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About the band:
If you're not familiar with bluegrass music, you probably don't know too much about the Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition in Colorado. But if you look at a list of past winners (The Dixie Chicks, Nickel Creek), it's obvious that it's a pretty big deal. A couple weeks ago, The Hillbenders, a five-piece bluegrass band from Springfield, surprised themselves and certainly raised their profile in the bluegrass world by winning the prestigious competition. The group formed in March of 2008 when Nolan Lawrence (mandolin/vocals) moved from Austin to Springfield so he could put a band together with Mark Cassidy and Jimmy & Gary Rea, formerly of the Arkamo Rangers. Now they're back in town recording their first full-length record and preparing to compete in Bluegrass competitions in Colorado and Nashville. But you can catch them twice in July before they hit the road. Trust me, even if you think you don't like bluegrass music, it's impossible not to like these guys.
About the shows:
Sounds on the Square featuring The Hillbenders
With guests A Fond Farewell, Nigel & the Ghost, and Brother Wiley Band
Where: Park Central Square
When: July 10, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (The Hillbenders perform at 9pm)
Price: Free
All ages
The Hillbenders
Where: Patton Alley Pub
When: July 31, 9 p.m.
Price: $5
Interview:
How did it feel to win the Telluride contest?
Mark Cassidy: It felt like we won a championship game. It was one of the greatest experiences I've had in a long time.
What do you think separated The Hillbenders from the competition?
Nolan Lawrence: Some of the other bands, although extremely talented musically, were not as entertaining as we were. We've got a real commanding stage presence and we were able to capture the crowd's attention and hold it...We bring a high caliber of vocal harmonies to the table and I think we outshined them with our three and four part vocal harmonies.
Has anything changed for you guys since Teluride? And what kind of opportunities do you think you'll have because you won?
Jim Rae: Well, we locked down our dobro player (Chad Graves). He was kind of wishy-washy and doing other projects here and there, but now he got on full-time. The five-piece sound we have with the dobro is really what we're looking for and he's a great entertainer. But not just that...I think we now realize that we can turn some heads in the industry and not have to worry so much about the silly little business sides of things. We can start really thinking about how to make the music as good as possible.
NL: I definitely think it opened doors to us. More and more people in the bluegrass industry pay attention to things like who won the Telluride Band Competition. The website hits have tripled and quadrupled since the win.
JR: I think it really validated what we're doing as a group...the year and half that we've been together. It gives us the feeling that we're doing something right and we're doing what we should be doing.
You guys have been performing for a long time, so I have to ask what's the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you at a show?
JR: I use to play with an old bluegrass band a few years back and we were at a festival down by Wilson's Creek and it actually got to the point to where two naked chicks were on stage making out with each other. So we just kept playing the song for 10 minutes because we didn't want them to stop. It got to the point where it was really creepy and gross. That is a moment I will never ever, ever forget.
NL: One of the strangest moments for me happened just recently -- again involving drunk girls. We were playing a show in Kentucky and my father was at the show with his girlfriend. A few people (in the crowd) had been drinking for a large portion of the day. This one particular girl began to dance about on the dance floor. She was dancing pretty scantily on chairs and tables and my father, actually. There was a five minute stint in there where she was trying to give my dad a lap dance....She and her boyfriend got kicked out of the bar so they tried to flag down the cops. But the cops were actually on their way to pick them up. They ended up arresting them and taking them to jail.
MC: I was playing a wedding in Texas a couple years ago with a buddy of mine. The wife's brother and the husband got into a full blown fight. It was really chaotic and the cops came later and tased one of the guys, but it didn't seem to phase him whatsoever. It was just a redneck brawl happening right before me.
What can you tell me about the full length you're working on now?
NL: We're actually recording right now with a producer from The Chapmans, a highly reputable bluegrass band from Ozark. They've been around for a long time and they play all over the world. Jeremy Chapman is producing the record and Bill Chapman is engineering the record with us. We're right at the end of tracking with them. We're fixing to shop it to some labels. If that doesn't work out we'll release it sometime later this fall.
What album would you recommend for someone who wants to get into bluegrass?
NL: I'd say one of the classic bluegrass albums that inspired me would be "One Step Forward" by the Lonesome River Band.
JR: I'm gonna have to go to the hippie side of things. You have to get Old and in the Way's first album. You have to. That's a great transitional album for people who think they don't like bluegrass.
MC: That's a tough question so I'll answer it broadly. I would say any Jimmy Martin album would be choice.
