The Billy Strings Effect?

[brandall10]

Originally Posted by Arapaho G

Billy Strings being compared to Ed Sheerin and Taylor Swift? I don't get it. Yeah they're all professional musicians. Thats about all they have in common.

To be crystal clear - it was discussing the domain of concert activity. His songs and albums aren't tearing up the charts and never will be, but he sells out shows at large venues.

[PhilFish]

Originally Posted by Puddleglum

I will probably be in the minority here, but these flashy pickers don't do a thing for me. While the technical skill is obviously real, and while I'd never want to dismiss how hard people like Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, et al, have worked to get where they are, I find it all a bit, well, boring. It seems like it's all about being fast and flashy. The thing that seems to be lacking in today's music scene are songs that will endure and have lasting value. There have always been and always will be flashy pickers, but who is writing songs today that will become classics, standards, etc.?

I think he's a great song writer, I've been working on this one

In the morning light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBIsijkFCp0

[Brent Hutto]

Originally Posted by PhilFish

I think he's a great song writer, I've been working on this one

In the morning light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBIsijkFCp0

I took a quick listen. The writing, singing and production seems not far off mainstream pop-country but nowhere near as formulaic (hackneyed) as most of the dreck in that genre nowadays.

[Joe Beamish]

In most of the arts — with the exception of writing, directing and acting for TV production — I see an inverse relationship between creative quality and mass popularity. It’s not absolute. But it’s a strong tendency.

I get much more inspired by the musical talent I see in dive bars and small local gigs than what sells out large venues. That’s where acoustic and electric guitar playing, along with other instruments, are most alive. Professionalism has taken over on the big stage, and it’s not very interesting.

[rllink]

I like Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Mile Twelve and the Old Crow Medicine Show. I have a love hate relationship with Bluegrass. I don't buy into the demise of the guitar though. I hear it all the time on internet guitar forums and I just don't see what is supporting that. My wife and I go out one or two nights a week to live music venues and we see lots of young singer songwriter types playing guitar. If I go with what I'm seeing and hearing, and not what I'm reading, guitars are going strong.

[SRL]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

What about the Ed Sheeran effect and Taylor Swift effect. They’re packing ‘em in pretty good, huh? And bringing “a wave of younger folks” along with them.

To me, these type of pop artists (and others before and after them) are behind the acoustic renaissance, far more than contemporary bluegrass or country/americana artists. The size of the fan base and amount of public awareness is massively different.

Go to any high school or college in america and ask people what instrument Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift play. Then ask the same for Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, and see if anyone has even heard of them.

[Daddyo]

Lots of fresh young players today.

O Brother Where Art Thou woke me up to that old time music I remember hearing when I was a little boy.

I got hip to artists like Gillian Welch, Norman Blake, Allison Krauss, etc.

Another young player I like is Willie Watson.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by PhilFish

I think he's a great song writer, I've been working on this one

In the morning light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBIsijkFCp0

This song 100% sounds like Allison Krauss and Union Station with Billy sitting in for Allison. Go listen to the AKUS record/album "Lonely Runs Both Ways" and see what I mean. This song also sounds a WHOLE lot like AKUS with Tony Rice playing Gordon Lightfoots song "Shadows"...check out the Youtube video...just amazing...and then listen to this song by Billy again.

Great song, great singing and great elegant restrained playing by Billy who sounds just like Ron Block/Dan Tyminski on this cut. I wonder if Allison was the producer on this new record "Renewal" of Billy's.

He is a supremely gifted/talented...and by all accounts...extremely nice young man, this new young lion and icon of Bluegrass. Now, if he can mature and learn, as Tony Rice did over time, not to play everything at 150+ BPM, but explore nuance and phrasing and control of meter and dyanmics. This song, says to me, that he is on his way.


duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[BoxCar_Joe]

Originally Posted by mcduffnw

He is a supremely gifted/talented...and by all accounts...extremely nice young man, this new young lion and icon of Bluegrass. Now, if he can mature and learn, as Tony Rice did over time, not to play everything at 150+ BPM, but explore nuance and phrasing and control of meter and dyanmics.

Yes. I find this frantic style unappealing.

[CharlieBman]

When I was younger I felt bluegrass was good...for about 10 minutes. Then I found myself bored with repetition. But I always appreciated the skill and talent of those who played it well. My appreciation of the musical genre has grown with my age. Now I'm having fun playing it.

I think any music performed well is good music. And if it's good, big or small, there will always be an audience.

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by BoxCar_Joe

Yes. I find this frantic style unappealing.

Agreed, though I found an old video (1994) of Billy Strings performing an acoustic duet with Jackson Browne, “Running on Empty”, that was nice. Strings basically replayed the solo from the original recording, and he sang credibly — without as much stress and strain as he usually does, which was refreshing.

My main takeaway was what a wonderful voice Browne still had, I guess in his 50s. I wouldn’t be surprised if he still sings well today.

And it’s a great song. I’ll take that over a great mass of scales played at a feverish, performative pace any day.

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

Agreed, though I found an old video (1994) of Billy Strings performing an acoustic duet with Jackson Browne,

Wow - he was only 2 then
(I've seen the video you were speaking of!)

I greatly prefer him in this early career setting than what I saw a few months ago plugged into a huge pedal board playing at ear drum breaking levels. Call me an acoustic purist if you must.

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by fitness1

Wow - he was only 2 then
(I've seen the video you were speaking of!)

I greatly prefer him in this early career setting than what I saw a few months ago plugged into a huge pedal board playing at ear drum breaking levels. Call me an acoustic purist if you must.

Ah, my bad. The video was from 2022. Which makes Browne’s great singing even more impressive. He must be 70 or more.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by fitness1

Wow - he was only 2 then
(I've seen the video you were speaking of!)

I greatly prefer him in this early career setting than what I saw a few months ago plugged into a huge pedal board playing at ear drum breaking levels. Call me an acoustic purist if you must.

WOW!!! What a great video!!! Thank you for that!

Such amazing talent/gift so darn young, and that Roy Noble guitar of his sounded sooooo sublime to me. I loved that song Dust In The Baggie...very sardonically erudite and clever and so off, yet on, the beaten trail for a Bluegrass tune...just wonderful.

I agree with you, I really like him in this calmer style, but hey, if Billy can "Rockingrass and Roll" and sell out big gigs, more power to him and the more newbies get introduced to bluegrass and old timey country and western.

And hey, Pickathon is held at a farm just up north of my primary care doc's office...only about a mile or so away. It's a small world after all {;-)


duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[Arapaho G]

Originally Posted by brandall10

To be crystal clear - it was discussing the domain of concert activity. His songs and albums aren't tearing up the charts and never will be, but he sells out shows at large venues.

Well in that case throw Jimmy Buffett into the mix. The king of sold out large venues and no air play/record sales.