Like it or not, Durango has an active bluegrass-music scene. Live with it. While its popularity may bum some of the genre’s naysayers out, it’s arguably not any more fertile than the towns punk or EDM scene, its purveyors however just remain more active than others when it comes to letting the public know about shows. The fact that this town is talked about by indie-bluegrass musicians nationwide is something to be celebrated.
Not only are the local bluegrass pickers presenting the music at a top-notch level, many of our local musicians will also present the genre’s history, like showcasing a classic album that has left a solid, inspirational mark on bluegrass pickers worldwide.
If you go
WHAT: Brendan Shafer Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, opening is Cody Tinnin
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.
WHERE: Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive.
TICKETS: $25.
MORE INFORMATION: www.animascitytheatre.com.
Friday night, Animas City Theatre, KDUR Radio (which this writer works for) and Jimmy’s Music presents Brendan Shafer (fiddle), Alex Graf (guitar), Robin Davis (mandolin), Stephen Sellers (bass) and Tony Holmquist (banjo) playing the classic album, “Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe,” a 1976 bluegrass release where Baker, who was one of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys for 25 years, honored his one-time boss with a release of some of Monroe’s best songs.
For Shafer, who is leading this band of local pickers and organized the show, while playing the fiddle role of Kenny Baker, it’s not only honoring Monroe and Baker, it’s honoring what he thinks is one of the most important records of the genre.
“Kenny Baker is probably considered the most authentic interpreter of Bill Monroe’s music on fiddle. So, that’s really what defines his professional career more than anything else,” Shafer said. “This album in particular I’d argue is the prototype for not only modern bluegrass fiddle playing, but modern instrumental bluegrass. I would say this album really blazed a trail for a lot of what you hear currently in the genre. I think certainly any fiddle player in the bluegrass genre is going to cite this album in particular as probably one of the most influential albums of all time.”
Travel to any bluegrass festival around the country and you’ll hear some of the tunes that are on this album either on the stage or during an informal, campground pick. Some are standards, others fill the role of B-sides. The band Shafer has assembled, however, are a well-seasoned bunch, arguably some of the best bluegrass players in the Southwest. They’re certainly up to the task.
“I would say that a lot of the tracks on the album are considered somewhat standard in the bluegrass world. But some of them are not. Some of them are not straightforward to learn. I’ve challenged them, maybe to some extent. Some of the material is definitely a little out there,” he said. “Some of the stuff is very well traveled and a lot of people play it. Some of the stuff not at all.”
Many of our local musicians aren’t just players. They’re forever students of the genre, interested in learning and presenting its rich history within American popular culture just as much as playing the songs. Every show is a chance to showcase this music; it’s also a chance to spread that this music is in an educational setting. It’s a course in music as much as it is a concert.
“I find it fascinating and super interesting to learn about the history of these things, and to dig in. I get really sucked into the stories and the characters that were involved,” Shafer said. “I think Durango has a passion for bluegrass music, and I think if you want to be passionate about the music it’s really important to understand the important milestones of the music. I don’t know if there’s a mission for this project, but I think its fun to share it with people.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
