Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Feels like things are shifting for a lot of people and things have been changing a lot in my household.

U.S. Pipe has disbanded. Citrus had struggled with the stresses of running the business, being a leader in the band on many levels, and having to try to be all things to all people at any given time. It was a long journey, with many highs coupled with lows. I think we both learned and grew a lot through it and I'm hoping others did, too.

I was pretty amazed at how many emails and messages I got through social networks asking me what happened and wishing us well. One person simply said "Don't give up!" I wrote back, "It's not about giving up. It's about moving on." And it is. I don't think Citrus, or even myself, in quitting this project means we've given up in some way. The energy just wasn't really moving in the right direction at times and it's hard to feel like people aren't happy...what's the point then? So I really hope that everyone finds a lot of happiness in whatever next steps they take.

It's been great to see Citrus so happy, working on his own music within this new recording studio. I love the idea of the studio and it will be interesting to see what path(s) that may present.

As for myself, I'm still working on what I want. I have lots of conflicting feelings about where I am, where I want to be, how I fit into things here and there. We'll see.

Right now my mind is a little focused on getting done with Swallow Hill deadlines before I leave for a vacation back home to Kentucky. All my family is there and I expect to see an old friend or two. I've not been back there in at least 7 years. It should be really fun to keep a travel diary, to take photos and video and post them here and on Facebook, and Tweet as things happen. It will be a good break, I think, and the process of documenting it will be really fun for me. Come check it out! I'll be in KY from April 25 - May 5.

Pete Wernick’s fantastic Flexigrass is back at Swallow Hill!

by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the April 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)

Living bluegrass legend Pete Wernick has been a past president of the IBMA, is one of the original members of Hot Rize, and is a pioneer in bluegrass instruction and mentorship. Known by the moniker “Dr. Banjo,” he’s most recently been working with Steve Martin on Martin’s just-released debut CD, The Crow, which Wernick co-produced, performs on and features a song he helped write.

It’s no secret that Wernick is one of the long-standing kings of the bluegrass tradition. But with his band Flexigrass, he takes bluegrass in a completely fresh direction, to the fabulous reactions of most and, here and there, the bewilderment of others who are more hardcore purists of the genre.

“When Hot Rize disbanded, I didn’t think I could come up with a bluegrass band comparable to that. And, musicians are always striving to be creative, to do something new and different. Flexigrass started out as a way to explain the type of music we were doing but then it just became the name of the band,” he says. Bluegrass and jazz are “musical cousins,” he explains. “They’re cousins that hardly ever see each other. I got them to dating, if not married,” he laughs.

Elaborating on the connections between the two, he goes on to cite examples of early jazz standards that have crossed over into bluegrass, such as the 1922 tune, “Farewell Blues,” that Earl Scruggs covered. “We’re respectful of both genres,” he says. “Our aim is to do something new and exciting.”

Fellow bandmate Greg Harris also offers: “What’s unique about what Pete has done with Flexigrass is that he concentrates on the early jazz side. Whereas some of the more modern newgrass fusion acts might borrow from looser, Miles Davis-style jazz, Flexigrass is rooted in traditional jazz.”

Joining Dr. Banjo in Flexigrass are some of the most talented and eclectically experienced musicians in the Front Range. Wife Joan Wernick, featured vocalist, has a sparkling voice and also performs as a duo with Pete, and works as an educator alongside him in their jam camp sessions. Greg Harris adds a unique dimension to the band’s sound on the vibraphone, and has extensively studied the roots of mallet instruments and the music they make, going as far as West Africa. In addition, he fronts his own Greg Harris Vibe Quintet and appears in other amazing acts like Future Jazz Project.

Clarinetist Bill Pontarelli is a veteran of the Denver swing and Dixieland scene, a founder of the Platte River Jazz Band and member of one of my other favorite Colorado acts, Deco Django. Drummer Kris Ditson has teamed with greats such as Andy Statman and Tony Trischka, and performed with a number of bluegrass bands including Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mt. Boys. Bassist Roger Johns, another scene veteran, keeps the beat locked in and delivers amazing solos.

“I’m blessed with the loyalty of such great musicians,” Wernick says. The Flexigrass project has lasted for 17 years with very few personnel changes, most having occurred because of people moving away. Wernick is content to be in Colorado more often than not, as the crowds here have open, receptive minds to exceptional music and because there is no shortage of cultural experiences within the Front Range area.

However, he does still travel, educating and performing as far as Ireland last summer with Joan and Don Rigsby, and most recently returning from conducting camps with Joan in Texas. “It’s so rewarding to teach,” Joan says. She recently ran into a student in Boulder who’d taken one of the camps the Wernicks offer, and who told her that he’s still playing with some of the people he’d met in the camp, in addition to now taking leads on his guitar. “Knowing your students are growing and continuing on the musical path—it’s proving that your teaching has been productive,” she smiles.

Flexigrass will be performing at Swallow Hill on Friday, April 10. Rising buzz worthy bluegrass outfit Finders & Youngberg will be joining them in support. In addition, Wernick will be delivering a special Banjo Skills Workshop the following day, Saturday, April 11, at Swallow Hill.

If you’ve not heard Flexigrass it’s the perfect opportunity to be dazzled by the marriage of traditional jazz and bluegrass. And not only can you be impressed with what you hear, but by what you can learn from Dr. Banjo. Among Colorado’s talent, he’s one of our greatest shining stars. Tickets and registration are available online at SwallowHillMusic.org or by calling 303-777-1003.