Sam Grisman Project at The Castle Theatre
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
The first time I heard this gentleman’s name was on Dawg and T, the legendary live album recorded in 1997 at Acoustic Stage in Hickory, NC. A timeless record that features David Grisman and Tony Rice sitting up on a small Appalachian stage simply picking some of the best Bluegrass ever picked. Acoustic Stage began in 1992 as a nonprofit organization that survived on community support, and it continued until 2005. After an eight year absence, they returned in 2013 and produced another 50 plus shows before ending their run in 2016. I say it time and time again, but now it's more important than ever to support your local venues and musicians. The beautiful venue that we were blessed to be in on this rainy Thursday night was one of those places that you could just feel the energy in. Nestled in old downtown Bloomington, Illinois sits The Castle Theatre. First opened in 1916 as a 1,000-seat theater, the Castle was a jewel in the series of gems created by the legendary theater builders Balaban & Katz, original inventors of the classic movie palace. With a recent 1.5 million dollar renovation, the once vacant theatre has been restored to its former glory and has opened its doors to the next generation of dreamers.
We were some of the first folks in the theater that night and it was so quiet you could almost hear yourself think. Right away I noticed the 12 foot tall microphone pole next to the sound board and caught the feeling we were in for a set that may take us back a few years in time. The microphones stood alone on stage, with only one plug in for Sam’s bass to go into. Everyone else was set to play directly into their mics, just the way bluegrass was intended to be played way back when. This was actually my first time catching a solo Sam Grisman Project show and to say I was stoked is an understatement. The lineup that currently stands on stage with Sam is the best it's ever been, with so much talent occupying one hardwood floor.
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Grisman’s shows are usually a fine blend of originals, bluegrass standards, and Dead & Dawg tunes. Like his forefathers, no show is truly ever close to the same all with their own methodical setlists and unique jams. Sams seems to be a fellow nerd when it comes to old music and grew up in the heart of it, so to say his catalog is deep is probably an understatement. That being said, the boys cover of the obscure John Hartofrd tune “Tear Down the Grand Ole Opry” was one of my favorites of the night. Which according to the setlist appeared to be subbed in for the planned “Steam Powered Aereo Plane”. This classic was co-written with Tut Taylor and released on the legendary 1971 project, Aereo-Plain. At one point in time there were talks of tearing the Grand Ole Opry down but enough protest led to the historical building being placed on the National Register of Historical Places. The song is full of references to what John called Old Nashville which was disappearing around this time.
Like any good string band does, a quick set break was taken to give everyone a chance to freshen up for another few hours of Dawg music. The set kicked off with a David Grisman instrumental titled “14 Miles to Barstow” which was written while driving up Highway 5 in Northern California. Next followed a beautifully sung cover of “Brown Eyed Women” by Max Flansburg who has such a special voice, that it sounds like father time himself. All of that leads into the Appalachian murder ballad “Wild Bill Jones” which tells the age old story of a man killing his wife's affair but still losing his love in the end.
A six piece band is not something that we see all the time in Bluegrass, but with two guitars and a dobro, everyone on stage deserves to be right where they are. I wouldn’t even say one instrument or voice is the lead either, with all of them taking their turns at all roles throughout the show. One picker in particular I was very excited to see was Mr. Victor Furtado on that 5 string banjo. Victor is another artist I have never got the chance to see live but have watched hours of his videos online. Every time he stepped up to the mic a little closer to take his solo, you felt his presence. The banjo he played that evening had some beautiful wear to it, if only instruments could talk I'm sure it'd have some stories to tell. I hit up Victor and asked him about the Banjo he played that night. The beautifully aged instrument was made by Dean Robinson who runs Deanocraft Banjos. The old stick features a goat skin head and Furtado said “I’ve just about worn a hole in it.” During the second set the time came for one of his originals titled “Hide and Seek”, an instrumental that makes you feel like you're on the run being chased by something that is hot on your tail.
Now for a quick history lesson. The Swannanoa Tunnel is a 1,832 foot long railway tunnel that cuts straight through the Swannanoa mountain just east of Asheville. It was a dangerous engineering feat that was largely built by imprisoned African Americans and caved in many times in the building process, killing over 300 workers. The project was completed on March 11th 1879, with its first train passing through the following fall in 1880. Like many great folk ballads this track has no known author, rather attributed to the hard working men who built this tunnel and came up with the song simultaneously. It’s a beautiful thing that almost 150 years later the song is still being sung to crowds all across the country. Below is a picture of some of the brave men involved in constructing this great feat.
Many adaptations of this song have been recorded over the years, but guitarist Sam Leslie was still able to put his own flair on the song with his unique vocals and arrangement of lyrics. I’d be lying if I didn’t say this may be one of my most listened to songs this year. Particularly Bryan Sutton’s cut that was released on Into My Own. The way Sam Grisman was shaking his head when the tune kicked off, is the same exact way I felt behind the camera. Everyone on this stage is extremely talented and they collectively have well over 100 years of music playing under their belts. The licks Tod Livingston got in on his dobro during this Mountain classic are some of the best chops of the night for me.
Some things just never change, and over 80 years later this song is as relevant as ever. Written in 1944 by Woody Guthrie in protest to the actions of World War II, “All You Fascists Bound To Lose” was recently ranked #42 in The Top 100 Protest Songs of all Time by Rolling Stone magazine. Around this same time, Guthrie carved “This Machine Kills Fascists” into the face of his guitar creating a phrase that has since stood the test of time. It's said that his inspiration for this came from factory workers who placed similar anti-fascist stickers on metalworking lathes and drill presses to support the Allied war effort. In a 1944 radio broadcast, Guthrie began by announcing, “We’ll show these fascists what a couple of hillbillies can do!” and the rest is history. The song is a rowdy sing along with a fixed chorus and the ability to swap out the lyrics for whatever feels right. As we see here tonight the Sam Grisman Project are no strangers to using their voice and platform to speak up for what's right. It’s a crazy time to be alive but I think that we're all blessed to exist in such a time of great music. Don’t forget to check on your friends and neighbors during these times, hold your loved ones extra tight.
The Sam Grisman Project is no band to miss out on so be sure to check out their tour schedule to see when they will be close to you. Those boys are no stranger to the road and know how to get around, with solo shows and festival sets all across the country coast to coast. As always, if you’ve made it this far thanks for reading Bluegrass Roadshow.
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