With Mumford and Sons taking top prize at this year’s Grammy Awards (Album of the Year for their album Babel) it is time to take a look at this resurgent musical (and stylistic) form that is influencing our airwaves and our contemporary culture.
Bluegrass is a style traditionally associated with the American South – this might seem ironic given that Mumford and Sons are actually British, however, the origins of this style can be traced to English and Scottish immigrants who arrived in the United States in the 18th century, bringing with them their musical traditions of ballads and reels (Irish dance songs). These homeland tunes eventually mixed with the emerging American country music, a touch of jazz and a dash of blues and – hey presto!
The name itself derives from a seminal band called the Blue Grass Boys which formed in 1939. The style is characterized by a ‘folk’ sound, the use of mainly acoustic string instruments (most notably the banjo and the Dobro), vocal harmonies, and a narrative lyrical style. For years, the genre has remained where it began: entrenched in the deep south far from popular air play. Recently, we have seen an upsurge in the popularity of this sound: most notably in 2009 with Raising Sand, Alison Krauss’ collaboration with Robert Plant and T-Bone Burnett which also won Album of the Year.
More recently, the genre has veered away from its traditions and evolve into a more contemporary (and popular) form: not only with the enormous success of Mumford and Sons but also with other bands like Death Cab for Cutie, The Lumineers and Bon Iver who contain bluegrass influences.
Over time, the musical form has evolved to become an elaborate, complex and refined musical form. This resurgence has been sparked in part due to a yearning for a ‘back to basics’: in an age of Glee-inspired autotune and Katy Perry bubblegum pop, we as a society are looking for a more authentic musical experience. Music fans want a group who can play their own instruments, who can choose the best looper pedal for live performance and write their own music. What better place to turn than bluegrass, with its complex but fundamentally acoustic sound, its soulful melodies and its rich lyrics?
The aesthetics of the genre are influencing other elements of culture such as theatre, fashion, musicals, and art. All of these elements are looking closely at the roots of our culture, a back to basics point of view. And so, men of style and culture, grant this important and resurging cultural form an examination, or at the very least some serious listening.
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