Post by David on Jun 19, 2009 5:29:59 GMT -5
The eight-day Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Festival opens Saturday and seems destined to close on a high note. Old-time music icon Ralph Stanley, "Rocky Top" vocalist Bobby Osborne and 10-time Grammy Award winner Dan Tyminski will share a bill June 20 at Brown County's Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground.
Tyminski, who plays guitar with Alison Krauss and Union Station, is on tour to promote 2008 solo album "Wheels." In 2000, he supplied George Clooney's singing voice for the film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" -- including the hit "Man of Constant Sorrow."
The Vermont native says the bluegrass genre caught his attention at age 12, and he learned to play banjo and mandolin before taking up guitar.
During a phone interview, Tyminski talked to Go! about life onstage and on the golf course:
Question: We've seen Alison Krauss and Union Station play big rooms that seem far removed from the festival experience. Do you enjoy getting back to that type of setting?
Answer: I fell in love with the music in this setting. The bluegrass festivals were my earliest training grounds.
Q: It's not unheard of for rock musicians to turn to bluegrass as their genre of choice. Does that surprise you?
A: Bluegrass is a very pure music. I think anyone who enjoys music can't help but have a place in their heart for something that just comes from wood, glue and strings.
Q: The guitar in a bluegrass band isn't the showiest instrument when compared to mandolin, banjo or dobro. What can a guitar player do to make a mark?
A: In a lot of senses, rhythm guitar players are like bass players. You don't really notice them until you take them away. I ended up falling in love with the guitar a little later on. I've since learned that part of what I loved about playing banjo was the interplay of banjo and guitar. It's magic when those two things work together well.
Q: You landed at No. 9 on Golf Digest's 2008 list of musicians who play the best golf. What's your secret?
A: I'm not into a lot of different things, but I dive way into the things I do. Golf is such a difficult game. You never do the same thing twice. What it takes to control that silly little golf ball is completely fascinating to me.
Q: Is work with Alison Krauss and Union Station on the horizon?
A: Yes. We're currently together and working up songs for a new recording. It's been so long since we've been in the studio, there's almost a sense of nostalgia. We're excited to be back at it.
Tyminski, who plays guitar with Alison Krauss and Union Station, is on tour to promote 2008 solo album "Wheels." In 2000, he supplied George Clooney's singing voice for the film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" -- including the hit "Man of Constant Sorrow."
The Vermont native says the bluegrass genre caught his attention at age 12, and he learned to play banjo and mandolin before taking up guitar.
During a phone interview, Tyminski talked to Go! about life onstage and on the golf course:
Question: We've seen Alison Krauss and Union Station play big rooms that seem far removed from the festival experience. Do you enjoy getting back to that type of setting?
Answer: I fell in love with the music in this setting. The bluegrass festivals were my earliest training grounds.
Q: It's not unheard of for rock musicians to turn to bluegrass as their genre of choice. Does that surprise you?
A: Bluegrass is a very pure music. I think anyone who enjoys music can't help but have a place in their heart for something that just comes from wood, glue and strings.
Q: The guitar in a bluegrass band isn't the showiest instrument when compared to mandolin, banjo or dobro. What can a guitar player do to make a mark?
A: In a lot of senses, rhythm guitar players are like bass players. You don't really notice them until you take them away. I ended up falling in love with the guitar a little later on. I've since learned that part of what I loved about playing banjo was the interplay of banjo and guitar. It's magic when those two things work together well.
Q: You landed at No. 9 on Golf Digest's 2008 list of musicians who play the best golf. What's your secret?
A: I'm not into a lot of different things, but I dive way into the things I do. Golf is such a difficult game. You never do the same thing twice. What it takes to control that silly little golf ball is completely fascinating to me.
Q: Is work with Alison Krauss and Union Station on the horizon?
A: Yes. We're currently together and working up songs for a new recording. It's been so long since we've been in the studio, there's almost a sense of nostalgia. We're excited to be back at it.