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 Tim O'Brien Appointed IBMA President Tim O'Brien, IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1993 and one of the first recipients of the award for Entertainer of the Year back in 1990 along with his band mates in Hot Rize, has been appointed president by the IBMA Board of Directors. O'Brien replaces Pete Wernick, who has served as IBMA's president for 16 years. A recent change in the bylaws adds a three-year maximum term limit to the office, which continues to be a one-year position appointed by the board. A singer of unusual clarity and originality, a self-taught multi-instrumentalist of rare ability, and a talented songwriter, O'Brien has made a lasting mark on bluegrass music, as well as the wider ranging "Americana" genre, through his innate musicianship and wide-ranging tastes. Whether it's an old-time fiddle tune, a revitalized honky-tonk shuffle from the 1950s, or an original, bluegrass-edged folk song, Tim's music feels familiar and comfortable while never lapsing into the predictable. The Wall Street Journal called Tim "a player who updates and clarifies classic repertoire without stripping it of its earthy essence, and who writes classic-sounding material stamped with his own perceptive personality." O'Brien himself describes what he does in simpler terms: "making something new out of something old." Originally from Wheeling, West Virginia, Tim's early influences were live performances by artists like Charley Pride, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Country Gentlemen and Jimmy Martin at radio's famous WWVA Jamboree. After moving to Colorado, Tim met the other three members of Hot Rize and performed with this immensely popular and entertaining bluegrass group from 1978-1990. Never straying far from a traditional sound, the quartet distinguished itself with fresh harmony singing and original material, Pete Wernick's melodic banjo playing, Charles Sawtelle's inimitable guitar and O'Brien's easy-going rhythmic drive. Sailing at the top of the Hot Rize sound was Tim 's soulful, high lonesome lead vocal line. Tim O'Brien is a natural, when it comes to music--one of the rare artists from any genre of music who makes what he does look simple, while at the same time overwhelming audiences with his virtuosity and originality. Hot Rize would often split their show with a set of classic and offbeat country & western music in the comic guise of "Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers," in an effort to broaden their repertoire--resulting in an alter ego band that became as popular as Hot Rize itself. During the past 11 years Tim has recorded and performed in a number of configurations: in a duo with his sister, Mollie O'Brien, a gifted vocalist;with country artist Kathy Mattea; with his own band, The O'Boys; with songwriter Darrell Scott; with old-time musicians John Herrmann and Dirk Powell; and with the members of the progressive band, NewGrange; among others. As a songwriter, Tim has had his compositions covered by a number of bluegrass and country artists, including Garth Brooks. O'Brien's latest album, Two Journeys, released last September on his own label, Howdy Skies Records, is a collection of new and old songs of the Irish American experience, performed by luminaries from both the American and Irish traditional music scenes. The fourteen song set includes six O' Brien originals, four traditional pieces and Lennon & McCartney's "Norwegian Wood," along with songs from Dirk Powell and Robert Lee Dunlap. In a recent interview for International Bluegrass, Tim comments on his new gig as president of IBMA. IB: What was your reaction when you were invited to be the next president of IBMA? Tim: I was stunned, really. My agent, Mike Drudge, is an IBMA board member, and he had mentioned several months ago that I would make a good successor to Pete Wernick, but I guess I thought I was way too left field for it to be anything real. Ironically, I had decided to sit out most of this years IBMA convention - I was only there Tuesday evening, spending most of that week on some overdue song demos for my publishing company. I've been wondering what my role in the bluegrass community was at this point, so I meant to stand back and take stock of it all. When I was asked I looked at it long and hard. I asked myself--am I the one they really want, and can I really do it? IB: You have a busy schedule--with touring, recording and songwriting. Why did you decide that it was important to carve out the time to add this job to your list of commitments? What is valuable/ significant about IBMA in your opinion, that made you want to get involved at this level? Tim: I wasn't looking to add anything to my plate. In fact I wanted to make some more time available for my family and for writing. I've had so manyperforming formats over the last several years, started a record company with my wife, and have been serving on the bluegrass museum board. Even though I've been cutting back some, trying to make a realistic formula, it seems that every time I cut one thing away, something else shows up that's hard to resist. This is one of those things. One thing that I meant to make time for, was some way to give back to the community that has meant so much to me. There's the thing called "career" and then there's the thing called "life". It's time to adjust my approach to both, and volunteer work is a very important part of that, adjustment. I went back and forth on accepting the presidency, though, for one thing because I'm well aware that my music is far from bluegrass in the classic sense. I've gotten some slack from the traditional fans. There was one letter from a guy who saw something I'd written about Ronnie McCoury's solo CD. I'd written that we should stop worrying about the future of bluegrass and just listen to his CD, meaning, between the lines, that here was a young player who was keeping it going pure and strong, evidence that it's in good hands. The guy's letter was pretty strong in sentiment, saying some people do indeed worry about the future of bluegrass, and that what I do is not, was never, and probably will never be bluegrass. I'm happy to admit that, but at the same time, my audience intersects significantly with the same audience that loves Bill, Ralph, and Del. I'll also defend myself by saying that the great traditional acts inform my music. I may write some weird stuff and play some different rhythms, but at the end of the day, I still love to sing "Take Me in Your Lifeboat." I'm not much interested in trying to define what is and what isn't bluegrass. That seems counterproductive. The IBMA board members who approached me about being president stressed that they wanted me as spokesperson because they seek to include everybody in the community. I agree with them that it's essential to keep not just the roots, but also the branches, healthy and growing. I'll try to be a good symbol of the whole spectrum of the scene. IB: What specific goals do you hope to accomplish during your term? Tim: The board and I want to increase the dialogue between the various parts of the community. There's much to be learned, stylistically, business wise, production and presentation wise, about what's happening out there, what's working and what's not. Let's have a big clearing house, census, symposium, of all that's possible to help the music and it's place in the marketplace. We may be able to increase the membership in numbers and in variety of viewpoints. There's some who have felt the IBMA is not for them, because they were too far right or left of field. Like it or not, those people fish the same stream we fish in, and we might do well to make them more welcome. We can tweak the convention and Fan Fest, and make better models for the long term. The IBMA's presence could increase at other events throughout the year, and we'll be looking for ways to make events under IBMA's auspices, like Leadership Bluegrass, more vital. The rest of the goals are the same ongoing ones IBMA has worked towards for a good while--to provide more education opportunities for the young fan in schools, facilitate more corporate sponsorship, and to increase the awareness and market share of bluegrass music. IB: Any comments on the potential the bluegrass music industry has to increase our audience at this particular moment in history--given the critical acclaim & triple platinum sales of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and movie, the visibility of new bluegrass based groups like Nickel Creek, successful bluegrass releases from country artists like Dolly Parton and Patty Loveless, the Down from the Mountain tour, increasing audiences for groups like the Del McCoury Band, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Alison Krauss + Union Station, the bluegrass influenced jam band phenomenon, interest from jazz and pop music fans through groups like Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and The Alison Brown Quartet, the increasing interest in Americana music/radio, the accessibility that the internet gives to niche genres of music, etc.? Tim: The phenomenon of O Brother is indicative of the hidden potential for the music in the marketplace. We may not be able to pull that hat trick again anytime soon, but the IBMA makes it's business to see that thebenefits of this phenomenon are fully realized throughout the community. You can see in the popularity of that soundtrack and of Nickel Creek, that given the right channel, the music can really travel and connect with large numbers of people. Steve Earle and Phish have also shown that thinking "out of the box" can tap the hip factor in bluegrass' favor. The Phish/jam band model in particular has worked for bluegrass related groups like Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, and now even the relatively traditional (by jam band standards anyway) Yonder Mountain Stringband. These acts start on a grass roots level, use mailing lists and web sites to build a following, beat the road like bluegrass bands have always done, but make more headway. It shows there's more ways for a band to grow than getting on an established label and playing major festivals. I think the new bands can learn for that model and the IBMA can help that along. Del McCoury's experience in recent years has shown that this style of activity doesn't require plugging in or shaking your long hair around. Again, I think we should not be afraid of this, because it can be good for all of us. The last few years have seen the music business shrink back to what I think is a more realistic level, and this supposed loss can be our gain. It's an opportunity for something else to break through. Country music can have only so many acts at the level of Garth Brooks, no matter how much the corporate record industry tries to imitate it. Country radio admits that it needs to rethink its restrictive format because it's lost part of its market share. There's been the attitude that if you put it in front of people enough times a day, it will sell, but that isn't really working as well right now. And that's not just in country music it's across the board. Then you see O Brother come along and surprise a lot of people. That record transcended the usual divisions of music formats or genres, so we all need to see that this change in the climate can really work in our favor. The powers that be in the music business, as well as the overall music audience, are ready for something fresh, but also something real. Bluegrass can fill that bill. IB: Anything else you would like to pass on to the general membership of IBMA? Tim: Ola Belle Reed once said her motto is: "We all need each other, whether we know it or not." The IBMA has always stood behind the idea that we can all help each other, and has promoted and facilitated all aspects of the music. It's a place for sharing information and for finding ways to make it better for the community. I'm very, very proud that I've been asked, and will do my best to represent that community. IB: Will you be assigning Red Knuckles any special duties--an IBMA committee chair position, perhaps? Tim: Red is retired now, making wood burned signs and soda can art in his shed to stay busy, so he's not available for IBMA stuff, but his influence is still with me. He and the rest of the Trailblazers taught me that you need to be serious about the music, but that poking fun at yourself can be helpful and even therapeutic. Back toTop |
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