O bluegrass, here art thou O bluegrass, here art thou (November 18, 2005)

Hopping music scene proves genre's popularity is strong locally

By Saqib Rahim

When Jack Tuttle walked into Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto in 1979, he was a farm kid from Illinois who just wanted to talk bluegrass with the banjo teacher.

He still remembers then-owner Frank Ford's response: The store's only banjo teacher had just quit.

"Can you teach banjo?" Ford asked Tuttle.

Twenty-six years and hundreds of students later, Tuttle -- who had grown up playing bluegrass music on his family's farm -- chuckles over how things have changed.

Back then, guitar specialists would pinch-hit as banjo teachers, which made Tuttle the best banjo and bluegrass teacher around.

These days, bluegrass fans can easily find music camps and jam sessions throughout the Bay Area. Some of the popular hideouts are at Sam's BBQ in San Jose and Fandango Pizza at Alma Plaza in Palo Alto, both of which feature bluegrass music twice a week.

This Saturday, Nov. 19, the up-and-coming Donner Mountain Bluegrass Band will be playing at First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View, located at 1667 Miramonte Ave., courtesy of the Redwood Bluegrass Associates.

Many fans and musicians credit the 2000 film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" with the genre's surging popularity. They have taken to bluegrass' old greats -- such as Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek and the Johnson Mountain Boys -- who made the music what it is.

Today, the Bay Area is the nation's second-largest bluegrass market, if CD sales are any indication, said Peter Thompson of the Redwood Bluegrass Associates, a nonprofit organization that sponsors concerts throughout the year.

The California Bluegrass Association has the largest membership of any state association in the country, he added.

The Golden State may seem an unlikely haven for a genre of music that developed in the nation's rural southeast. Kentucky native Bill Monroe, known as the "father of bluegrass," played the first bluegrass tunes with his Bluegrass Boys in the 1940s. The music, whose primary roots trace back to the music of English, Irish and Scottish immigrants, typically included five acoustic instruments -- mandolin, banjo, guitar, fiddle and bass -- soloing successively. The simply structured songs often involve unrequited love or nostalgia for one's home.

As for the differences between bluegrass and country, most agree that it's a matter of roots and instrumentation. While country largely uses electric instruments, bluegrass is completely acoustic. Bluegrass mixes blues, gospel and jazz with music from the British Isles, while country does not.

It's that unique flavor that fans have clamored for, and the spotlight hasn't been on veterans alone. Promising young bands like Donner Mountain, which has been around for four years -- and which features 12-year-old Frankie Nagle of Mountain View -- bring a dash of youthful energy to the local scene.

On a quiet Sunday afternoon, a distinctive twanging was coming from Nagle's home near Miramonte Avenue. As Nagle sat on a couch, a banjo resting comfortably in her lap, musical notes seemed to be coming out faster than she plays them. A shared glance among the band members was all it took to start up a tune.

The six members of Donner Mountain met through annual California bluegrass festivals and were brought together by Donner Mountain bassist Dave Gooding and mandolin player Tom Kingsley.

Thompson said showcasing younger players "draws an audience of their contemporaries," giving the audience a dose of pre-teens, teens and 20-somethings.

Apparently, role models have also inspired their peers to play. Young people locally have been taking to bluegrass music lately, thanks in no small part to Tuttle's instruction. Tuttle sees 80 students a week and has taught many of the area's young stars, including Donner Mountain's Nagle.

Thompson said the bluegrass scene has come a long way since Vance and Barbara Townsend started the Redwood Bluegrass Associates in 1989. For many years before, he said, bluegrass musicians in California were treated in a way befitting their "hillbilly music" stereotype, relegated to marginal venues with poor sound systems. Although the underground scene from Berkeley to San Francisco was vibrant, most people hadn't heard of the genre, and fewer had positive feelings about it. But with bluegrass' rise, Thompson said, the Townsends' vision of better presentation and top-notch performers has paid off.

He gives all the credit to the spectacular talent, young and old, that has been willing to play here.

"We're really lucky here on the Peninsula to have so many great players," he said.
This story is taken from the Palo Alto Weekly, the Voice's sister paper.
INFORMATION: Donner Mountain Bluegrass Band Where: First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View, 1667 Miramonte Ave. When: Saturday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. Cost: Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Students ages 13-18 are half price; children under 13 are free when accompanied by a paying adult. Info: Call (650) 691-9982 for further information, or go to www.rba.org/

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