Greensky Bluegrass
Kathy Foster-Patton
Anders Beck, Dave Bruzza, Michael Devol, Paul Hoffman and Michael Arlen Bont
Paul Hoffman - photo by Eric Kinnally
Greensky Bluegrass Band is a perfect example of a new generation of musicians who both carry the traditions forward and expand upon those traditions to push the boundaries and produce new and interesting sounds. Their set lists are all over the board in terms of style; the bottom line is they want to please all the fans—those of bluegrass, rock, folk, you name it. From their cover of “Road to Nowhere” to the more traditional sounding “Into the Rafters” to their seminal original tune, “Reverend” they offer a little bit for everyone. It’s been eight years for them now with no sign of things slowing down.
It isn’t often that a band from Michigan is the top dog at one of the most prestigious band contests in the bluegrass festival world. Greensky Bluegrass is from Kalamazoo, Michigan, yet they travel coast-to-coast year round spreading their music to the southeast and Colorado bluegrass festival staples among others. Paul Hoffman, founder, mandolinist, and vocalist, is proud of their progress in the business, the win in a prestigious contest, his songwriting, and just about everything else about this band. Hoffman characterizes the Greensky music as “new acoustic roots.” They do some covers but are leaning more and more to their own original works, which are a combination of bluegrass and rock and roll.
In 2006, Greensky won the Telluride Bluegrass Festival band competition. Hoffman talked about how their music changed afterwards. “Since we won the Telluride contest, we added Anders Beck on dobro. The sound and dynamic of the band have grown a lot. I’m very pleased with the way things are headed musically. We’re coming up with a lot of new ideas and the growing crowds are inspiring unexpected energy into our stage show. Winning the contest introduced us to a lot of new fans, musicians and venues across the country. It’s like a letter of recommendation from a distinguished source.” He is hoping to come full circle one day. “One of my hopes is that we’ll be invited to return to the festival. Celebrating the solstice somewhere else just doesn’t have the same weight.”
Micahel Arlen Blont on Banjo - photo by Eric Kinnally
Along with Hoffman, Greensky is composed of Michael Arlen Bont on banjo, guitarist Dave Bruzza, bassist Michael Devol and Anders Beck on dobro. The three founders of the band—Hoffman, Bruzza, and Bont—have been performing together for eight years and can practically finish each other’s sentences. They came together in the same manner that has proven tried and true for many a musician in search of a band. Hoffman explained. “Bruzza, Bont, and myself met in an open mic’ setting in 2001. We’ve been Greensky Bluegrass ever since. Things became more serious and when we added Devol on the bass, we began touring nationally. The four of us won the (Telluride) competition together and added Anders on dobro on the last day of December in 2007. We created a formula that just keeps bubbling over the glass. It’s hard to look back at how things have changed and imagine the individual moments spanning 8 years.”
Their songs choices are an entertainment in itself. For those listeners who are more on the rock and roll side of things, Greensky sings the Talking Heads tune, “Road to Nowhere” like they own it. This is the
Guitarist Dave Bruzza
song that everyone has heard before, that the audience members like to sing along with and shout “Hey!” at the end. Their harmonies are polished and the ‘bluegrass aspect’ of their instruments is much more muted in this tune than in some of the others they do. This is a definite crowd pleaser.
For the more traditional fans, Greensky performs a tune called “Into the Rafters.” The song has a sound and feel that takes one back to the roots of bluegrass—echoing the influences of the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs. Banjoist Bont does not let the listener forget that this is a bluegrass song.
bassist Michael Devol
Finally, in yet another twist in style, Greensky offers “Reverend.” This is the type of song that ambushes a listener and then settles in for the long term. One wakes up in the morning humming it after the Greensky show from the night before. When asked about a song that has some significance to him, Hoffman didn’t have to think twice before naming “Reverend.” He wrote the tune after a discussion with a friend who is ordained and also a songwriter. It’s a beautiful song, evocative and longing and a tribute to Hoffman’s talent as a songwriter. His bandmates give their all to it; the harmonies are lovely. The tune is a hard-to-describe combination of bluegrass and perhaps Steve Earle with a rock undertone.
Greensky has a busy travel schedule. They do over 200 gigs a year and enjoy a hectic festival season. Further, unlike many of the bluegrass bands from back in the southeast, the band members are well-acquainted with the snow and the fun to be had in it. They have their ‘Ski Tour 2009!’ scheduled for the first half of March in Colorado when they will have gigs in Breckinridge, Keystone, Denver, Durango, Steamboat, Crested Butte, Boulder, and Fort Collins. They finish out the month in the mid-west where they likely will still get some more skiing in—passing through the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Anders Beck on Dobro photo E Kinnally
With four recordings under their belts, Hoffman is looking forward to cutting another live CD this year. They spent time in the studio in 2004 and 2006 to do “Less Than Supper” and “Tuesday Letter.” They followed up in 2007 with their first live recording of “Live at Bells,” and then went back to the studio in 2008 for “Five Interstates.” Their hard work has paid off with the help they need to build upon their success to date. They have a manager and a booking agent; further, Pat Carbone of the band Railroad Earth produced two of their recordings.
Their original work is the foundation that they are laying for a new generation. Hoffman confirmed that Greensky allows and encourages listeners to tape their music and post it on the internet. That behavior has led to some of the gigs that comprise their hectic travel schedule. They frequently have people come up to them at shows and say they saw a performance on the internet. When they meet tapers they try to accommodate them as much as possible. Greensky Bluegrass knows which side its bread is buttered on. They’ve been doing this for eight years, with many more to go.
photo E Kinnally
You May Want To…
see Greensky’s Calendar or visit their store
Recommended Listening
Commercial Releases:
Five Interstates
Live At Bells
Tuesday Letter
Less than Supper
Live Material (provided by the band)
April 15, 2008 Fox Theater, Boulder, CO
info – stream – zip Matrix, contributed by Phil Rollins
July 19, 2008 Northwest String Summit, Horning’s Hideout North Plains, Oregon
info – stream – zip – Recorded by Mark Burgin, Jeff Betts and Dan Vasens
March 26, 2008 Kent State University
info – stream – zip – Recorded by Doug Moog
More live shows on the SPPS server can be found here
