Expanding its highly successful North American headlining tour through the summer, Greensky Bluegrass will return July 2 to the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights.
For the past century, bluegrass music has traditionally relayed real tales of American life, struggle, tragedy and triumph. It gives a voice to the quiet and emphasizes colorful stories woven into the fabric of the country itself. Greensky Bluegrass live these stories through its studio records and performances.
Some fans talk about the shows as if they were spiritual experiences, not unlike the Dead- and Phishheads tend to do — with tapers there to capture the spirit. Greensky dobro player Anders Beck says it’s likely the band’s improvisational nature that leads people there.
“Because we’re taking risks on stage musically, beautiful things can happen. And I think that our fans are there for that,” Beck said. “Sometimes you have to peer over the edge of a cliff to get a beautiful view. It feels like that on stage sometimes, and that’s what I love about improvisational music. It always comes back to the songs.”
Starting out in the aughts, the band felt that it had to defend itself for not being traditional enough, for writing its own songs and truly defining what made it different from other bluegrass bands. Eventually, the myth of pitchfork-wielding traditionalists faded, and Greensky leaned into what made it unique.
Because the band lives in that liminal space between jam and bluegrass, Greensky was able to carve out a sound free from restraints. It’s a sound that’s more like Michigan’s peninsular expanse than the hollers of Kentucky.
“In hindsight, I think there’s something about the dark Midwest, rough winters that informs the music,” Beck said. “Michigan has a lot of snow on the ground for a lot of months, and it’s really gray. There’s a certain darkness that Greensky has that I think bluegrass does, too. It sounds happy, but the songs are about murder. I put that on Michigan a little bit because it is tough times there.”
Beck found bluegrass by way of Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia’s bluegrass group, Old & In the Way. Now, two decades into his band’s tenure, Greensky fans are finding old-school bluegrass through its subversion of traditions.
I asked Beck if Greensky feels a responsibility, as a bluegrass band in the 21st century, to carry on those old traditions, or if the group deliberately tries to reinvent them.
“We’re just trying to be ourselves and be true,” he said.
Evolving over the years by adding electric effects to its sets, along with touring with a full and immersive light show, Greensky Bluegrass contradicts whatever you thought you knew about traditional string bands.
The name is a pun, but it’s also an oxymoron: it’s a bluegrass band that’s not a bluegrass band at all; it’s something completely different. Despite the name’s implications, the dark songs of Greensky Bluegrass aren’t informed by green skies or blue grasses, but whatever colors roll through with the rough winters in Kalamazoo.
Brandon Berry writes about the Dayton and Southwest Ohio music and art scene. Have a story idea for him? Email branberry100@gmail.com
How to go
What: Greensky Bluegrass
When: 6:30 p.m., July 2
Where: Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
Cost: $33.50 - $52.50
Tickets: rosemusiccenter.com
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