Is bluegrass turning into the new punk-rock? It's not as crazy an idea as you'd think.
Like punk, the older, more traditional styles of American music -- among them, country, folk and, yes, bluegrass -- always had their socially conscious moments. So it's no great surprise that many punks consider themselves huge country and bluegrass fans.
And it helps explain why former punk-rock icons like Tim Barry (Avail), Joey Cape (Lagwagon) and Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music) have turned into either neo-folkies or alt-country solo artists.
Joining them in this musical "revival" are bands like Old Man Markley, a seven-piece, punk-bluegrass ensemble from the San Fernando Valley that takes its name from a nickname given to one of its members, washboard player Ryan Markley.
Thanks to well-received appearances on the Vans Warped Tour, as well as energetic-and-sweaty live shows at smaller clubs, Old Man Markley has gained an increasingly loyal following.
"We love being able to play all kinds of shows. It's great to play these big shows with NOFX, then play an intimate club where we can see our fan base growing," explains bass player and backup vocalist Joey Garibaldi, also known as "Joey Balls."
Those "intimate clubs" include Salt Lake's Burts Tiki Lounge, where they'll return to play on Jan. 28. "This will be our third visit to [Burts]. Each time the turnout gets bigger and bigger … It's totally awesome," Garibaldi says. "We also have and can play anywhere -- elementary schools, living rooms, hotel lobbies, storefronts, pool parties, etc. As long as people are there with dancing shoes and listening ears, we are stoked."
As for why the band has caught on with fans so quickly, he attributes at least some of that to playing a style of bluegrass that is "inspired by the energy of punk rock"
Garibaldi further explained Old Man Markley's musical approach: "We [originally] incorporated traditional bluegrass instruments such as banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar, mandolin and upright bass. Then we added autoharp, drums and a washboard."
However, he added that the ranks of Old Man Markley are not just made up of punk musicians. "Our banjo player [John Rosen] has been playing bluegrass-style banjo for more than 30 years … he looks like he's 10, though. [And] Katie Weed was raised by awesome musicians well versed in bluegrass, and has been playing fiddle since age 6. I'm not sure how we duped them, but here they are."
Of course, he did stress the similarities between the seemingly disparate musical styles. "[Country and bluegrass] and punk-rock share a thematic sense of folk or 'people's' music, they just have different approaches," Garibaldi explains.
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Is bluegrass turning into the new punk-rock? It's not as crazy an idea as you'd think.
Like punk, the older, more traditional styles of American music -- among them, country, folk and, yes, bluegrass -- always had their socially conscious moments. So it's no great surprise that many punks consider themselves huge country and bluegrass fans.
And it helps explain why former punk-rock icons like Tim Barry (Avail), Joey Cape (Lagwagon) and Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music) have turned into either neo-folkies or alt-country solo artists.
Joining them in this musical "revival" are bands like Old Man Markley, a seven-piece, punk-bluegrass ensemble from the San Fernando Valley that takes its name from a nickname given to one of its members, washboard player Ryan Markley.
Thanks to well-received appearances on the Vans Warped Tour, as well as energetic-and-sweaty live shows at smaller clubs, Old Man Markley has gained an increasingly loyal following.
"We love being able to play all kinds of shows. It's great to play these big shows with NOFX, then play an intimate club where we can see our fan base growing," explains bass player and backup vocalist Joey Garibaldi, also known as "Joey Balls."
Those "intimate clubs" include Salt Lake's Burts Tiki Lounge, where they'll return to play on Jan. 28. "This will be our third visit to [Burts]. Each time the turnout gets bigger and bigger … It's totally awesome," Garibaldi says. "We also have and can play anywhere -- elementary schools, living rooms, hotel lobbies, storefronts, pool parties, etc. As long as people are there with dancing shoes and listening ears, we are stoked."
As for why the band has caught on with fans so quickly, he attributes at least some of that to playing a style of bluegrass that is "inspired by the energy of punk rock"
Garibaldi further explained Old Man Markley's musical approach: "We [originally] incorporated traditional bluegrass instruments such as banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar, mandolin and upright bass. Then we added autoharp, drums and a washboard."
However, he added that the ranks of Old Man Markley are not just made up of punk musicians. "Our banjo player [John Rosen] has been playing bluegrass-style banjo for more than 30 years … he looks like he's 10, though. [And] Katie Weed was raised by awesome musicians well versed in bluegrass, and has been playing fiddle since age 6. I'm not sure how we duped them, but here they are."
Of course, he did stress the similarities between the seemingly disparate musical styles. "[Country and bluegrass] and punk-rock share a thematic sense of folk or 'people's' music, they just have different approaches," Garibaldi explains.
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In fact, he says he became a huge bluegrass fan after hearing both the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" movie soundtrack and the Old Crow Medicine Show. "Maybe I'm getting older and my ears have been gravitating towards more acoustic approaches to music, or maybe banjos are just in style. Either way it's really fun music to play,"
Still, the band did gain some needed punk-rock "cred" when singer/guitarist Johnny and Ryan Markley joined NOFX members "Fat Mike" Burkett and Eric Melvin at an Occupy LA event this fall, and even performed a few NOFX songs with them.
"Tons of people came out to show their support. This was an opportunity to get involved and bring more attention to the matter," Garibaldi said.
And in the meantime, the band continues to tour on the strength of its 2011, full-length release, "Guts n Teeth." This current tour will give them the opportunity to "road test" some new material as well. (He says Old Man Markley has "begun working on our next record and are shooting for a summer release.")
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