Post by julie on Apr 22, 2005 12:05:30 GMT -5
Alison Krauss and Union Station rolling into Macon
By Maggie Large
Telegraph Staff Writer
When you hear musicians talk about growing up together onstage, it can come across as an industry cliche.
But million-sellers Alison Krauss and Union Station really did grow up together. Krauss was just 16 when they released their first album, and bass player Barry Bales was 20. The other band members were similarly green.
In those days, Krauss was something of a fiddling prodigy, and the band played bluegrass long before it was trendy. Now Krauss is Grammy's winningest woman ever (she has 17 of them, one more than Aretha Franklin), and you're as likely to see her in InStyle magazine as a music publication.
On the cover of their 10th and latest album, "Lonely Runs Both Ways," Krauss is pictured in a dressing room wearing a slinky teal evening gown while the rest of the band is clad in jeans. But the music on "Lonely" is less a star turn for Krauss and more of a seamless integration of five musical personalities.
Bales, who called from his home in east Tennessee, chuckled at Krauss' diva depiction.
"On one hand, it's only going to help the band in raising her profile," he said. "It's funny, she's about the last person who's interested in being a star. But I think finally she's decided to go along with it."
Bales said the music making has changed over the years as they recorded albums and toured together.
"As you get older and more mature, your boundaries expand. You feel like doing more things," Bales said. "I kind of think of it as an ever-widening triangle. Sometimes you move further left, and sometimes you get into more traditional stuff or add more to the mix."
All of AKUS' albums, including "Lonely Runs Both Ways," have been released by independent Rounder Records, making them something of an anomaly in the industry. Bales said they've received offers over the years to jump to a major label, but they haven't seen a compelling reason to leave.
"No. 1 is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it," Bales said. "With Rounder, there's no questioning about anything when we're going into the studio. There's no producers coming around telling us what to do. Having 100 percent freedom is pretty rare."
As the band's popularity has grown - in two years here in Macon, they've gone from playing the City Auditorium to the Coliseum - their audience has grown too, Bales said. It's not just country and bluegrass fans anymore.
"You also get the people who, I hate to call them the NPR crowd, the public radio crowd," Bales said.
The phenomenon of 2000's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, which featured Krauss and several band members, also brought attention to the band. Guitarist and vocalist Dan Tyminski performed the famous "A Man of Constant Sorrow" vocal that George Clooney lip-synced in the movie.
Bales said the set list on the current tour is made up of new favorites and older material.
"It's always a challenge putting together a new set. We're not an act that has a single on Top 40 radio," Bales said. "We kind of have to go with our gut."
Some of the cuts off "Lonely" that have gotten the biggest response from the audience have been the bittersweet "Gravity" and the soaring "Living Prayer," Bales said. He said the band isn't in the habit of playing covers, but he didn't rule out heckler favorite "Freebird."
"One of these days, we're going to break out and do it," Bales joked. "Hell, we're all big Skynyrd fans."
By Maggie Large
Telegraph Staff Writer
When you hear musicians talk about growing up together onstage, it can come across as an industry cliche.
But million-sellers Alison Krauss and Union Station really did grow up together. Krauss was just 16 when they released their first album, and bass player Barry Bales was 20. The other band members were similarly green.
In those days, Krauss was something of a fiddling prodigy, and the band played bluegrass long before it was trendy. Now Krauss is Grammy's winningest woman ever (she has 17 of them, one more than Aretha Franklin), and you're as likely to see her in InStyle magazine as a music publication.
On the cover of their 10th and latest album, "Lonely Runs Both Ways," Krauss is pictured in a dressing room wearing a slinky teal evening gown while the rest of the band is clad in jeans. But the music on "Lonely" is less a star turn for Krauss and more of a seamless integration of five musical personalities.
Bales, who called from his home in east Tennessee, chuckled at Krauss' diva depiction.
"On one hand, it's only going to help the band in raising her profile," he said. "It's funny, she's about the last person who's interested in being a star. But I think finally she's decided to go along with it."
Bales said the music making has changed over the years as they recorded albums and toured together.
"As you get older and more mature, your boundaries expand. You feel like doing more things," Bales said. "I kind of think of it as an ever-widening triangle. Sometimes you move further left, and sometimes you get into more traditional stuff or add more to the mix."
All of AKUS' albums, including "Lonely Runs Both Ways," have been released by independent Rounder Records, making them something of an anomaly in the industry. Bales said they've received offers over the years to jump to a major label, but they haven't seen a compelling reason to leave.
"No. 1 is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it," Bales said. "With Rounder, there's no questioning about anything when we're going into the studio. There's no producers coming around telling us what to do. Having 100 percent freedom is pretty rare."
As the band's popularity has grown - in two years here in Macon, they've gone from playing the City Auditorium to the Coliseum - their audience has grown too, Bales said. It's not just country and bluegrass fans anymore.
"You also get the people who, I hate to call them the NPR crowd, the public radio crowd," Bales said.
The phenomenon of 2000's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, which featured Krauss and several band members, also brought attention to the band. Guitarist and vocalist Dan Tyminski performed the famous "A Man of Constant Sorrow" vocal that George Clooney lip-synced in the movie.
Bales said the set list on the current tour is made up of new favorites and older material.
"It's always a challenge putting together a new set. We're not an act that has a single on Top 40 radio," Bales said. "We kind of have to go with our gut."
Some of the cuts off "Lonely" that have gotten the biggest response from the audience have been the bittersweet "Gravity" and the soaring "Living Prayer," Bales said. He said the band isn't in the habit of playing covers, but he didn't rule out heckler favorite "Freebird."
"One of these days, we're going to break out and do it," Bales joked. "Hell, we're all big Skynyrd fans."
