Appalachian music comes 'Down from the Mountain'

Country music performers bring 'O Brother Where Art Thou?' soundtrack to life

SHARON WOOTTON, FOR THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, February 8, 2002

Pain. Loneliness. Heartbreak. Misery. Gloom. Death. Sounds like bluegrass and old-time country music, with a side dish of gospel.

Just the combination for a movie soundtrack ("O Brother Where Art Thou?"), 2.5 million CDs and a theater-packing 17-city tour.

Not in this lifetime? Think again. The Seattle tour stops of "Down from the Mountain" Feb. 14-15 are sold out, unless some misfortune forces a few ticketholders to turn back their tickets.

Alison Krauss & Union Station, Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Ralph Stanley and several other acts are singing music as old as the hills.

Everyone except Loveless sang on the "O Brother" soundtrack, which was nominated for five Grammy awards, including Album of the Year.

It was the best-selling country album for 2001, which no doubt had "modern" country music marketers bashing their heads against solid objects.

"O Brother," "Down From the Mountain" and the tour have breathed new life into old careers.

Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley has never been so hot; never have so many people gone around humming The Whites' "Keep on the Sunny Side of Life."

Maybe the interest in Appalachian music is a backlash to an unending morass of teen pop and cookie-cutter country acts. Maybe it's the sometimes-mournful power of bluegrass that listeners have hooked into the past couple of years.

The "Down from the Mountain" concert soundtrack, with music from the documentary film of the same name, has a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album.

The two-night stand includes performances by:

- Alison Krauss. Krauss grew from a child prodigy to a musician bringing bluegrass to new ears in the 1990s. Now a mainstream star, Krauss' dance card is usually full performing with her band, Union Station.

- Ralph Stanley. He's a bluegrass legend who with his brother Carter formed the Stanley Brothers in 1946, and continued after Carter died in 1986. He now has six Grammy nominations and has recorded on more than 150 albums. His a cappella version of "Oh, Death" should not be missed.

- Emmylou Harris. With recent quality albums "Wrecking Ball" and "Red Dirt Girl," Harris continues to be an enduring, eclectic performer who is comfortable with bluegrass, country, folk and alternative country music.

- Nashville Bluegrass Band. Alan O'Bryant formed a band in 1984 for a package tour of Grand Ole Opry stars. The band became NBB, and here they are with another package of entertainers. This time around, though, they bring two Grammy awards, two Entertainer of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association, and four IBMA Vocal Group of the Year awards.

- The Whites. Country and bluegrass performances have been sisters Sharon and Cheryl and father Buck's life for 30 years, but Buck White's performing dates back to World War II.

- Chris Thomas King. Nominated for four Grammy awards, King is a young voice determined to carry on his version of the blues, with a bit of hip-hop and modern R&B for good measure.

- Jerry Douglas. One of the top dobro players in bluegrass and country music, Douglas tears it up with lightning-fast finger-picking.

- Norman and Nancy Blake. In the 1990s, the Blakes' four albums received Grammy nominations in the Best Traditional/Folk Recording category. Flatpicking Guitar Magazine called Norman Blake a legend.

If there's a parallel to the success of "O Brother," it's the Buena Vista Social Club, Cuban musicians who carved out a niche with an unconventional marketing approach that led to a documentary film, tours and individuals' albums.

Had the Depression-era music of "O Brother" gone through normal radio channels, it would have meant certain death since few country stations bothered to play it.

After all, "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," basically the theme of the movie, or a five-minute a cappella of "Oh, Death" are unlikely candidates for radio.

But marketers worked the press and the word-of-mouth avenues, and the magic of the music won the day.

Sharon Wootton is a free-lance writer who lives on Shaw Island.

'Down from the Mountain'

- What: A stageful of bluegrass and country stars featuring music from the Coen Brothers' film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?'

- Who: Alison Krauss & Union Station, Jerry Douglas, Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Ralph Stanley, The Whites, Norman and Nancy Blake, Chris Thomas King, Rob Neuwirth, Peasall Sisters, Nashville Bluegrass Band.

- When: 8 p.m. Feb. 14-15.

- Where: Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle.

- Tickets: Sold out ($45, $75). Call Ticketmaster at 206-628-0888 or see www.ticketmaster.com for last-minute availability.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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