1
11
Street roots
Dec. 21, 2012
GRISMAN, fro m page 10
being and my guru in many things. We
actually met when he was 12 years old and I
was two. My mother was his art teacher —
and a big influence on his aesthetical
outlook as I later found out — and she
brought me into class one day. He turned
me on to so much music (everything from
Bill Monroe to Charlie Poole to Welsh sea
shanties) and was himself a great mandolin
player. I was 15 years old when I heard the
recordings he made of Clarence Ashley, the
old-time banjo player and ballad singer who
he rediscovered and of course, Doc Watson
who he discovered. Ralph helped organize
the Friends of Old-Time Music, which was
devoted to bringing rural musicians to urban
audiences and also helped run the Newport
Festival, ultimately becoming the director of
the Smithsonian Folklife Institute before his
untimely death in 1994.
S.Z.: When you were 17 years old, the first
musician to invite you up on stage to play was
Doc Watson. What do you remember about
that rendition o f “In the Pines”?
D.G.: Not much, but it was very exciting
for me to play with a musician of Doc’s
caliber and “authenticity.” Much later, when
we toured together in the 1990s we reprised
that tune, and a live recording of it is
available on “Dawg Plays Big Mon,” my
tribute to Bill Monroe, available at
AcousticOasis.com. Losing Doc this year
was very sad for me as I’ve had a personal
and musical relationship with him for over
50 years. He is truly one of the great
masters of American music.
S.Z.: You have collaborated with some o f the
greatest musicians in the world spanning
many genres o f musical style. What is the
importance o f collaboration in music?
D.G.: Unless you’re playing solo, which I
rarely ever do, music is a team sport. To me
that’s the greatest attribute to the entire art
form, the fact that it is collaborative and
dependent on the interaction between
musicians who develop common artistic
goals to realize the artistic intentions of the
music. A key element in this is time, not
just rhythm-wise but in actual hours, months
and years spent in developing a group and
musical relationships. Three members of my
quintet/sextet have been with me for
multiple decades and the Bluegrass
Experience has been playing together now
in this form for nearly a decade. I’ve known
and played with my friends Andy Statman or
Martin Taylor or Frank Vignola for many
years now. That time spent really starts to
pay off in the way those collaborations
sound and getting better all the time.
S.Z.: Acoustic Disc and Acoustic Oasis are
rj'Y" i a k i j • ? f : / ¥ VA/A n ?
ic |~ 1" “ • jA r pi 1 | H
| 1 ZA 1 \
y « V
/A < A i
if <
L. 1
remarkable sites - amazing catalogs o f some of
the greatest musical collaborations. W hat’s the
story behind the creation o f Acoustic Disc?
D.G.: Acoustic Disc came about in an
almost accidental fashion. In 1989 I was
under contract with MCA records. They had
released (the album) “Mondo Mando” which
had originally been recorded for Warner
Brothers (how it got to MCA is another
story) and “Svingin’ with Svend” (with the
great Danish jazz violin master Svend
Asmussen) and due to its, in their opinion,
poor sales, they were hesitant to let me
record a new project which I was planning.
At the same time I was building my own
recording studio (in my garage) and two
friends, Artie and Harriet Rose, had just
moved to the Bay Area and were looking to
start a business. I was fed up with the
mainstream record business, and we
decided to start our own company with the
help of my manager Craig Miller. Although
from that point on, I didn’t have the benefits
of a “major label,” I certainly had complete
artistic freedom to produce any music that I
wanted, but of course, we had to pay for it.
Within a year I was back recording with my
old friend Jerry Garcia, at his suggestion,
and we were in business!
S.Z.: In August, on ferry Garcia’s 70th
birthday, you released a hi-def version o f the
original “Garcia G rism an” album (1991) that
was nominated for a Grammy. You also
released an alternate album with studio tracks
that differ from the original - a lovely tribute
for a good friend. Can you tell a favorite tale
o f yours that exemplifies the spirit o f ferry
Garcia as you knew him?
D.G.: After one of our recording sessions,
“Decibel Dave” Dennison, our fabulous
engineer, accidentally knocked over Jerry’s
old Martin D-28 guitar and it received a
small scrape in the top. Dave felt terrible
about it but Jerry had already left. The next
time we were together, Dave sheepishly
shows Jerry the slight damage, apologizing
profusely and offering to pay for any repair
costs. Jerry just took his pick out and
purposely made a huge scratch down the
face of the instrument, just smiled like a
Cheshire cat and never said a word. That
was Jerry Garcia!
S.Z.: “Old and in the Way” only actually
existed for about nine months in the early
1970s, yet the impact o f those months has been
monumental in bringing bluegrass music to a
whole generation o f young people then and
bringing it to folks of all ages for generations
to follow. When you reflect on those nine
months, had any o f you a sense o f what you
were a part?
D.G.: “Old and In The Way” was a lot of
fun and I was certainly aware of the talent
in that band, but I really had no idea of the
impact it would have in creating a wider
audience for bluegrass music. At the time
we were playing almost exclusively in small
local Bay Area venues, and the recording
wasn’t released until two years after we
were no longer playing together.
S.Z.: American musical heritage - Is it
being lost or is it being found in today’s
musical soundscape?
D.G.: That’s a great question and one
that I think about a lot. I’d say the answer is
both — the great American musical heritage
is being lost and found! On the negative
side, this great heritage of blues, jazz,
bluegrass and folk music, all created here in
the last century, receives little or no
exposure or positive reinforcement from the
mainstream media. On the other hand,
more of this material is readily available
than ever before. It’s now possible to obtain
the complete recordings of everything from
Louis Armstrong to the Carter Family to
Bill Monroe to John Coltrane, almost
instantly and there are many talented young
musicians who are capably carrying on
these great traditions as well. The problem
is that John Q. Public is being brainwashed
on a daily basis with gaga music or whatever
it is that big corporations peddle on TV, so
there is little chance that most of those
folks might suspect that there is something
better. I try to do my part, but I’m afraid
without mainstream exposure, we may be
losing this cultural battle.
S.Z.: In November, both Colorado and
Washington state voters passed referendums to
decriminalize pot. A nd Connecticut and
Massachusetts joined 16 other states and
Washington D. C., when they passed medical
marijuana legislation. You have your medical
marijuana card, grow your own pot in your
backyard and are coming up on 50 years of
smoking. What are your thoughts about the
decriminalization o f marijuana?
D.G.: We’re moving to Washington!
What’s up with Oregon?
S.Z.: You will be playing two shows at the
Alberta Rose Theater to ring in the new year
with the kind folks o f Portland. For those o f us
planning to be at the show, what can we
expect?
D.G.: The Bluegrass Experience is
looking forward to welcoming in the new
year with some high powered traditional
bluegrass. We’ll be playing some of our
greatest hits and debuting a whole bunch of
material that we’ve been working up for a
Doc Watson tribute recording project to be
recorded first thing next year. We hope y’all
can come out and join us there.
Family fare from Oregon fields and farms since 1980
Multi-ethnic vegetarian, ■
chicken & seafood dishes
Largest, healthiest
children’s menu in Portland
■ s i!
Many choices for all special dietary needs
Gluten-free ■ Lactose-free ■ Soy-free
Transition Projects needs
warm coats for winter.
You can help by hosting
a donation barrel.
Call or email for information
volunteer@tprojects.org 503.280.4741
Transition
Projects
OLD WIVES TALES
1300 East Burnside ■ Portland
503-238-0470
www.oldwivestalesrestaurant.com
Breakfast Anytime • Lunch • Dinner
Beer & Wine • Salad Bar • Soups
C h ild re n ’s p la y ro o m