When combining the banjo, mandolin, upright bass, guitar and dobro, the first thing that comes to mind is probably not rock and roll. But for Dave Bruzza, who plays guitar and does vocals for Greensky Bluegrass, this is what sums up his group.@@http://greenskybluegrass.com/band/@@
“We’re just a rock and roll band in disguise,” Bruzza said of the quintet, whose music has been identified as new-wave bluegrass.
Described as featuring influences from alternative country to psychedelic rock, Greensky Bluegrass will extend their genre-bending music to the stage of the McDonald Theatre this Thursday, in support of their fourth studio album, “Handguns.”@@http://greenskybluegrass.bandcamp.com/album/handguns-ep@@
“It was nice to have a grittier sound than our previous records, and (it’s) a little more hard-hitting than our previous records as well, a little darker,” Bruzza said of the new album. “We’re really proud of it; we’re all really happy for it.”
Based out of Kalamazoo, Mich., Greensky Bluegrass formed in 2000@@http://www.jambase.com/Articles/52289/Greensky-Bluegrass-NYE-Halloween-New-Album@@ and has been touring consistently ever since, adding members to the group as the years carried on. Initially formed by Bruzza, Paul Hoffman (mandolin) and Mike Bont (banjo), the band welcomed Mike Devol on the upright bass in 2004 and dobro player Anders Beck officially in 2008, completing their sound.@@http://greenskybluegrass.com/band/@@
On top of the numerous tours they have been a part of over the years, the group has also played a number of bluegrass festivals, including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival@@http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/lineup.html@@ and San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival@@http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/@@. Rolling Stone praised their performance at the latter, stating “…the true spirit of the festival was embodied by a group of upstarts from Michigan called Greensky Bluegrass. Much like the festival itself, Greensky are hardly strictly bluegrass and, yet, they’re representing the genre for a whole new generation.”@@http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/robert-plant-bob-mould-steve-earle-rock-huge-audiences-in-san-francisco-20111003@@
The group’s discography includes original songs as well as a number of traditional bluegrass covers, all of which might be improvised a little during the live show, Bruzza said.
“I like to make albums but I love live shows,” Bruzza said on recording in the studio versus touring. “When you’re working on a studio record, you’re pretty concise with what you’re trying to put across. With the live shows, there’s so much improvisation. It’s very fun and gratifying.”
The Greensky Bluegrass Pacific Coast Tour is supported by Hot Buttered Rum@@http://saintrocke.marqueehq.com/show/detail/50800@@, and acts as an album release tour for the band, who are playing new songs from the album and are selling physical copies at each stop. Released on Oct. 4, “Handguns” debuted at number three on the bluegrass music chart, the band’s highest charting album to date.@@http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/10/kalamazoos_greensky_bluegrass_1.html@@
“It just feels really good because it’s something that we work really hard at,” Bruzza said. “Just to have people responding to it feels really good.
“We have a lot of really loyal fans out West; it’s really nice to give them something a little bit new, a little bit different.”
Greensky Bluegrass will perform at the McDonald Theatre on Nov. 17. Tickets are available at all TicketsWest outlets, or at the EMU box office for $17, or can be purchased at the venue the day of for $20. The show begins at 7 p.m.@@http://www.mcdonaldtheatre.com/tickets.html@@