If Hollywood had known Steve Martin was a banjo player, his film debut might have been "Deliverance," not "The Jerk." Then we wouldn't have had the wild and crazy guy with the arrow through his head, ubiquitous expressions like "Well, excuuuuse me" and films like "Pennies from Heaven," "Roxanne" and "It's Complicated."
Although he's been playing banjo since he was a high schooler working at Disneyland, Martin didn't come out of the banjo closet until banjo giant Earl Scruggs asked him in 2001 to participate on an all-star bluegrass album. This year, Martin grabbed a Grammy for best bluegrass album for "The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo."
Between movies (a Jack Black film is next) and publishing two books in the fall (a novel and a kids book based on a bluegrass song), the newly minted banjo star has hit the road with the Steep Canyon Rangers, a 12-year-old North Carolina bluegrass quintet. Their sold-out 100-minute concert Sunday night at the State Theatre was thoroughly enjoyable -- but as much for the grinnin' as the pickin', as they would say in bluegrass circles.
When it comes to bluegrass, Martin is a better comedian than a banjo picker. In fact, he's even funnier than Alison Krauss, the bluegrass queen known for her corny jokes in concert. The banjo man set up nearly every song (most of them were instrumentals, written by Martin) like he was cracking wise at the Oscars. For example, he said, "This next song has elements of sadness and melancholy -- like the expression on my agent's face when I told him I wanted to do a banjo tour." Ba-da-bing.
Oops. Sorry, there were no rimshots, because bluegrass bands don't have drummers.
As for Martin's banjo playing, no one will ever mistake him for a silver-haired, bespectacled Bela Fleck. His technique was solid (especially his clawhammer) but it lacked emotion and personality. That was evident when he brought out a guest, veteran Bill Monroe banjoist Tony Ellis, for a solo on "The Crow." It was even more obvious because Martin committed the musical suicide of enlisting an opening act that was better than he and his band. While the Steep Canyon Rangers are a competent second-tier ensemble (they're not going to threaten the Del McCoury Band or Krauss and Union Station), the Punch Brothers are a terrific progressive bluegrass outfit.
Led by the abundantly talented Chris Thile, the Punch Brothers wowed the crowd on a couple of traditional-styled numbers, as well as several forward-looking pieces such as a bluegrassy treatment of a White Stripes rocker and their own twee-bluegrass tune "Alex."
While the opening act had punch, the headliner had more punchlines that kept the crowd laughing out loud. The fans guffawed at Martin's bluegrassy treatment of his 1978 disco novelty hit "King Tut" (the only number he really sang all night) and appreciated his instrumental efforts like they were the unfunny parts of a romantic comedy.
