If you think all bluegrass fans look like they just popped up from a cornfield on “Hee Haw,” then you’ve never seen Greensky Bluegrass. At a House of Blues concert in Boston last month, the band jammed with a Pink Floyd-inspired light show, echo effects on vocals and a smattering of obscenities, delighting a largely 20-something crowd that probably thinks Flatt & Scruggs is a law firm.
“We spent a lot of time saying we weren’t bluegrass, because we didn’t want to be labeled. But it’s in our damn title,” dobroist Anders Beck said backstage an hour before the show. “Now it’s sort of cool and kind of surreal. We’re taking the music further with these instruments and it’s awesome.”
Minnesotans will have lots of opportunities in the upcoming months to ride this new wave of unrestrained bluegrass through artists like the Lil Smokies (April 9 at Turf Club), Duluth’s own Trampled by Turtles (April 19 at Pablo Center in Eau Claire, Wis.) and the Devil Makes Three (May 17 at First Avenue). Greensky, originally scheduled to take over Palace Theatre later this month, has moved that gig to Oct. 11. Don’t be surprised if their version of Prince’s “When Doves Cry” graces its ever-changing set list.
“I remember when festivals would not book Greensky because we were too weird,” said Beck, showing off elaborate tattoos on both arms. “Guess what? The festivals we started playing are still alive. The others are dead.”
Even if you have no intention of checking out those hot acts, you’ve probably already gotten a taste of bluegrass — and loved it. Taylor Swift and Beyoncé incorporated banjo into their pop tunes. Sierra Ferrell, who just won four Grammys, leans into an Appalachian twang. Rock god Robert Plant got a new life after teaming up with fiddler Alison Krauss.
It’s possible some of their songs will lead you far enough down the rabbit hole that you’ll eventually want to experience more traditional acts like Béla Fleck, who will be at the Dakota on March 24 and 25.
That’s what happened to Beck. His mom started dropping him off at Grateful Dead shows in Philadelphia when he was just 15.
“I went the Jerry Garcia route,” he said. “I wondered, ‘Where do these songs come from?’ Pretty soon, you’re back at Flatt and Scruggs and Bill Monroe. I wasn’t planning to go there. It just sort of happened.”