdusters. They have worked hard for this and more then deserve it. Always a good show when they're on stage.
    Dave Bob

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  8. Earl Scruggs learned how to play 3-finger style banjo from a man in Spartanburg, SC named Don Reno.

    Earl is widely regarded as the "grand daddy" by most. However, Earl himself will say he learned the style entirely from Reno. Reno absolutely has no IBMA's.

    Just an interesting FYI.

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  9. I find it interesting that you didn't mention the biggest award of the night - Entertainer of the Year. Besides the Del McCoury Band, I believe the only other band to win this award two years in a row is the Nashville Bluegrass Band. Congratulations to The Grascals!

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  10. Interesting posts, both this one and the previous one, for folks who are outside the orbit of bluegrass activities.

    In particular, your point about the repitition of awards to the same artists was well taken, and it's hard to know how to deal with it.

    One solution, admittedly not the best, is to produce a "ground rule" stating that no one can win it consecutively, or every "X" number of years, thereby guaranteeing some recognition of other deserving artists.

    Then again, I've always been good at solving other people's problems!

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  11. I appreciate your comments about Bradley Walker (a fine singer and inspiration to us all)sounding more like classic country than bluegrass. What I found to be disturbing about the IBMA's this week was the presence of drums. The Cherryholmes and Sam Bush used them on the awards show. The Isaac's and Randy Kohrs used them at Fanfest. Missy Raines used them in a showcase. I guess I'll bring my Les Paul instead of my D-28 to jam next year.

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  12. I appreciate you comments about Bradley Walker (a fine singer and inspiration to us all)sounding more like classic country than bluegrass. What I found to be disturbing about the IBMA's this week was the presence of drums. The Cherryholmes and Sam Bush used them on the awrds show. The Isaac's and Randy Kohrs used them at Fanfest. Missy Raines used them in a showcase. I find it very disturbing. I guess I'll bring my Les Paul instead of my D-28 to jam next year.

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  13. I enjoyed your review of the IBMA.
    I have watched Sam Bush play for years. He's BLUEGRASS. I listened to the AWARD show on Cybergrass and think that SAM BUSH was a perfect MC. He mentioned all the great ones we've had to teach us all some FINE Bluegrass Music.

    No drums in my Bluegrass Pahleez!
    I really like your blog!

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