Danny Paisley and Southern Grass on 24 February. They'll be back at Jumbo Jimmy's on Sunday, 3 March, 2013.
Simple, direct, and always fabulously entertaining in a story-telling kind of way. These are my thoughts on this chilly February afternoon as I'm watching Danny Paisley and Southern Grass work their magic on the nearly full-house at Jumbo Jimmy's Crab House in Port Deposit, Maryland. Danny Paisley is fast becoming one of Maryland's State Treasures. If he's not now, he should be recognized as such. Every State recognizes those artists and musicians who epitomize what is best about the place they grew up in and right here in Virginia we have such a great program that recognizes our own home-grown musicians. I didn't do any fact-checking for Maryland, but I'm sure such a State recognition exists. This style of music, Danny's style of music, is right up there with the best in bluegrass and mountain music. I like to take it one step further and proclaim it for what it is - real, honest-to-God, Maryland-style music about the tough life, trying to make it in an unkind world, smoky beer joints, and jilted lovers. Not everybody likes this stuff, but good lord does it sell records, so there must be a huge audience out there that thinks like I do.
Today's country/western music attempts to do what Danny and so many of his Maryland and Virginia compatriots in the bluegrass arena do, but very quickly a wall goes up between the two styles of music. Anybody worth their worn out collection of Jimmy Martin CD's will tell you that modern-day country/western music owes its existence to the old-time mountain music. The original purity of the music has been lost to the almighty dollar and advanced recording technology. Anybody can fudge a recording, tweek it, twist it enough to twist out a few more dollars. The fascination remains for me to search out the purists, the practitioners who are still plunking their Martins for a pittance at the local beer joints, and are little known except to most of the local patrons, being written up in prestigious music tabloids and being studied by people who study this stuff. After years of paying his dues and following in the famous Paisley footsteps, Danny is finally making a name and a reputation for himself in the bluegrass industry. An industry that by the way has yet to find an economic foothold up against Pop, Rock, and Country/Western music.
People like Danny do it for the love of the music, the entertainment value delivered to the listeners, and on this chilly afternoon in Maryland, to keep all the dancers happy and keep them hootin' and hollerin.' You can tell by the smile on his face he's having fun doing what he does, and once again he's the bar-keep's dream package. The Oscars are on tonight and there's no mention of it - not a word - the neighbors have come to listen to some of the best traditional bluegrass music in the region, drink a beer and eat some fish, trade bluegrass gossip. It's all a trial balloon for the coming spring and summer bluegrass festivals and to sell a few more of the latest CD, "Road Into Town" (which is excellent, by the way.) He couldn't do what he does without a solid team behind him and Danny's collected a top-notch ensemble: Mark Delaney on Banjo, Doug Meek on Fiddle, Eric Troutman on Bass and tenor vocals, and son Ryan Paisley on Mandolin. It's a bunch of young guys, but very polished and demanding in their perfected pieces of the action. Watch Eric Troutman. He's an an accomplished vocalist and his duet singing with Danny looks so easy. That's the trick; it's not.
Danny Paisley and Southern Grass will be back at Jumbo Jimmy's on March 3rd, 4:00 pm to 8:00. Jumbo Jimmy's is located in Port Deposit, Maryland within easy reach of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Jumbo Jimmy's specializes in promoting good, local bluegrass music.
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