I have always known bluegrass music to be one of the most open and inviting kinds of music to play and to listen to. When I learned there was a group of people who had not been welcomed, it went against everything I know bluegrass music to be. I had never heard these voices before. Bluegrass Pride provided the education that I needed to see the music I love wasn’t all fiddle tunes and G runs. We needed to do better. We were going to do better and I was going to be a part of it.
I remember stopping at a fast food joint in Ohio years ago while driving to a festival, and when we told the gal behind the counter that we played bluegrass, her response was, “Oh, you mean that whiny old stuff?” I found myself torn between wanting to respond, “Hey, it’s not just that whiny old stuff”—which is, of course, true—and wanting to say, “Hey, what’s wrong with that whiny old stuff? It’s great!” Which is also true.
One of the great traditions of gay musicians is that of “queering” songs – rewriting (or in some cases not rewriting) songs to speak to queer love. In its simplest form, it’s just a matter of maintaining the original pronouns of a song while switching the gender of the performer. You’ve probably heard your fair share of queered songs in your own jam circles, whether or not it was an intentional choice on the part of the singer.
We in bluegrass have also often benefited from the contributions of people of color, in ways that are often overlooked or erased in our history. As was discussed at last year’s IBMA World of Bluegrass keynote speech, our music is truly a creole tradition, combining many elements of many culture’s traditions. So when we heard about the More Color More Pride campaign, we thought it was a perfect way for us at Bluegrass Pride to both honor those contributions and stake out new ground for a future of bluegrass with greater diversity.
They call it Bluegrass Pride, a formal effort to let the world know bluegrass music is for everyone.
I have always known bluegrass music to be one of the most open and inviting kinds of music to play and to listen to. When I learned there was a group of people who had not been welcomed, it went against everything I know bluegrass music to be. I had never heard these voices before. Bluegrass Pride provided the education that I needed to see the music I love wasn’t all fiddle tunes and G runs. We needed to do better. We were going to do better and I was going to be a part of it.
I remember stopping at a fast food joint in Ohio years ago while driving to a festival, and when we told the gal behind the counter that we played bluegrass, her response was, “Oh, you mean that whiny old stuff?” I found myself torn between wanting to respond, “Hey, it’s not just that whiny old stuff”—which is, of course, true—and wanting to say, “Hey, what’s wrong with that whiny old stuff? It’s great!” Which is also true.
One of the great traditions of gay musicians is that of “queering” songs – rewriting (or in some cases not rewriting) songs to speak to queer love. In its simplest form, it’s just a matter of maintaining the original pronouns of a song while switching the gender of the performer. You’ve probably heard your fair share of queered songs in your own jam circles, whether or not it was an intentional choice on the part of the singer.
We in bluegrass have also often benefited from the contributions of people of color, in ways that are often overlooked or erased in our history. As was discussed at last year’s IBMA World of Bluegrass keynote speech, our music is truly a creole tradition, combining many elements of many culture’s traditions. So when we heard about the More Color More Pride campaign, we thought it was a perfect way for us at Bluegrass Pride to both honor those contributions and stake out new ground for a future of bluegrass with greater diversity.