Lindsay Lou swept into Ann Arbor on an early October Sunday evening, on her annual pilgrimage back to The Ark. This time, she had an all-female bluegrass band, touring to celebrate her release of “Bluegrass Women”–an album of folk, country, and bluegrass standards all originally penned by women. The album itself is a joy to listen to, with beautiful tributes to Elizabeth Cotten, Ola Belle Reed, and Jean Ritchie. But hearing it on stage, performed by the next generation of bluegrass talent, truly brought the music to life.
Lindsay was accompanied by Sharon Gilchrist on the mandolin, Emma Rose on bass, Molly Johnson on the banjo, and Kora Melia on the fiddle. It felt like a righteous old-time jam session, with many improvisational instrumental solos. An absolute highlight was “High on a Mountain,” where the harmonies of all five ladies blended together so well on stage! I was also especially partial to “Jubilee,” a originally track recorded by Jean Ritchie on an album celebrating the musical heritage of her Kentucky Appalachian roots.
The night was not complete, of course, without a tribute to some contemporary songwriters, including the great Michigan-bred May Erlewine’s song “The River Jordan.” Towards the end of the night, we heard a stirring tribute to Dolly Parton with “I Will Always Love You,” and a potential teaser for Bluegrass Women Pt. II.
Bluegrass will always be an art form for the people–to quote Lindsay, no one goes into bluegrass music to make money. It’s really incredible to see a lively group of young women making great music, and to know that they aren’t the only ones doing it. Clover-Lynn, a trans banjo player known as “hillbillygothic” from Virginia, has been making strides in redefining the genre to include a gothic twist. I’m excited to see where these incredible young musicians go next, hopefully with some new WCBN stickers on their instrument cases!