I'm a little bit country... and a bunch of other things too...

The bluegrass/Americana genres are always fascinating to me considering the amalgam of styles they represent. The Americana Music Association (http://www.americanamusic.org) describes the genre as follows:

"Americana is music that honors and is derived from the traditions of American roots music. It is music inspired by American culture traditions which is not only represented in classic man made / roots based sounds but also through new and contemporary artists whose music is clearly inspired by these great traditions. It is a great genre, vast, like jazz which encompasses a wide range of music. Like jazz, which spans from Miles Davis to Harry Connick to the Preservation Hall, Americana's range includes artists like Gram Parsons, Soloman Burke, The Band, Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, Mavis Staples..."

Bluegrass is defined as a form of American roots music, drawn from Irish, West African, Scottish, Welsh and English traditional music influences. All in all, these musical styles represent a quite rich heritage, and because of that, have a unique power. It is difficult not to get drawn into these styles because of the passion and feeling that they can display.

I got treated to two bands from these American roots styles, each with their own take on the genre, on Saturday night at One Longfellow Square: Gunther Brown and the Lovell Sisters.

Gunther Brown, a local act, had a fun, pleasant and laid-back style. One example is their song "The Big 20", written about a bowling alley on Route 1 in Scarborough. Normally a five-piece band, they performed with only three members on this particular evening. The pleasant, laid-back tone actually seemed to mirror the overall personality of the band members, one of whom confessed to us volunteers an inexplicable penchant for stale animal crackers...

The Lovell Sisters are three very talented young musicians from Calhoun, Georgia, who were backed by a guitarist and double bass player. The girls, all between the ages of 18 and 23, played fiddle, mandolin/guitar, and dobro, displaying a real excitement and passion for the music. The performance was a real example of my previous statement about being irresistibly drawn in to the music. It would take a conscious effort not to tap your foot or move along with the music; but then why would you want to resist that? Being a huge fan of Alison Krauss and Union Station, I was pleased with their cover of Choctaw Hayride. They also played many of their own compositions, as well as pieces by Johnny Cash and Jimi Hendrix. The girls themselves were as endearing as their music, going out to take pictures of the streets and the water near One Longfellow Square, as it was their first trip to Maine. Hopefully they will come back this way soon; I would highly recommend attending one of their shows.

If anyone is curious and wants to find out more, the bands' websites are as follows:

www.lovellsisters.com
www.myspace.com/musicofguntherbrown

So, once again a grand time was had at One Longfellow Square. Anyone who has a chance should come on down and check it out!