Post by fogcitygal on Dec 5, 2004 4:31:56 GMT -5
Alison Krauss didn't need the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. Her fame as a vibrant country/bluegrass revivalist and innovator was secure long before she raised her voice with Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch, but there can be little doubt that the subsequent "Down From the Mountain" tour brought her a much larger audience than she had known before. Having signed to Rounder records at the tender age of 14, fiddle-slinger and hill-betty vocalist Krauss was a true prodigy. Now in her mid-30s, she's still the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry. Most importantly, Krauss is a true bandleader in a musical field where only stars get the spotlight while the pickers (typically hired guns) fade into the background. Her band, Union Station, includes Barry Bales on upright bass, Jerry Douglas on dobro, Dan Tyminski on guitar, and sacred songwriter Ron Block on banjo. When this progressive bluegrass band takes stage they are all stars, and they all shine like a big full moon over Kentucky. Krauss and company will play The Orpheum on Thursday, December 2nd, and fans of blazing fiddle and lilting dobro won't want to be anywhere else. -- Chris Davis