Artist Spotlight: The Blue Ribbon Bluegrass Band

1. You guys play a different brand of bluegrass, how would you describe and what other acts do you liken it to?
I guess we all come in with our own vision of what we consider the ultimate form of bluegrass. The band has a wide range of influences including Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, Flatt and Scruggs, Del McCoury, The Darlins, Chris Thile, Jerry Garcia, and Sierra Hull to round out the traditionalists, while more modern bands such as Milwaukee's .357 String Band and North Carolina's Chatham County Line offer some "new style" bluegrass insperation.

2. Who are the artists that inspired you to start playing? Is there any particular moment that sparked your fire?
"Because we are a newer bluegrass band I think we have all kind of had a moment in time that we can say sparked us to play bluegrass, and those moments are not that long ago (Matt) a parking lot jam at a dead show which kept me looking in amazement was my first exposure." Or their own moments when a Blue Ribbon song comes together and crowds go crazy, the sparks seem to keep flying.
3. What's the most memorable venue or event that you've played at?
Recently we played a show at The Spot, an independent art gallery in downtown Akron. "We had no idea what to expect, its an art gallery ya know, who knows what to expect man" (Adam) By the end of the first song there was artwork getting knocked off the walls and if people were not picking the art off the ground, it was their jaw they were picking up off the ground. "It was one of those moments where it all came together and everyone in the place was going nuts" (Jake) "We also had the chance to play a spur of the moment unannounced campground show over the summer, and to see people out there dancing around with their kids and just letting it all go was a moment for me, I think our form of bluegrass just tugs at peoples soul's and they just kind of forget about everything at the moment and do what feels natural" (Larry) As for Fiddlin Frank, "that first show at Nemeth's Lounge 2/24/2011 in Painesville was crazy, I did not know what to expect from the crowd, the roar from the fifty people in the bar that snowy night sounded like a freight train....crazy" "Playing Canton's Froth Fest on Jan 6th was kind of a moment for me, we showed up and had to make some on the spot changes as to where we were gonna play, we ended up playing on a tiny stage, running into one another and sharing a mic, it went amazingly well, and for me it showed that even though we can be set in our ways, we can break it down anywhere, because once the music takes over, whatever else is going on in life no longer exists...it becomes a blur man, and it is fun" (Adam)
4. For the gear geeks out there: What's your rig? Guitar? Amp? Pedals?
"When it comes to our current set up, it is an ever changing process" (Larry). Morgan Monroe and Andersen Mondolin's, Deering and Nechville Banjo's, Parkwood "hole and all" to Blueridge guitars, and whatever Frank can get his hands on to rip in half on the fiddle is just fine with him. And Larry, well he could make a cardboard box sound good, so the fact that he does not know the make and model of his bass comes as no surprise. For the guys, the rigs will forever change, but one thing is for sure....Fishman Amps are here to stay......
5. What advice do you have for the younger players that haven't had an opportunity to play out yet?
"Go slow, be precise" (Matt), "Play it like you mean it, from the heart" (Larry) "Jam with locals" (Jake) "Stick with it" (Frank) "Do what feels right, traditionalists will tell you we are wrong, but to me it feels right" (Adam). Being a newer band Blue Ribbon is still looking for advice, but now kind of understands that with the combination of the five current members, advice is something you have to take with a grain of salt sometimes. We don't feel like we need to impress anyone, because we are already doing enough of that on our own.