It was such a good evening. We went to a concert at a local civic center.
It was bluegrass music. Oh yes. I don’t know if they qualify as strictly bluegrass music, however. This group plays only acoustic music. So I might classify them as folk music.
It was The Isaacs.
The dobro player is Josh Swift. And his last name describes the way he plays the dobro. It’s fast.
The first time I heard him play was in 2011. He was playing with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. Doyle made a record called Drive Time. One of the songs was Precious Memories.
It blew my mind, figuratively speaking. I played that one song on repeat for hours.
I tried to play it for a couple of people, and they liked it until the lyrics started. They didn’t like the song Precious Memories. But if you listen to only the dobro, it’s phenomenal. But the soloist on the song made it even better. You haven’t heard a good version of the song until you’ve heard it on the Drive Time album.
I got to meet Josh Swift tonight. It was a brief conversation, but I asked him to make an album of his dobro playing. I’d buy two or three of them to hand out to people as I felt led.
He said he was too busy helping other people with their albums that he didn’t have the time to make his own. I pray he finds the time. Please, God, help him to find the time.
The other star of the show was the drum player. I turned to my wife tonight and said, “Watch the drummer. He’s good.” He’s Greg Ritchie. Have you ever tried to play the drums to a bluegrass album? It’s a pain in the arms.
It’s a novel concept. They’ve had the drums as a part of their band since at least 2005. I remember when they made their DVD in Norway, and there were drums in the band then. I think the previous drummer was Nathan.
It takes a brave person to agree to play the bluegrass drums. Braver than those who play the drums in a Pentecostal church.
Some instruments started out as acoustic, but someone hooked up electricity to them, and BOOM! a whole new world appeared. New genres were created. Rock n’ roll music wouldn’t be the same if played on a Martin guitar. But I’m not talking about other genres. I’m talking about the melodies of the heartlands.
Once they created the electric drums, that was the beginning of the end of the world. They’re awful. They’re a travesty. They’re the only instrument that electricity can ruin. Most other instruments that can be plugged in sound pretty good.
Bluegrass percussion used to be a washboard and metal fingertips, but I can handle the drums being a part of bluegrass.
As long as they are electricity-less.
to the bluegrass,
– Caleb
caneymountainblog.com 