THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2002
JAYPLAY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3B
Bluegrass comeback comes to town
Convincing evidence shows that a small faction of Lawrence residents hold allegiance to Bill Monroe instead of James Naismith. Those who choose bluegrass instead of basketball will be treated to a wonderful event Saturday night when Tim O'Brien comes to town.
COMMENTARY
The Tim O'Brien Band plays Saturday night at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St. The show begins at 9 p.m. and tickets are $13.50 in advance, $15 at the door. The band is opening for the Yonder Mountain String Band.
Brad Weiner
bweiner@kansan.com
Tim O'Brien is one of the greatest bluegrass musicians touring today. He first gained recognition as the leader of the 80s' bluegrass combo Hot Rize. The band came from the hills outside of Boulder, Colo., and was at the forefront of a music scene that still continues to bustle with banjo picking more than 20 years later.
After the demise of Hot Rite, O'Brien set sail solo with a number of highly regarded projects like the mesmerizing bluegrass tribute to Bob Dylan entitled Red on Blonde and his internationally acclaimed Celtic and Irish compilation The Crossing. His most recent record Two Journeys is a follow-up with more Irish-inspired music including a heartfelt rendition of "Norwegian Wood" in which George Harrison's sitar is replaced with traditional Irish instruments like low whistle, fiddle and pipes.
The credit which has gained the most attention for O'Brien and bluegrass music in general is his vocals on the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? The recording won a Grammy for the best album of the year and spawned an entire renaissance in roots and bluegrass music. O'Brien was modest about the record's success.
"It shocks people when there's a commercial success with bluegrass," O'Brien said. "I think the reason is that pop music is failing. It's been imitated and over imitated until there's nothing unique about it. Then you want to go back to something real. It turns out being roots music, bluegrass, blues. That stuff doesn't go away because it doesn't go out of style."
In addition to the more traditional bluegrass legends, there is a near glut of new bands who have long since dropped their amplifiers for a more acoustic approach. The Yonder Mountain String Band is leading that charge by bringing young, energetic crowds to the music scene. The concert on Saturday will serve as a bridge between old and new, a proposition that appeals to O'Brien. He recently produced the latest Yonder Mountain record Town by Town and plays mandolin, bazouki and fiddle on several tracks.
"They bring something to the music that is their own," O'Brien said of Yonder Mountain. "They have original songs that are really good and they are great entertainers. They put out a lot of energy onstage."
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The compliments were mirrored by the younger band. Dave Johnston, banjo player for Yonder Mountain String Band, was excited to play live with Tim O'Brien.
Tim O'Brien and his bluegrass band will play in Lawrence Saturday night.
"He has been important to us because he plays the essentials of great music," Johnston said. "He brings this olde tym groeove to the music and is consistent in his playing. One of my favorites."
Saturday will be a historic day for our city. When the final buzzer sounds and the party gets started, there will be a wonderful musical opportunity to see two generations of bluegrass musicians play as well on stage, as our boys will on the court.
Weiner is a Boulder, Colo., senior in English.
What to watch out for on the small screen
The Associated Press
Feeling guilty about watching too much TV and reading too few books? Take baby steps in the right direction this week with a show about great writers and another based on a great novel.
C-Span's American Writers history series examines the work of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, part of the cultural Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, on Sunday from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
The program opens the second season of American Writers. It may just provide the inspiration to pick up a Hughes poetry anthology such as Montage of a Dream Deferred or the Hurston novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. And that's a good thing.
If tackling 19th-century novelist Anthony Trollope is a long-held ambition, consider starting with PBS' version of, a six-hour, four-week miniseries beginning Monday on Masterpiece Theatre
check local listings for time.
David Suchet, creator of an
indelible Hercule Poirot for PBS' Mystery!, plays a shady financier who draws the monied and powerful into a get-rich-quick scheme.
Other shows to watch — or watch out — for;
Those still pining for Mad About You and willing to settle for Paul Reiser without Helen Hunt or punch lines can take a stab at Strange Relations, 7 p.m. Sunday on Showtime.
Alchemists and Olympic figure skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, who transformed silver
into gold at Salt Lake City, are back on home ice in Jamie and David's Homecoming from Edmonton, Canada at 7 p.m. Monday on NBC.
If the 1960s represent the good old days to you, tune in to American Movie Classics' Reel Radicals: The Sixties' Revolution in Film at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Actor Woo Harrelson narrates.
The Sci Fi Channel series Farscape is goes back in new-episode orbit for April this Friday at 8 p.m.
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