Comments on: Old Time and Bluegrass Music

By: Billy Kearney

Billy Kearney — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:36:26 +0000

I second Tom’s comment – this was funny and meant to be.
Geez, Chris, lighten up. I know who you are and I know about your work with the Reed family. I found this blog to be more of a bluegrass poke than an old time poke.
And remember, without the revivalists, there would be none of Henry Reed’s music out there to share with the world, because a revivalist recorded him.

By: Tom Draughon

Tom Draughon — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:01:39 +0000

Some fine “Old Time” musicians just introduced me to this essay, and we all howled with laughter. The essay we read had been augmented to include references to Celtic bands as well. BTW, I have played in Bluegrass bands, with some of the finest OT player in the world including Ralph Blizzard and Bruce Greene, and even done a stint in a Celtic band. I find this to be a light-hearted piece of humor that exaggerates peoples’ personal foibles. From the posts above it appears that it hits too close to home for some thin-skinned types. Get a life, wake up, and learn to laugh at yourselves, folks! When you get so serious about your genre of music it takes all the fun out of it. And if it ain’t fun, why bother? I thought this was a great piece of wit.

By: Bob Dunn - Just a Messenger

Bob Dunn - Just a Messenger — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:03:49 +0000

As Ron Thomason of the Dry Branch Fire Squad says,
“There’s a fine line between being able to play Old Time Music, and Not Being Able To Play At All”.

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:32:35 +0000

I have got to point out that, to some of us old-timers anyway, “old time music” covered a much wider spectrum than the phrase often seems used for today. Sure, string bands playing for dances were considered old time, but so was the music of the original Carter Family, Uncle Dave Macon, Jimmie Rodgers, the Dixon Brothers, Buell Kazee, and many, many musicians whose music could not in any way be construed as dance music.

This tendency to constrain a descriptive term is unusual to my experience. It usually works the other way where an adjective spreads out to such an extent as to become relatively meaningless (eg., “bluegrass”).

By: I agree with WTbanjo

I agree with WTbanjo — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:15:50 +0000

And this unnecessary perpetration of stereotypes misses the point of old time entirely … it was and still is dance music.

By: Obie Adobe (estranged cousin of Toby & Moby)

Obie Adobe (estranged cousin of Toby & Moby) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:12:05 +0000

Yes.

By: WTBanjo

WTBanjo — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:10:38 +0000

I think this post should be re-titled Bluegrass vs. URBAN REVIVAL Old-time, because the stereotypes are all about the urban revival side of old-time music, which is largely because those folks are the ones who spend time relentlessly advertising themselves. That’s why everyone has the (false) idea of old-time music. Tofu, stuffed banjos, and 2 finger fiddlers might be all the rage in California or New York City. But I don’t know too many old time musicians born and raised in the south that resemble any of these stereo-types.

By: Pete

Pete — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:03:47 +0000

Good question.

By: Chris Via

Chris Via — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:57:48 +0000

I have a sense of humor. This just doesnt trigger it for me pal. Neither do your snide comments. Can someone post an opinion representing the side that this joke tears down without a pointless, personal jab from you?

By: kjc

kjc — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:49:59 +0000

BG musicians know the tune when it starts; OT musicians know the tune by the time it’s done.