North Dakota isn’t really a state known for its bluegrass music. While there are pockets of the genre just about everywhere throughout the country, bluegrass remains tied with the southern states or the West Coast rather than the “Peace Garden” state or other areas of the central-northern United States.
Bluegrass music did, however, make its way to a young, North Dakota-raised Seth Mulder, not through the ease of Napster or the internet, but through a more traditional and old-fashioned way of learning about music: He learned by word-of-mouth. He dug the genre, learned how to play some instruments and now leads a band, handling vocals and playing mandolin.
Seth Mulder & Midnight Run are one of many bands performing this weekend for the 28th annual Durango Bluegrass Meltdown. Other performers include Missy Raines & Allegheny, Damn Tall Buildings, East Nash Grass, The Fretliners, the usual suspects of local bands and more.
Mulder was just another kid who was bitten by the bluegrass bug.
If you go
WHAT: 28th annual Durango Bluegrass Meltdown Bluegrass Festival.
WHEN: Friday to Sunday.
WHERE: Venues include Durango Arts Center, Wild Horse Saloon and Animas City Theatre.
TICKETS: $150 Full Weekend Pass, $90 Saturday only, $65 Sunday only.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.durangomeltdown.com.
“I kind of had an organic way of discovering the music, through my family. My grandma listened to tons of country music, from ’90s country to old country to Ray Price and Johnny Horton, Hank senior and junior, stuff like that,” he said. “I got into music through country music, and through that discovered bluegrass. I discovered Bill Monroe, discovered Flatt and Scruggs. I took violin lessons at a young age, but I started taking fiddle lessons when I was 10 or 11, and that’s kind of when the passion for searching out other music kind of began. My violin teacher, she was an Irish lady in her 80s, she moved over to the Fargo area from Ireland to play in the symphony, and she had been gifted a Flatt and Scruggs Live at Carnegie Hall album years ago, and when I told her I was really into fiddle and bluegrass and stuff like that, she ended up gifting me that record, and I’ve been changed ever since.”
Since going whole hog on bluegrass music, Mulder has dug into all areas of the genre. The band’s 2022 release, “In Dreams I Go Back,” would get a thumbs-up and solid seal of approval from the traditionalists, as it has an old-school sound that also hints at country and new-grass.
“When I was younger I was heavily influenced by progressive bluegrass, but as you age you tend to go back to where things were created, and you want to learn about where they came from. That’s what happened to me, getting brought into music through the more progressive music with Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek and stuff like that, but always being honed in on Del McCoury and Ralph Stanley,” Mulder said. “I used to be keen on identifying as a traditional bluegrass band, but I find that sometimes labels prevent people from hearing music they might have really enjoyed because of a label. Though I would consider us heavily influenced by traditional bluegrass, I wouldn’t identify us as that. I just say we’re a bluegrass band.”
Currently, the band is in the studio recording a new release that will drop later this year, while also enjoying some viral success thanks to a cover song and accompanying video of the band performing Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B Goode.”
They’re also stoked to come to Colorado with their brand of bluegrass music.
“This is our first time playing in Colorado, and there’s some great music out there, and I think people that are fans of all the good music that is out there will enjoy our version of bluegrass,” Mulder said. “I think they’ll really get a kick out of it.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
