The Age of Mediocrity

August 10th, 2013

       I've just been accused of being a Purist and I think it's hilarious. I may even be feeling a small sense of pride in the accusation. It means my level of expectation is higher than the accuser's level of expectation. That this whole small battle is about musicianship makes it even funnier. Some people would think it's a useless argument. When it comes to music and entertainment it IS useless, because every individual has his or her own expectations and choices as to what they like or dislike. It used to be judged in ticket and recorded music sales but the digital world changed all that. The music teacher (the first one to get fired in any discussion about school budgets,) would probably understand the point I'm attempting to make. The fledgling opera-singer, the struggling professional classical dancer, the jazz saxophone-player searching for just the right groove knows exactly what I'm talking about. My accuser hasn't a clue. The accuser (or accusers - there is an army of them) have accepted that mediocrity is OK in any form of entertainment, and at my age, I feel it is a great sadness.
       The Age of Mediocrity should replace the current title of "Age of Information" for the time-frame we're experiencing.  There is a huge swath of the Great Unwashed who will always accept mediocrity as the norm. I think it reached its zenith with the advent of Obama and our current government. I don't blame them for their mediocre leadership. That's what happens when popularity and the cult of personality replaces the values we expect in solid leadership qualities. It takes on a downright sinister facade when you count up all the money involved to "get someone elected." The mediocrity is in place because we, the voter put it there. What we should have voted in were public servants who we trusted enough to fulfill their campaign promises - and then kept them. The electorate voted for mediocrity instead of strong leadership. It's not enough to just accept that all politicians are liars and bamboozlers.
       My accuser doesn't know me that well and the fact doesn't bother me. After all, this whole argument started over music and entertainment, but I begin to see in it a whole pattern of how mediocrity has become the new American norm. Remember the old saw, "We can send a man to the Moon, but . . ."  What my accuser doesn't know is I constantly see promise in those who, given half the chance, can better themselves because there is an innate talent involved. The accepted level of mediocrity keeps them off the stage, off the concert tour, out of the recording studio, out of the film studio, because their talent is a threat to the status quo. Instead of artists working together and supporting each other the dividers want it done their way. Or, one person's level of mediocrity soon becomes the copied norm. It creeps in like a disease to hamper the growth of any human endeavor, whether it's the arts or universities, community organizations, even governments. My hackles go up when I hear, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." "We've always done it this way." "Too bad the kid doesn't have any talent." I'm amused by the current demise of national television networks, who wonder in awe at why all national television ratings are down, advertising sales have slipped, and ask why they're in trouble after several decades of copy-cat and cookie-cutter programming relying heavily on script-writers who seem to have come out of the National Smarm School of Wit and Comedy. Like voting for the lowest common denominator, again it's our fault for turning on the television set in the first place. It is our fault for paying for a few sheets of newsprint that no longer serves the purpose as a source of news. Shock waves went through our community recently with the sale of the venerable Washington Post. Why does anyone even think that's newsworthy, when it's a trend happening in every big city in our country? We've come to expect instant gratification when we want the 'latest' and the internet is there to give it to us. Commentary and opinion? Now everyone has an opinion and can comment on any subject they want. But mediocrity again doesn't like, will not stand for, fresh opinion or an enlightened opinion.
       I like a person with guts. Male or female. Doesn't matter. The ones who quietly take charge matter more to me than the loud-mouthed Prussians. I'm even objective enough to listen to a loud-mouthed Prussian if he or she indeed has the capability to admit a mistake, admit a wrong-headed judgement. Some of the simplest working-guys I know right now have shown me more leadership in their little finger than has ever been shown to me by our current president. They just carry on with life. They're surrounded with lots of genuine friends. They never had to con, flim-flam, or bamboozle their way through life. They actually worked for all the good things they have in their lives. The first symptom of mediocrity is not having to work very hard for a lifestyle of mediocrity.

(In case you're wondering, I didn't vote for Obama - or the other guy, either!)    

Poland Revisited - To a Historian Friend:

 Officer Marcelli Konieczny, family member and Policeman murdered during the Katyn Massacres

4 August 2013:
(a friend writes that Poland has been described 'like a Canary caught between two huge Cats.' My reply:)

       I wanted to provide you with another take on the Canary Analogy. I think it's too easy a trap for the historian to fall into when discussing Poland. It's probably due to Poland's geography more than anything, and of course it's always the first thing mentioned in any work on Poland - "a land bridge for many invading, outside forces." At the core of it though, there was always this entity of the culture of language, and even slavonic customs and traditions that held together this odd idea of a free and liberty-loving place called Poland. You can sense it among the Poles. You can read about it in popular fiction. It's wrapped into their music, arts, writing, poetry, and film-making. The question becomes how serious is it as a force to weld together an idea and move it into the realm of  progressive nationalistic aspirations? You asked me about my interest in such matters, when strangely enough my background is in Asian History.

       I travel a lot in Asia, concentrating my linguistic and historical interests for the past twenty-five years in Viet Nam. My first trip to Poland was a real eye-opener to say the least, because in a very weird way I felt like I was traveling in Viet Nam. I could see the same growth pangs of moving from one economic system to another, the personal yearnings in the people for a better life, and mainly, the realization that Poland had a lot of catching up to do with the 20th century. (at that time we were on the verge of entering the 21st century!). There was in the citizens too, this longing for freedom and liberty, and a release from the chains of somebody else's rules and system. Poland always was central Europe's "Ireland." just as Viet Nam is often referred to as Asia's "Ireland." Poland may be nothing more than a romantic dream in the minds of millions of Poles residing in and outside of Poland. The Dream becomes a fertile garden for the demographer, statistician, historian, economist, or even artist. All have the task of explaining Poland to the rest of the world.  The Chronicler may have the most important task. The Chronicles rest on one important fact: no matter how much Poland has been trampled on, torn apart, sub-divided so many times, and changed hands, it remains as a nation of people bound by a language and a "Polish Way" of sorting out their destiny.

       It was never so much about two cats wanting to eat the canary, but two cats constantly debating issues of what to do with the canary. The Polish Question at the Potsdam Summit wasn't new. The fall of the Soviet Bloc proved that. And the question had come up again previous to the end of World War II. Also it was more about Lithuania, the Hapsburgs, Ukrainia, the Holy Roman Empire, and what to do about Silesia. It was always about having to deal with the Poles if we should one day decide to attempt to conquer them. All of this geographical debating led right up to the political breakdowns in 1987. In simpler terms, the Canary doesn't care one bit about any cats on it's borders, maybe never cared, except to give the cats a warning every once in a while that it's probably best to leave the Canary alone.

Heat Lightning - Blue Train's Second Official Performance

 Mike Hartnett - David Propst - Tom Reeves - Rick Miller - George Osing     Blue Train

21 July 2013  Spring Grove, Pa.

       The best part of the day was talking to three couples who had never been to Goofy's Eatery and Spirits out on York Road in Spring Grove. I like to do the detective work: Why are you here? Do you follow the music? Do you know who these guys are? What possessed you on a hot, July afternoon to come and listen to bluegrass? I'm that way. I can do it in a nice way so the strangers never suspect I'm grilling them. In the background, and beyond Whitey Runkle's custom-made pavilion sidings, heat lightning is crackling on the horizon. Storm clouds are building. I feel like the Grand Inquisitor. Rick Miller is up on stage belting out Hank's "Your Cheatin' Heart." I had to stop the questioning and listen. I don't believe Rick Miller and Blue Train is doing that song. The audience goes nuts. It ain't bluegrass and never was, but it fits the mood. It's about entertainment on a Sunday afternoon with Heat Lightning in the background and a large crowd of patrons having a good time in the big pavilion attached to the back of Goofy's restaurant and tavern.
       This is heaven. The last bastion of traditional bluegrass music outside of  Jumbo Jimmy's Crab Shack and the Arcadia Bluegrass Festival. There are one or two other places, but to me they're like good fishing holes or the best Vietnamese restaurants. I'm very cautious as to who I give away their locations. Today at Goofy's it's a pretty special occasion and a lot of people who aren't at Goofy's normally, are there to see Blue Train perform for only the second officially-scheduled performance. Word of mouth is huge in the bluegrass community, and word got around when Blue Train performed there for the first time on June 16th, 2013 (Father's Day). I didn't want to miss this second outing. I knew they would stir up the pot and try some different songs, different arrangements. This band is bottled magic and highly skilled. The wonder of it, as I sat and thought about it, is they haven't even found or hit their stride yet as a working unit. They're that good. The specialness of the occasion could also be felt in who was in the room to have a good time right along with all the rest of the folks. There was a sprinkling of fellow-musician friends who were there to check out the band too. They were there to hear music and talk bluegrass, talk about gigs and old connections.
      More people are coming in and the dance floor is getting more crowded as Rick Miller, Mike Hartnett, David Propst, Tom Reeves, and George Osing heat up the music. Goofy's owner and Proprietor 'Whitey' Runkle and his staff are having a field day with the customers. I got a chance to talk to him. "My wife and I took a trip to Key West and we ran into the neatest biker bar. It was a neighborhood place. Clean and safe, where people could feel at home. I got the idea to have a place like that here in Spring Grove." says Whitey.
Seven years ago he took a chance on bluegrass music (he was already offering rock and roll and country/western). Some locals convinced him that it would draw in customers and sell food and drinks. "It's not always been easy," said Whitey, "It's a delicate balancing act to get the right bands.  Here's Sarah Shock. She was a big help in building up the good entertainment." There were others who stood by the music: Ed Tillman, Donny and Kathy, Kathy and Woody, the Herb Martin Family out of Westminster, the local band Long Ryde, just to name a very few.  It helps to serve up good food right along with the good music. Nothing fancy here. Just stick-to-the-ribs eats tending more toward seafood. The most popular platter-style meal is "The Big Fish" and that's exactly what it is.
       The lightning stopped and it looks like we're going to dodge a bullet. Blue Train is launching into another surprise: "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" by Merle Haggard. I love it. And the crowd is hooting and hollering and wants to dance. Old folks, young folks, people who are dear old friends, and people who hardly know each other. That's what I've come to expect among the bluegrass community. They want to have a good time and enjoy the company of others who like the same music. Whether you got here on a mule or a Harley isn't a consideration. I have to hand it to Whitey Runkle. He's offering a rare commodity and taking a chance on it. Trying to make a buck on bluegrass in today's economy is a risk not too many bars and restaurants are willing to make. He knows the cash-flow totally depends on getting Entertainment Value, and not just anybody off the street who thinks they know something about music. This is what makes Goofy's a different kind of establishment.
       Blue Train will be back September 1st, 2013, and the music begins at 4:00 and ends at 8:00. In the meantime other great bands are there every weekend - some of the most recognizable names in Maryland and southern Pennsylvania music circles. Blue Train is traditional bluegrass, very tight, very professional, and consists of  Rick Miller (Guitar and vocals) David Propst (Mandolin and vocals) Mike Hartnett (Fiddle) George Osing (Banjo) and Tom Reeves (Bass). The vocal-work is spectacular along with the instrumental structure and unity - rare to find a band that can handle both.

Whitey Runkle and Sarah Shock - Sticking with musical tradition

He's Holding a Banjo, So It Must Be Bluegrass . . .

15 July 2013:  From the Field:

      I love You Tube. I can generally find a band, performer, or musical act and check them out before I ever invest my gas money to go see them. Most of the stuff up on You Tube is so badly produced that it doesn't do any performer any marketing favors. A camera on a mobile phone in a noisy bar full of drunken, screaming, 21-year olds will never capture the artistic intent. It won't help to 'sell' a band, either. A few weeks ago somebody recommended I take a look at a band that was coming to the DC area. They were being hailed as a young, up and coming, bluegrass act. As suspected, it was four young people playing a collection of percussive devices, one kid strumming a banjo, and one kid strumming a cheap guitar. He strummed the basic blues chords - Ad nauseam - Every song. I kept shuffling the videos hoping I would hear some bluegrass. I'm glad I could rely on You Tube to help me save some ticket money. Interestingly, this page led me to hundreds of other pages where young people were extolling great street bands they'd seen on their latest vacation in New Orleans. Now granted, I've never been to New Orleans so this fascinated me. What didn't fascinate me was the tag on every one of these videos that said, "Real Delta Blues Band Plays in New Orleans." You have to check this out. Every one of the dreadfully produced videos usually show a bunch of kids who look like run-aways. They all look dirty. Like somehow personal hygiene problems are definitely connected to what might be suspected substance abuse problems. There might be 6 or seven of them in the 'band,' but usually only one person is playing a guitar, banjo, or fiddle. The rest are beating on things picked up out of the city trash. Wash-boards and big whiskey jugs (a la 1960's) are there too, to give it that Zydeco touch.  That's the sum total of any musical knowledge. The guitar-player is ALWAYS in an E-chord. Pan-handling the tourists is usually a part of the act, too. After watching these, and seeing how many there were, any thoughts of taking a vacation in New Orleans faded out of my brain-housing group. Sort of like dreaming of that vacation in San Francisco, until you get there and are greeted by San Francisco's out-of-control homeless problem.
      You Tube thus serves as a good resource for checking something out before you unwittingly pay your hard-earned money and sit down in an auditorium seat. Lately I've noticed that this same 'style' of band is creeping into bluegrass festivals, known and lesser known, and showing up at places that cater to trying to please the general public's musical tastes. The travesty is when they are promoted or packaged as bluegrass bands, either by people who don't know the difference, or by people who hired them on hear-say, or the misdirected recommendation of a friend in the business. What really hurts, and I hear this all the time while I'm out in the field is somebody from the general public saying "well I see a banjo and a fiddle, so they must be bluegrass." Watching the annual Mummers' Parade in Philadelphia with its thousands of people strumming thousands of banjos, all playing "Happy Days Are Here Again," isn't bluegrass, either. The only saving grace is the good people of Philadelphia know it has nothing to do with bluegrass, and don't promote it as such.  

Public Disclaimer

Public Disclaimer from Ed Henry:

The "Approved by Jimmy Martin" Logo displaying a photo of  'Marvin' (a beagle owned by Douglas Ross) was designed by me and has no official connection to Jimmy Martin, the Jimmy Martin Estate, or to Jimmy Martin's descendants or family members. The use of the Logo is to bring serious attention to those bands, musicians, or individuals who uphold and perpetuate the style and quality of Jimmy Martin's music, or, continue to play Jimmy's songs as part of their repertoire. The design and use of the "Approval" is meant in serious good faith and is in no way an attempt to discredit or draw humor from the good name of Jimmy Martin. He was and forever will be, The King of Bluegrass. (7 July 2013)

Marvin the Beagle, owned by Douglas Ross (Dry Mill Road Band, Winchester, Va.)

Paying Your Artistic Dues - Stoney Creek Bluegrass

 Darrell Sanders - Brett Smeltzer - Libby Files - Eddie Barney

5 July 2013 - Martinsburg, West Virginia

     It's Hot. My God, is it hot. I'm sitting smack dab in the middle of the city of Martinsburg waiting for Libby Files and Stoney Creek Bluegrass to come on and perform for the "Friday @ Five" concert series. I'm wondering if anyone is going to show. There are a few shade trees and little else. The stage area, if you can call it that, is up against a brick building that looks very ancient. The building is on a direct east to west axis, which means no matter what time of the day, the band is going to be in the blazing late-afternoon sun. Across the street is the Berkeley County Court House. It's a beautiful Victorian-style structure and it lends a quaint air to the emptiness of the city-center of Martinsburg. I got here early. You never know what traffic is going to be like on a Friday afternoon leaving the Washington suburbs. I was happy to find out that there was plenty of close parking once I got here. A few local citizens are starting to filter in and I'm surprised at that considering the sun and heat.
     The last time I tried to catch this band it was a totally funny experience of rain storms, getting lost by absolutely wrong Google instructions, and getting lost by local citizens giving me bad information. That's the West Virginia/Maryland Panhandle region for you - hard to find, hard to figure out, but once discerned and understood, a treasure-trove of historical sites, stories, and marvelous bluegrass and mountain music. The Hedgesville-Martinsburg area is particularly rich with more than a few bluegrass bands and family groups that are popular and performing all the time. My philosophy is I can't sit in the DC suburbs and wait for the music to come to me. I have to drive out here to Martinsburg to hear the kind of bluegrass I want to hear. I want my bluegrass old-style and traditional. In that respect, it's worth it for me to drive a hundred miles to catch a band like Stoney Creek. Interestingly, the "Friday @ Five" Concert Series has booked some good traditional bands, along with other styles of music to please the general public. The Series is promoted and funded by the City of Martinsburg, the Martinsburg/Berkeley County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Main Street Martinsburg, and several other sponsors. I can always rely on "CVB's" really good promotion of locally-grown West Virginia style bluegrass.
     Stoney Creek Bluegrass is Libby Files (bass) Eddie Barney (guitar) Brett Smeltzer (mandolin) and Darrell Sanders (banjo) and they have a consistent history of longevity and popularity in the Panhandle and beyond at a lot of big festivals. One main strength is gospel vocals and that is a fantastic gift in itself, but they mix up the program enough to suit any traditionalist taste in old-time bluegrass. There is a lot of flash and hard-drive in all the instrumental work, but it's there just when it's needed, and never overbearing. It's not an easy thing to put all these elements together. Eddie Barney is an accomplished flatpicker and plays one of the sweetest Taylor Guitars I've ever heard. Something about the sound of it reverberating off the brick building behind Eddie. Darrell Sanders and Brett Smeltzer played their guts out in the heat of the afternoon with just a short break to get some water and wipe the sweat off their instruments during mid-show. Two hours of paying your dues in the world of bluegrass. I looked behind me (which I hadn't done during the whole two hours,) and realized that across the street in the shade of the few available trees, the audience had grown considerably since the first down-beat. Not bad. Not bad at all. Just to show the audience they weren't done yet, Stoney Creek finished up with an encore of Jimmy Martin's "Freeborn Man" - with all the necessary gusto. Wonderful. And I often wonder if the general public realizes what working musicians have to go through and endure to please an audience. Thank you, Stoney Creek Bluegrass.

Let's Throw it in the Crick and See if it Floats

 Mike Hartnett - Dave Propst - Tom Reeves - Rick Miller - George Osing     Blue Train

16 June 2013

      Sort of like a ship-launch. You never know what's going to happen. All that planning, all the right forces coming together just at the exact point and then it's time to let her go and slide down the ways. I saw a missile frigate being launched into the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine once. One of the most exciting things I ever witnessed. You wonder if this big steel monster is really going to do what it's supposed to do. The launch of a new band is no different. They might be really good or they might sink on the first night - or maybe in a year or two. The excitement is that you were there to see the big launch. You were there to see them either sink or swim. Just about everybody's gone through that "Andy Hardy Moment" where it might be neat to "put on a show." Or, after learning three chords and one bad rock song decide you want to start a garage band and drive your parents and all the neighbors nuts with long sessions of noise. It all looks so easy. Go to a local "open mic" and become some kind of performance artist. Do your own thing whether people like it or not, just because it's your own thing, even though a million other neophytes have done exactly the same thing you're doing.
      Blue Train is about to launch at Goofy's Eatery and Spirits up in Spring Grove, Pa. I'm here to see what they do, but I'm here mainly because of the line-up. With this kind of line-up it has to be worth my drive all the way up from Vienna, Virginia. I would have driven all this way just because of two of the people who are playing, and not because it's the debut of a new entity in bluegrass music. What you need to know immediately is, they are all, except for one person, former members of Satyr Hill Bluegrass. Satyr Hill is a Maryland institution when it comes to performance longevity. The former members, and now with the inclusion of fiddler Mike Hartnett, are all well-known names in Maryland music circles. If you know bluegrass you know these guys. Their skill and passion for playing the music has reached beyond state lines. After making some momentous decisions barely a few months ago and with little more than five practice sessions, Rick Miller, George Osing, Tom Reeves, Dave Propst, and Mike Hartnett gathered their talents and came up with their first official gig before they even had a name for themselves. I heard about it through Dave Propst, but had no idea until one day before the event that it was Blue Train's grand inaugural launch.
      You expect glitches and mistakes. Even the most seasoned professionals experience nervousness. It can all work (or not work) to make you look like Andy Hardy or Tony Bennett. What was really great about this particular performance was, it was Father's Day and the place was packed with locals and the vaguely curious. Goofy's is a unique venue with a very discerning bluegrass audience. It's literally out in the middle of nowhere, three miles outside a dinky little Pennsylvania town called Spring Grove. But put this thought aside for the moment. Most of the best Maryland and Pennsylvania bluegrass groups have played here to large audiences. When you sit down and talk to the patrons it becomes abundantly clear that these people know their bluegrass and they'll tell you up front what they like and what they don't like. They like it hard-core. They're salt-of-the-earth locals out to have a good time and be entertained. Their dollars are precious to them and hard-earned, so they vote with their dollars for what they consider as their best entertainment. The owner of Goofy's, 'Whitey' Runkle, knows this dynamic well and continues to bring interesting entertainment for his patrons. I have to hand it to him for supporting bluegrass on the truly local level. Where the rubber meets the road. He gambled on the names of the players alone, and won in the end.
      You even expect a rough start but Blue Train lit right into the obligatory breakdown to get the ball rolling, then flew immediately into "Little Cabin on the Hill" and then a gospel number, "Satan is Waiting His Turn" (always dangerous in a bar where people are drinking on a Sunday, and Father's Day at that!) Then they went into "Helen" and the old chestnut "Angeline the Baker." Next came Hank's "Your Cheatin' Heart." I thought to myself what road are they going down next? I made a joke to Dempsey and Rebecca Price that it wouldn't be long before somebody yelled for ""Rocky Top." Rick Miller (guitar and lead vocals) went into "Summer Time" to add a blues flavor to the mix. Out of the entire evening, three hours of music and a huge swath of songs, I thought this is the only one that didn't work for me. But the audience seemed to like it. By the time they got to "Sing Me Back Home" (Merle Haggard) and "Wild Bill Jones" the audience was up on their feet and loving every minute of it. The launch had worked. The boat could actually float. It was smooth sailing for the rest of the voyage. Midway, it came out of the audience: "Play Rocky Top!!" Rick Miller graciously accepted the request and gave the lady what she wanted. Everyone laughed and jumped on the dance floor. The vocals came off perfect.
      It was obvious Blue Train was pulling out all the stops. Trying everything on the enthusiastic audience. But there's nothing wrong with that. You have to show your stuff and at the same time find your own sound or distinct groove. It'll take a couple years to do that. These guys come prepared with a rich history and a rich palette of material. I really appreciated the vocal work of Rick, Dave, and Tom. It was flawless and enjoyable. What I really appreciated most was their attitude of professionalism toward their craft, and that showed in everything they did in front of this very discerning audience. The toughest thing in bluegrass is getting all those right gears to mesh: the playing, the vocals, the timing, and as Rick Miller likes to say "The Tone." It was all clicking at Goofy's on Father's Day. They've been invited back and that's usually the best indicator that 'ya done good.'  Expect to see them perform again in early September.