{"id":8023,"date":"2015-01-31T16:56:14","date_gmt":"2015-01-31T21:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/?p=8023"},"modified":"2015-01-31T16:56:14","modified_gmt":"2015-01-31T21:56:14","slug":"bluegrass-gets-international-exposure-in-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/2015\/01\/31\/bluegrass-gets-international-exposure-in-nyc\/","title":{"rendered":"Bluegrass Gets International Exposure in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Balsam Range, Allison Brown, DePue Brothers Band, The Gibson Brothers, Sierra Hull, The Kruger Brothers, Matuto, Mipso, Tim O\u2019Brien, Frank Solivan &#038; Dirty Kitchen, Bryan Sutton and The Travelin\u2019 McCourys were among the bluegrass artists who showcased their talents during the 58th annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), held in New York City, Jan. 9-13.<\/p>\n<p>The global performing arts marketplace and conference featured more than 1000 artist showcases (music, theatre, dance, comedy and more), a large EXPO Hall with nearly 400 exhibitors, daily plenary sessions and keynote speakers, and a wide array of professional development workshops and forums. It is hosted by APAP, a Washington, D.C.-based national service, advocacy and membership organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust performing arts presenters field and the professionals who work within it. 9Last year&#8217;s APAP Conference featured a professional development session on Presenting Bluegrass: Engaging New Audiences. An article on that is archived on AcousticMusicScene.com and may be viewed by clicking on this <a href=\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/2014\/01\/18\/presenting-bluegrass-is-panels-focus-at-2014-apap-conference\/\">link<\/a>: <\/p>\n<div class=\"oceanwp-oembed-wrap clr\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"uonn93fmPO\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/2014\/01\/18\/presenting-bluegrass-is-panels-focus-at-2014-apap-conference\/\">Presenting Bluegrass is Panel&#8217;s Focus at 2014 APAP Conference<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Presenting Bluegrass is Panel&#8217;s Focus at 2014 APAP Conference&#8221; &#8212; AcousticMusicScene.com\" src=\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/2014\/01\/18\/presenting-bluegrass-is-panels-focus-at-2014-apap-conference\/embed\/#?secret=DyI55eBFji#?secret=uonn93fmPO\" data-secret=\"uonn93fmPO\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_8028\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8028\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/balsalm_range-97-1024x623.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/balsalm_range-97-1024x623-300x182.jpg\" alt=\"Balsam Range\" width=\"300\" height=\"182\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8028\" srcset=\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/balsalm_range-97-1024x623-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/balsalm_range-97-1024x623.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8028\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Balsam Range<\/figcaption><\/figure>Marc Pruett, banjo player for <strong>Balsam Range<\/strong>, the reigning IBMA Entertainers and Vocal Group of the Year, summed up the reason that all of the bluegrass artists were in New York: \u201cI hope that we make some new friends. We\u2019re the reason they\u2019re here, and they\u2019re the reason we\u2019re here. We want to be able to connect our music to their audience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From the moment Balsam Range kicked off its showcase at the New York Hilton, the conference\u2019s host hotel, with \u201cMoon Over Memphis,\u201d it seemed clear that the group that has headlined concert halls, theaters and festivals throughout North America since its formation eight years ago was doing just that.<\/p>\n<p>Commenting on the accolades and success that Balsam Range has achieved to date, Tim Surrett (bass and dobro) said: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing. We would have laughed if you would have told us eight years ago that this would happen.\u201d Surrett, who also co-founded the Mountain Home Music Company (the label for which Balsam Range records) noted that although the group\u2019s members all hail from the same county and live just 15 minutes from each other in western North Carolina, they had been playing in different bands and touring all over the world.  \u201cWe just got together to pick a little.\u201d The group takes its name from a mountain range in NC\u2019s Smoky Mountain region.<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_8029\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8029\" style=\"width: 180px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/photo-8.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/photo-8-180x300.jpg\" alt=\"Frank Solivan performs during the 2015 APAP Conference (Photo: Michael Kornfeld)\" width=\"180\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8029\" srcset=\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/photo-8-180x300.jpg 180w, https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/photo-8.jpg 448w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8029\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frank Solivan performs during the 2015 APAP Conference (Photo: Michael Kornfeld)<\/figcaption><\/figure>The impressive virtuosic playing of <strong>Frank Solivan &#038; Dirty Kitchen<\/strong> during its 20-minute showcase at the Hilton was evidence of why this progressive bluegrass band has helped broaden the appeal of the genre to younger audiences and was named as IBMA\u2019s Instrumental Group of the Year in 2014. Fronted by lead vocalist, mandolinist and fiddler Solivan, the Washington, D.C. area quartet also features bassist Dan Booth, banjoist Mike Munford (2013 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year) and guitarist Chris Luquette (recipient of IBMA\u2019s 2013 Momentum Award for Instrumental Performance).  Frank Solivan &#038; Dirty Kitchen\u2019s third album, Cold Spell, is among the nominees for Best Bluegrass Album in the 57th annual Grammy Awards to be announced Feb. 8.<\/p>\n<p>The Depue Brothers Band, Matuto, and Mipso mixed things up a bit during their respective showcases. The <strong>DePue Brothers Band<\/strong> perform what they call \u201cGrassical\u201d music \u2013 fusing bluegrass and classical, along with elements of jazz, blues and rock. <strong>Matuto<\/strong> is a New York City-based ensemble fronted by guitarist Clay Ross. The band plays what it calls Brazilian bluegrass &#8212; a lively and very danceable blend of northeastern Brazil\u2019s infectious folkloric rhythms and rootsy Americana (including bluegrass, swampy Louisiana two-steps and spirituals). Besides Ross on guitar and vocals, Matuto features violin, accordion, bass, drums and various Brazilian percussive instruments. The band has been an international musical ambassador through American Music Abroad \u2013 a partnership between American Voices and the U.S. Department of State\u2019s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. <strong>Mipso<\/strong>, which bills itself as North Carolina\u2019s renegade traditionalists performing \u2018dark holler pop,\u2019 is comprised of four recent college graduates \u2013 three of whom grew up with the bluegrass tradition but who, along with their fiddler, give it a little bit of a twist. The quartet\u2019s sound is a blend of bluegrass, contemporary country, folk, gospel and pop.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bluegrass Sampler Platter Showcase Provides Some Tasty Morsels<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Gibson Brothers, Sierra Hull, Tim O\u2019Brien, Bryan Sutton and The Travelin\u2019 McCourys were part of an extended four-hour Bluegrass Sampler Platter showcase that drew a large crowd (not limited to APAP attendees) to Manhattan\u2019s City Winery. <\/p>\n<p>Opening the show, top-notch guitarist <strong>Bryan Sutton<\/strong>, who hails from the mountains of western North Carolina near Asheville, exclaimed: \u201cIt sort of feels like a New York City on Sunday night \u2013 a place where I don\u2019t have to worry and don\u2019t have to hurry.\u201d Sutton showed off the guitar chops and intricate finger-play that have earned him much critical acclaim and numerous awards (including a Grammy and being named three times as IBMA Guitarist of the Year).  Although best known for his flat-picked acoustic guitar playing, Sutton also played banjo on a couple of numbers \u2013 while Rob McCoury joined him on banjo on another.<\/p>\n<p>Next up was <strong>Sierra Hull<\/strong>, a classy young mandolinist with a beautiful, crystalline voice. Accompanied by Ethan Jodziewicz on stand-up bass, she moved effortlessly between instrumentals and songs during her set. Now in her early 20s, Hull has gravitated more towards the singer-songwriter side of Americana roots music from the more traditional bluegrass of her teen years \u2013 although her repertoire reflects a wide range of musical styles. Like Matuto, she was an international cultural ambassador last year through the American Music Abroad program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.<\/p>\n<p>Hailed in bluegrass music circles for their tight vocal harmonies, <strong>The Gibson Brothers<\/strong> have received numerous International Bluegrass Music Awards \u2013 including Entertainer of the Year (2012 and 2013) and Vocal Group of the Year (2011 and 2013).  Although guitar-playing brothers Eric and Leigh Gibson perform a lot of original material with band-mates Mike Barber (bass), Jesse Brock (mandolin) and Clayton Campbell (fiddle), their set was heavily sprinkled with renditions of songs by such other notable brother acts as The Everly Brothers, The Louvin Brothers (whom Leigh calls \u201ckind of the gold standard of brother acts in terms of country music\u201d) and the Monroe brothers. The Gibson Brothers signed to Rounder Records last summer and their first release for the label, <em>Brotherhood<\/em>, due out in February, pays homage to the brother acts that have inspired them since growing up on a diary farm in upstate New York. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Tim O\u2019Brien<\/strong> has been a key player on the American roots music scene for years. An acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, the Grammy Award-winner and two-time IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year also has had his songs recorded by numerous other artists. But this was his night to shine, and so he did \u2013 primarily on guitar and vocals. Noted mandolinist, clarinetist and composer Andy Statman joined him for a few songs from a new <em>Superstring Theory<\/em> album featuring The Andy Statman Trio with O\u2019Brien and fiddler Michael Cleveland.  A lightning-fast-paced number featuring dueling mandolins was among the set\u2019s highlights.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Travelin\u2019 McCourys<\/strong> \u2013 featuring the sons of Del McCoury and their band-mates \u2013 closed out the evening with a varied set of music that ranged from songs with four-part harmonies and a high &#038; lonesome sound to more straight-ahead bluegrass and break-neck speed instrumentals during which each player was afforded an opportunity to lead. Enhancing the sound throughout the set was Bryan Sutton on guitar, while all of the evening\u2019s artists were invited on stage to close out the night with a little pickin\u2019 party. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Balsam Range, Allison Brown, DePue Brothers Band, The Gibson Brothers, Sierra Hull, The Kruger Brothers, Matuto, Mipso, Tim O\u2019Brien, Frank Solivan &#038; Dirty Kitchen, Bryan Sutton and The Travelin\u2019 McCourys were among the bluegrass artists who showcased their talents during the 58th annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), held in New York City, Jan. 9-13.<\/p>\n<p>[To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,11],"tags":[4637,4800,249,273,3762,392,401,475,4812,4808,4803,4810,4809,3763,4806,1079,1148,1276,1293,4802,4804,4813,1832,1858,4801,4811,4257,3464,4807,2377,2485,2739,4805,2820,2854,4576],"class_list":["post-8023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bluegrass-beyond","category-conferences-of-note","tag-american-music-abroad","tag-andy-statman","tag-apap","tag-association-of-performing-arts-presenters","tag-balsam-range","tag-bluegrass","tag-bluegrass-music","tag-bryan-sutton","tag-chris-luquette","tag-city-winery","tag-clayton-campbell","tag-dan-booth","tag-depue-brothers-band","tag-eric-gibson","tag-ethan-jodziewicz","tag-frank-solivan-dirty-kitchen","tag-grammy-awards","tag-ibma","tag-international-bluegrass-music-awards","tag-jesse-brock","tag-leigh-gibson","tag-marc-pruett","tag-matuto","tag-michael-cleveland","tag-mike-barber","tag-mike-munford","tag-mipso","tag-mountain-home-music-company","tag-rob-mccoury","tag-rounder-records","tag-sierra-hull","tag-the-gibson-borthers","tag-the-louvin-brothers","tag-the-travelin-mccourys","tag-tim-obrien","tag-tim-surrett","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8023"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8033,"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8023\/revisions\/8033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}