The Old School Bluegrass Band — Press Materials
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Old School Bluegrass Band Since 1990, The Old School Bluegrass Band has been providing a healthy dose of Bluegrass, Gospel and Old-Time music to a growing number of fans around Arkansas. The band averages 30 to 40 playing engagements per year, which is a busy schedule for four guys who do not play music as a full-time profession. The time-worn musical proverb, "Keep your day job" definitely applies to bluegrass musicians in Arkansas -- even very accomplished musicians, such as those who play in the OSBB. The majority of the music played by The Old School Bluegrass Band is so-called "traditional" bluegrass, much of it coming from the masters of the early to mid 20th century: Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers to name a few, as well as older, anonymous sources. The term "old school" applies to people who are, as Webster says, "adherents of traditional policies and practices." The four men who play in the OSBB adhere to the policy of playing great bluegrass music, and they practice hard to do it. Whether they are playing for small gatherings at the local church or retirement village, or for thousands of people gathered around an elaborate stage, the band's dedication to the "traditional" values of excellence and authenticity always remains constant. Bill Anderson of North Little Rock, the banjoist for the OSBB, plays mainly in the three- finger Bluegrass style pioneered by Earl Scruggs whose devoted disciple he has been for decades. On occasion, though, he will demonstrate his expertise in the older style of banjo playing known as "frailing" or "clawhammer." He collects antique banjos, some of which are featured on the band's latest CD, "It's The Old School Bluegrass Band By George!" He sings baritone and tenor in the band's three-part harmonies. Anderson makes his home in North Little Rock, where he works as an architect. Mandolinist Bill Nesbitt lives in Little Rock where he works as a graphic designer and music instructor. He is a dedicated fan of the late Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, though his playing has evolved over the years into a style that is uniquely his own, stemming from the influences of Monroe, David Grisman and others. He sings lead and harmony vocals for the band, and arranges many of the songs. Danny Trawick plays guitar the old-fashioned way: loud, clean and bluesy. When he takes a break, the audience usually breaks into delighted applause. Trawick serves as the promoter for the band and handles most of the business-related issues. He works for Dassault Falcon Jet in Little Rock and lives in nearby Gravel Ridge. Multi-instrumentalist Glenn Waldo has been in several bands over the past thirty years, and has played a different instrument in just about all of them. In 1994, the OSBB needed an upright bass player, and Waldo happened to be available at the time. His rock-steady bass playing provides the necessary foundation for the acoustic style of bluegrass music the OSBB plays. He sings tenor and lead vocals and is the sound engineer for the band. He resides in Conway where he works as a freelance telecommunications engineer. 2006 marks the start of the sixteenth year of The Old School Bluegrass Band. The band had a humble beginning in 1990 when their first "gig" — a church picnic at Bayou Meto, Ark. — was rained out. More recently, however, bandmembers Danny Trawick, Bill Anderson, Glenn Waldo and Bill Nesbitt have been increasingly busy bringing their unique blend of bluegrass and old-time music to enthusiastic audiences all over Arkansas and beyond. Their acoustic mix of guitar, banjo, upright bass and mandolin — plus their tight three-part vocal arrangements — continues to evolve and grow, even after so many years together. They attibute their success to hard work and dedication both to their craft and to their audience. According to mandolinist Nesbitt, "We like to mix in some tunes we know the audience is familiar with. A lot of bands don't do that anymore. Then when we add in the old-timey stuff, it really makes it fun for everybody." Fun is the name of the musical game for this band. Says bassist Waldo, "When it quits bein' fun, we'll quit doin' it." They have five CDs available as of this writing: two "traditional" bluegrass projects, a Gospel album, a live set called "In Concert" taken from various venues, and a new project called "It's The Old School Bluegrass Band By George!" The new CD is a tribute to their late mentor, political cartoonist and folk musician George Fisher. It contains live segments of Fisher when he appeared with the OSBB on stage a few years ago, sharing his knowledge about folk music, singing songs and cracking jokes with the audience. It also features the band's versions of some of the ancient folksongs George talked about, plus other bluegrass songs that stay true to the band's "old school" traditions. The Old School
Bluegrass Band celebrated the beginning of their sixteenth year
as a band by playing the first 2006 show at the Acoustic
Sounds Cafe in Little Rock (www.acousticsoundscafe.org) on Jan.
13. They drew the largest crowd in the ASC's 12-year history (breaking
their own record) packing in more than 400 music lovers. This was
the eleventh appearance of the OSBB at the Cafe, with a twelfth
scheduled for January 12, 2007. |
