Band breaks boundaries to popularise American folk music in India

Think of peppy and uplifting American country music, familiar sounds from the Carnatic world on ghatam, mandolin, as well as folk music traditions from different parts of India — all coming together. In what is sure to be a cross-cultural musical delight, The Bluegrass Journeymen is set to introduce to Chennai the American traditional bluegrass music, along with collaborations with Carnatic and folk musicians, lending it an Indian touch. Bluegrass music originated in the US during the 1940s in the mountainous Appalachian region located in the eastern part of the country.

“Bluegrass music was described by American ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax as folk music in overdrive. It has the elements and roots from folk music, as well as those from modern society like jazz, rock & roll, among others. The Bluegrass Journeymen was founded out of my desire to bring bluegrass music to India. In the past, jazz has been the representation of American music and our culture. I believe that bluegrass is working its way into that status,” Patrick Fitzsimons, the founder of The Bluegrass Journeymen, tells DT Next in an interview, ahead of a concert in the city hosted by the US Consulate General Chennai.

While Patrick specialises in Mandolin and vocals, the collective’s other musicians include Andrew Conley (cello), Billy Cardine (dobro, slide guitar), Coleman Smith (five-string violin, fiddle), Jean-Luc Davis (upright bass), Shaun Nicklin (banjo, vocals) and Summers Baker (guitar, vocals). A Kolkata-based musician Nabanita Sarkar (ukelele and vocals) has joined the band as a full-time member for their India tour. They will be playing along with popular mandolin player U Rajesh, ghatam musician N Rajaraman and bass guitarist Aalaap Raju during the concert.

Travelling is important to these men, who collaborate with folk musicians in India’s nooks and corners. The result is sounds that are never heard before and deeply touch one’s soul. They’ve worked with musicians in West Bengal, including The Bauls of Santiniketan, Debashish Bh attacharya and The Ladies Compartment fusing the traditional American folk music with Bengali folk, Bollywood tunes and Indian classical sounds. “Collaborations are crucial to what we do. We started out with the idea of exposing Indian audience to traditional bluegrass music. But, over the years, we realised that we needed to create a unique sound to incorporate the sounds of other artistes into our sound,” elaborates Patrick, who began learning guitar at the age of 15. The band also filmed music videos at The Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh and in other locations, and will soon put out their latest album.

Patrick, however, admits that it may be a little difficult to marry bluegrass with Carnatic music. “But it just requires a little bit more study and concentration in learning the specific melodies and riffs. Bluegrass can blend well with any kind of music around the world,” he asserts, adding, “India has a vast folk music tradition. I am keen to work with folk musicians in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. One of my main ambitions is to travel throughout India, learning the differences in various styles of folk music, and incorporating them into bluegrass to diversify what we do.” The musicians also helped set up a violin programme at The Piali Ashar Alo Village School, outside of Kolkata. Living in the age of dominance of hip-hop and electronic music, bluegrass will continue to be appreciated by those who care for music history, he says. “Bluegrass will always have a strong place among people who care for folk music, acoustic music and the kind ofmusic that is meant to be listened to and observed,” he remarks.