SIDNEY — As soon as The Bluegrass Brothers struck the first chords of "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow" Thursday afternoon, several hundred fans at the Silver Spur Riding Club broke into resounding applause — the largest cheers all day for the Virginia-based band.
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Staff photo / JIM EVANS | Sarah Bullett of Unity, right, and Anne Hallee of Thorndike spin to the music at the Blistered Fingers Bluegrass Festival on Thursday in Sidney. click to enlarge |
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It should come as no surprise, enthusiasts said, that the traditional bluegrass classic — recorded by the ensemble The Soggy Bottom Boys for the 2000 movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" — drew such applause. The song, they said, helped put bluegrass on the American popular culture map. But has the recent mainstream popularity of bluegrass artists such as Alison Krauss and her bandmates, Union Station — who got their break on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack — left hard-core fans resentful of those who experienced success in the wake of the popular film? Nope. In fact, if you ask them, many of the longtime bluegrass fans and musicians in attendance at Sidney's Blistered Fingers Bluegrass Festival this weekend will tell you they would not have it any other way. "That movie made a big impact," June Buzzell of Skowhegan, a bluegrass fan for more than 25 years, said earlier this week. "A lot of young people are playing the music now." "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow," the centerpiece recording on the Grammy-winning "O Brother" soundtrack, lifted a once-obscure musical genre to the mainstream. The film's soundtrack sold millions of copies, put several bluegrass artists on playlists at country music stations that once shunned the genre and garnered an unexpected five awards at the 2002 Grammys, including album of the year. The soundtrack spawned a series of companion albums, including live and female-only records. Critics hailed the compilation's success as proof of a larger-than-perceived audience for the genre — which has its roots in the traditional Scottish-Irish sounds of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Sarah Bullett, who became a bluegrass fan while she attended Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C., said after the film's soundtrack became a hit, the genre started receiving more air time on the FM dial. "I definitely think (the movie) brought bluegrass into the mainstream," Bullett, 24, of Unity said. "The soundtrack ... and then the second one, and then the female-only one ... made the music more accessible." That one of the key performers on the soundtrack, Dan Tyminski, has performed at Blistered Fingers on multiple occasions helps boost the event's prominence on the nationwide bluegrass festival circuit, organizer Greg Cormier said. Tyminski served as the lead singer for The Soggy Bottom Boys ensemble, and George Clooney lip-synched to his vocals in the movie. Tyminski also is a member of Union Station. Krauss and Tyminski's "O Brother" success has had a trickle-down effect on other bluegrass artists, performers said. "Bluegrass really took off after that movie came out," Robert Dowdy, who plays banjo in the Bluegrass Brothers, said after the band's set Thursday. "I think a lot of people are paying attention to us now. You can hear (bluegrass) on country music stations ... and now the stars are playing at civic centers." Elbert Aull — 861-9253 eaull@centralmaine.com
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