Southern Exposure…Exposed!
story by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the November 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)
At 28 years, Southern Exposure has a longevity rarely seen in bands. Most are lucky to make it through just a few years, but bluegrass outfits in general seem to outlast the standard average. As a pure conjecture, I’d reckon it’s just the heart and soul of the music, coupled with the genuine nature of it and its players that make for bluegrass bands’ ability to stay in the music race for a longer haul. Southern Exposure is a prime example of a band that has an authenticity and an approach that makes it all about the music, rather than the individual players, and they have fun doing it.
I got the chance recently to speak with its two original members, mandolin player Jerry Mills and banjoist Hereford Percy, to talk about the band’s history and philosophy. Mills and Percy have known each other for about 30 years. They met playing at a benefit for a wild horse preservation organization and really just “locked in” musically, Mills tells me. They got together with Jack Davis, who knew that Red White and Blue(grass) player Dave Sebold had moved to Colorado, and suggested they bring him into the band.
Those beginnings set the tone for truly professional band whose members have myriad experiences—not at all uncommon in the bluegrass community—and makes for an incomparable entertainment experience. Mills has an impressive list of recording credits, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Stars & Stripes Forever album. Talking about how the band works together, he makes a point that everyone had similar ideas about the importance of having a base and love for the traditional bluegrass style as well as an ear to “follow your own muses.”
“We didn’t want to wear suits,” he laughs. Some things “were evident,” like how the group enjoyed each other, the songs they were playing and the element of entertaining people. “We had fun right out of the shoot,” he grins. “We got our footing pretty early and we stay true to our school. We don’t take ourselves too seriously but we take the performance seriously.”
Over the years, the band has played an amazing array of events and concert halls. Percy jokes that they’ve not done a “true bar gig” in a long time: “At this point we’re so old that a four-set night is next to impossible,” he laughs. They’ve played everywhere from Telluride to Cheyenne, hitting up RockyGrass and the Greeley Stampede and everywhere in between, showing they’ve got stamina in their own right. This coming year marks their 25th year playing the esteemed Arvada Center, a gig that’s been a real treat for them.
“The Arvada Center is our longest-running continuous concert,” Percy notes, reminiscing about one of his favorite Center shows of theirs with the legendary John Hartford. “At the end of these shows, both acts play together,” he says. When Southern Exposure and Hartford came out together, Percy told Hartford to take the vocals for “Uncle Penn,” but “he didn’t know the words,” Percy recalls with a smirk, and Percy took the vocal lead. But it was something else to have Hartford fiddling beside him for one of bluegrass’ all-time, well-known favorites.
The band has a repertoire with astonishing breadth. One moment they’ll be playing Bill Monroe’s “Little Georgia Rose,” the next, Del Shannon’s “Runaway.” From traditional to contemporary songs, Southern Exposure does it all with a bluegrass sensibility that drives them. “We play hard, we never let go of that bluegrass element,” Mills says, “and it makes a diverse sound.”
Percy estimates the band easily knows 50 songs, probably more, making for performances where no song is repeated, even in a three- or four-hour stretch. They also look to the audience for guidance in where to go during a show, and while they will cater to an audience’s familiarity, they’ll also take opportunities to introduce the audience to something new, seamlessly moving from one to the other, making a well-rounded experience.
Bluegrass is a “big salad,” Mills says. The talent today is deeper than it ever was, he believes, and tapping into the traditional tunes, Mills and his fellow players and audiences find the tunes “just as satisfying now as they were then.”
“I approach the band the same way I approach my radio show,” Mills says in reference to his Sunday morning “Rocky Mountain Bluegrass” show on Cheyenne’s KOLT-FM (100.7 on the dial and streaming online at KoltFM.com). “There’s neither one music nor one bluegrass, but you always tap back into what you started with and bluegrass has a soul that’s undeniable. It’s musically satisfying.”
Southern Exposure’s current lineup includes Jerry Magnetti on guitar, Gordon Burt on fiddle and Ryland Percy on bass. The band will entertain the patrons of Golden’s Acoustic Alley on Saturday, November 7. Doors open at 6:45 with a show start of 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $12 in advance, $15 day of show and are available at www.acousticalley.org. You can connect with the band at their site at ReverbNation.com/SouthernExposureBluegrass.
Posts
