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Main Stage :: Classical Jamboree

Classical Jamboree

The Diesel Lounge Boys add folk fuel to their classical training.

August 07, 2006

Take four guys, train them at some of the best music schools in the world, throw in folk instruments, don’t be shy with the humor and you’ll have a tank full of Diesel Lounge Boys Bluegrass Quartet. But don’t laugh – this isn’t just a gimmick. These gents are top class musicians who know how to play, compose, arrange, and have a darn good time doing it.

Urban Guitar: When and how did the concept for the Diesel Lounge Boys originate?

Diesel Lounge Boys: We're not quite sure if this whole thing was a freak accident or a natural progression. We were all graduate students at the Yale School of Music (three classical guitarists, one orchestral bassist) and we casually played together at social gatherings. A friend asked us if we wanted to put something together as an opening act for his band, and before we knew it, we had a large repertoire of strange tunes, and a enthusiastic cult following.

Although we originally formed the group with popular music in mind, "Operation: Hoe-down" somehow seemed to be the next logical step. As guitarists, we are always seeking to expand the boundaries of our role in chamber music. This instrumentation (mandolin, banjo, guitar, bass) shares many qualities with successful classical ensembles: range of pitch, dynamic balance, contrasting timbres, and a unified sound. We thought that collaborating with composers would be an intriguing way to explore the possibilities of the group, and bring new and experimental music to a diverse audience.

Urban Guitar: You are all trained as "serious" classical musicians. Is it strange to make a jump over to the popular styles?

Diesel Lounge Boys: We had all played electric instruments in pop groups before, but this was the first time any of us had been part of a bluegrass quartet, or seriously approached new instruments like the banjo and mandolin. In this project, We sought to find ways to combine both sides of our musical backgrounds. It was interesting to apply our classical skills to folk instruments, which are usually not considered in terms of phrasing and articulation. Likewise, it was refreshing to approach written music with the raw and improvisatory spirit associated with bluegrass. It seems that musicians often have to separate these two worlds of performance, and we aim to bridge that gap.

Urban Guitar: All the pieces you commissioned turned out to be fantastic.

Diesel Lounge Boys: All the composers were friends and colleagues from Yale and the Bang on a Can Summer music festival. We find working with artists from our own generation, especially those that we personally relate with, to be an integral part of creating new progressive music. Every composer was eager to work with us, and we ended up with more compositions than expected! The result was eleven pieces, with an incredible diversity of styles and techniques. We couldn't have been happier with how the program turned out.

Urban Guitar: Did you give them any guidelines as they were writing?

Diesel Lounge Boys: The only guideline was instrumentation (with optional cowbell.) We provided them with basic information, but each the composers found their own ways to write for these unfamiliar instruments. Some took a classical approach to notation and part-writing, while others used chord charts, improvisatory parameters, and graphic notation. We were able to work directly with most of the composers to solve idiomatic problems, but for the most part everything went smoothly! As in any collaborative project, the composers had to adapt to the strange ensemble, and we had to learn to approach our instruments in new ways.

Urban Guitar: Do you have a favorite composition that was written for you?

Diesel Lounge Boys: It would be impossible to pick a favorite, since each of the pieces are so unique and contrasting. Paula Matthusen's but because without this, Doug Fisk's Three New Etudes, Chris Mayo's List 2; never been so easy and Jody Redhage's Rum Pointe beautifully explore the timbral and textural possibilities of the ensemble. Other pieces focused on the bluegrass idiom and the implications of the group, manipulating the listeners' expectations through odd meters, avant-garde techniques, and special effects (Ryan Brown's Bad Apples, Scott Borg's The Dawn of Hoe-down, Eric km Clark's Devil in Blue, and Wil Smith's alt.culture.) Other composers wrote theatrical pieces for us, keeping our individual personalities in mind. They call for belligerent singing; excessive blues solos, cowbell hits, and screaming. (Jacob Cooper's Nine Movements for the Diesel Lounge Boys and Eleonore Oppenheim's If I had a Hammer (I'd throw it at that guy's banjo.)

One piece that deserves special comment is Robinson McClellan's George Bush's Notebook, 1779, an adaptation of two songs "without overt political overtones" originally written by a revolutionary war general by the name of George Bush (no relation.) The lyrics are delightfully witty and ironic, dealing with issues of love and war. No matter what your political leanings are, the piece is undeniably funny and provocative.

Urban Guitar: I really enjoyed the medley of Madonna and the B-52's- You certainly put your own unique twist on them.

Diesel Lounge Boys: The Diesel Lounge Boys first began performing at parties and bars. We sought to combine pop and bluegrass styles in an entertaining way, resulting in several humorous and surprising arrangements of familiar tunes. This genre was later given the shameless title of "poo-grass". Other pieces that have been successful in this style include Fight for your Right to Party, Eye of the Tiger, and Afternoon Delight. We have also arranged several Spinal Tap tunes, and many of the greatest hits of Madonna. In addition covers, we also play traditional folk and bluegrass tunes, and several originals.

Urban Guitar: Although you're taking the music seriously, you certainly have a lot of fun on stage, and it all seems very natural.

Diesel Lounge Boys: We are glad it seems natural! If only you knew ... (it took us a week to agree on what we were going to wear.) We are all good friends, which creates a great connection on stage, but can also lead to arguments. As a group we have been learning to compromise with one another, and we have found that in performance we really feed off of each others' energy.

Urban Guitar: Sometimes classical musicians can be stuffy. How do your colleagues and teachers react when they find out you play in a bluegrass quartet?

Diesel Lounge Boys: Our colleagues and teachers have been incredibly supportive of this project from the very beginning. We are especially thankful for the support we received from our teachers Ben Verdery and Donald Palma, as well as the administration at the Yale School of Music. Snobbery is still alive and well, even in experimental music, but we manage to filter out most of the jerks with a few cowbell hits.