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Have any of you who live in the South(or any other region) heard of or seen Snake Oil Medicine Show? They are kind of like bluegrass, sort of like public kids' tv, sort of creepy, but definitely wild. I saw them for the first time this weekend. My daughter(9) loved them, the only thing she liked at the festival. She said: "Her voice is so...edited." And it is. The lead female singer has a wild and weird voice.
[ August 29, 2004, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
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I do believe they've visited the PacNW. If they are the group I am remembering, they were good. Different. Interesting.
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Thing is, I'm not sure there is such a thing as good bluegrass.
The old stuff is just so twangy and nasal, I can't bear to listen to it, authentic though it may be. The new stuff is so different from what bluegrass was, it might as well be a different genre.
SOMS falls into the category of jazz/folk music; I don't know that I feel confident that it is bluegrass.
[ April 23, 2004, 08:05 AM: Message edited by: Scott R ]
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Have you heard them, Sopwith? They are from your neck o' the woods. And did you make it up to Shakori, or did your sister?
It's funny. We have a live cd from last summer when SOMS played at Grassroots in NY. I hated it, but a friend loves them, and had recommended them.
When my daughter and I were in the tent, trying to sleep(It was about 2 am) we heard this weird, ethereal music, and I fell in love. We saw them in the dance tent the next day. They are wicked pissah, as we say in these parts.
There are a bunch of jambands who play what some people call "Newgrass," Scott R. It definitely has a bluegrass feel, but is its own thing. Some bands are Leftover Salmon and one of my new favorites, Railroad Earth. Railroad Earth is actually more on the Waterboys side of music to me than bluegrass.
Do you guys know the Blue Rags? The new bass player for Donna the Buffalo is their bass player, too. They were AWESOME, sort of like the Allman Brothers.
The musical feel of this southern fest was different than the northern ones I have been to. Mellower, more pickin'. Fun. They had a great mix of music there, but Snake Oil was my new find of the weekend. It;s funny how music can hit you sometimes, and miss you at other times, and there isn;t necessarily any rhyme or reason to it.
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Snake Oil Medicine Show are from my neck of the woods, but I haven't seen them yet. I generally like traditional bluegrass more than newgrass/acoustic jam band type of bands. I have heard good things about them though. I think some of the members own a great burrito place in Boone, The Black Cat.
Other bands that are associated with Snake Oil that I have seen and enjoyed are Acoustic Syndicate and The Larry Keel Experience.
But for traditionalists who believe that Bluegrass is best without a drummer, you should check out The Steep Canyon Rangers. The original fiddle player is no longer with them, but they are still fun to see live. I would also recommend Chatham County Line for a band that is nearer to where I live now (Raleigh) than the mountains where I grew up.
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Thrak, If you like Larry Keel and Acoustic Syndicate, you would also like Railroad Earth.
And you are right. Traditional bluegrassians would shudder to think of the instruments played by some of the newgrass bands!
By the way, do you or anyone know what valley i drove down into in southwestern Virginia, where 81 meets 77? It was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen, even though we were 400 miles off course. I thought it was the Shenandoah, but i do not think so.
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No, I haven't heard Railroad Earth yet, but I'll keep them in mind. I'll be seeing Salt Creek and Larry Keel and Acoustic syndicate tomorrow at the aiken bluegrass festival, along with Mountain Heart and Savannah River Grass. Should be a good time.
I agree with you guys though, the guys from Salt Creek have been thinking about getting a drummer, I am trying to talk them out of it.
--ApostleRadio
EDIT: I didn't mean tomorrow, I meant next week. Also, If I remember correctly, 77 and 81 meet around Wytheville right? That's part of the blue ridge parkway. That's all I know.
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Yes, it was Wythe. But that looks too far south to be the Shenandoah Valley.
Another wild offshoot of bluegrass is The Horse Flies. They are kind of a mix of old time, bluegrass, and REM, if you can imagine.
The Railroad Earth people sent us a cd sampler to burn and pass around. Once my husband does the burning, I would be happy to send you a cd. (www.railroadearth.com)
Another band(more old time) we see at Grassroots is the Red Hots. They are awesome.
[ April 23, 2004, 02:04 PM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
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They should contact the Grassroots people and try to get in for next year's Shakori Hills Grassroots. They were talking about doing one in the fall this year, too.
Tell them about the cd sampler idea. Lots of young, new bands are doing it. Sort of a "burn it forward" campaign. It costs so little to buy and burn a cd, and I am sure they have been recorded.
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I'll mention it to them, see what they think. Even though the band itself is new, they have been around for a while. Charlie has been doing bluegrass in memphis for years before coming here, the banjo player toured with the rolling stones for a while, things of that nature.
But I will certainly mention it.
Thanks for sharin, always good to find some other bluegrass fans out there.
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Elizabeth, I did see Railroad Earth a couple of years back. They were pretty good, but they followed Steep Canyon Rangers, and I was just in the mood for more traditional fare that night. It was just too hard for me to switch gears to fully appreciate the band than evening. I will keep an eye out to see if they are playing around here anytime soon. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Railroad Earth is a new band, but are a bunch of older musicians. It is amazing how quickly they have become popular.
I think I like the gear-switching, which is why I like Donna the buffalo so much. They are not really one style. I tend to lose interest after a while. So I like most styles of music, but I guess it is rock based on old-timey-bluegrass that is my favorite. (I am still trying to figure it out!)
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I don't think it meant that non-southerners couldn't enjoy bluegrass, but that they would be less likely to have seen Snake Oil Medicine Show. They are only a small southern band after all who can't afford to play everywhere.
Welcome aboard the bluegrass appreciation thread.
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It is just that Snake Oil Medicine Show is a southern band, so far, except for a few forays north.
You are near me, I think, right, in Rhode Island? You should DEFINITELY go to Rythm and Roots in Ninigret at the end of the summer. Donna the Buffalo, the Gourds(hot southern rock-old-time band), and tons of Zydeco.
There is also an Amherst band, young guys, called Few and Far Between, that i think we will hear more of in the region.
And Railroad Earth is coming to Fall River next month to the Narrows Center for the Arts! Very cool place.
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I cannot make it to Boston tonight, darn it. One of these times, though. And we are trying to do the Look Park in Northampton thing, too.
If you decide to go to Rythm and Roots, let me know. I will try to update the musical info as to what is playing in the region. But you are in Providence, I think, right? You really should check out The Narrows. It is very laid back, and you can bring a cooler filled with...whatever, so it is a cheaper night than doing the bar thing.
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On a semi related note: Have any of you ever seen the North Mississippi All-Stars in concert? I liked em. They're semi-big name now, check them out if you like some bluesy southern rock.
--ApostleRadio
Oh and myr, I can't make it to Boston tonight, but thanks for asking. Posts: 1612 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Actually, I'm the one *not* in the Providence clump... I'm in South County. I will cointenly let you know if I'm going to see any of these bands!
AR, stop living so darn far away!
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quote: By the way, do you or anyone know what valley i drove down into in southwestern Virginia, where 81 meets 77? It was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen, even though we were 400 miles off course. I thought it was the Shenandoah, but i do not think so
Even though I spent three years in SW Virginia, I don't know the geography that well, but I think that's probably still the New River Valley. You're right to think that the Shenandoah is farther north, it's in the Maryland-Virginia-Vest Virginia area. Both are gorgeous areas, but I much prefer the NRV.
<---has spent way too much time driving up and down 81 in Virginia.
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We came down like a five mile hill at sunrise, and the mist filled the valley. It was breathtaking.
(We were going from Western Mass to Siler City, NC. Someone said, "go 84 to 81 to Pittsboro," so I just kept driving on 81, and driving, and driving.)
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"The Flatt and Scruggs split dramatizes the fundamental issue that bluegrass confronts as it moves into the 21st century — the conflicting demands between traditional authenticity on the one hand and, on the other, the innovation and relevance necessary to attract new fans."
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I like Nickel Creek, but I liked them more before they went mainstream. We have some of their live festival cds, and they are fun, but I agree that, if you are a hardcore bluegrass afficionado, they are straying from that more and more.
I think what I like is a bluegrass-old time base, with other flavors mixed in. I also like when pop or rock or folk songs are made INTO bluegrass(like Del's "Vincent Black Lightning 1952")
I have become so addicted to live music that it is hard to hear a studio cd. One of my favorite things at festivals is just walking around and hearing pick-up jams.
Do you like old time music, too, or just bluegrass?
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I like both. (Actually I just live eat breathe and die music in any form except hip hop. Bluegrass isn't my favorite nor is it my least favorite). And I agree, I like to see bluegrass covers of rock songs, be it an old song or a new one. I wouldn't say I'm addicted to live music, but before really believing in a band I have to hear them live. Technology is too advanced these days. Auto-tuning and auto-tempo functions suck too many people in. I can't begin to count the number of bands I've seen this year alone that cannot match what their album sounded like in real life, because it was all studio effects. So I insist on seeing what you can do without the electronic help before promoting you. If you can't do it for real, you shouldn't be doing it at all.
The atmosphere and audience feedback of a live show cannot be beat, of course. However, I enjoy a cd just as much, I just enjoy it more when I know the band can actually play it in real life.
To remark on something you mentioned in another thread, I've never been a Donna the Buffalo fan. I don't really know why, I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about them that rubs me the wrong way.
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Some people just don't get Donna the Buffalo, and some(like me) become a middle-aged groupie. ha ha.
Have you heard of the Horse Flies? Now there is an interesting mix. Sort of bluegrass gone Michael Stipe-David Byrne. Wild stuff. Two of the band members, Richie Stearns and Judy Hyman, were the back-up for Natalie Merchant's new roots album.(House Carpenter's Daughter) It is very, very good. Old timey songs redone, both traditional old time, and more modern old time(A lovely juxtaposition-ha!)(Their first song is actually a Horse Flies song: Sally Ann.)
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The Horse Flies are back as the Horse Flies now. They lost their dear friend, the bass player,about seven years ago. They got together as "Edna's Driveway" for a few gigs here and there. now, they are back as The Horse Flies. I just love them.
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Prolixshore, are you still out there? I have a horse Flies set from Shakori Hills Grassroots fest in hand as we speak. I have a load of cds to send out, so if you shoot me your address, I will send them.
edob63@yahoo.com
Bob, your Todd Schaeffer is coming, I promise! Jexx, your stuff is coming too. it;s only been two months!
Myr, did I give you any Horse Flies? I forget.
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You've given me Crow Greenspun, Songwriter's Circle, Donna the Buffalo, John Specker, Barefoot Manner, and Keith Secola. *grin* I'm having trouble trying to figure out who I like the best.
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Can you come to Rhythm and Roots on Sunday? Bring your mom. It is a nice, mellow festival, and the zydeco dancers are really fun to watch, even if they gt snarky about us head-bobbers.
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Won't know if/when I'm working Sunday for a few days yet. It also might be the day my brother moves in to school... I'll definitely let you know if I can!
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Myr, my email is a few posts up above. I will be here until next Sunday AM. I will not be on Hatrack much next week, if at all. I hope to see you there, and glad you liked the music.
Did you ever see the movie Smoke Signals? Keith Secola's Fry Bread song is in/on that.
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