The Slow Revival of Bluegrass

Groups young and less young carry on the sound where it once thrived.

Howard's band played recently at the Tiffany Tavern in Old Town Alexandria. Nestled among storefronts advertising Latin cuisine and Tuscan ceramics, the bar showcases the talents of another group of immigrants -- and appeals to those who are still arriving from more rural and southern stretches of the country.

Erin Bard, 23, originally from Sewanee, Tenn., came to listen to the rhythms of home. She said she never expects to see a lot of people her age at bluegrass shows. "It's not the trendiest of genres," she said.

Bluegrass has a different, perhaps more wholesome, appeal, explained her friend Johnny Shoaf, 23, from Lookout Mountain, Tenn. "It's the only music that I would listen to with my mom," he said.

Although more popular music might feature lyrics about sex or drugs, bluegrass sticks to old-fashioned themes: "Mother, coal mines, railroads, drinking . . . and, of course, God," said Bob Dragone, president of the Capitol Area Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association.

Many players learned to appreciate the music at home with their parents. And lots of families travel throughout the summer to bluegrass festivals from North Carolina to Massachusetts, where bigger-name bands perform on stage and everyone else picks away in the parking lot until late in the night.

At festivals, many of the prodigies get to know one another, and some are starting their own bands. In March, a group of 14- to 22-year-olds calling themselves Blue Light Special formed and ventured onto the festival circuit.

The musicians recently renamed their band Driving Force, referring to the driving, fast style of bluegrass they play, "rather than the slower, older style," said 20-year-old guitarist Buddy Dunlap. (He said the band's name also refers to the amount of driving he does for his fellow members, spread from Front Royal, Va., to Annapolis, because three of them don't have driver's licenses.)

His band recently had a sold-out show at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, and it has been booked to perform at nine festivals this summer -- a feat for such a new band.

"I guess they are trying to attract a younger audience, and I hope we will," Dunlap said.