Let it never be forgotten that the first instrument Jerry Garcia performed on was the banjo. The iconic lead in the iconic band, the Grateful Dead, first picked up the instrument in 1950 and played it for more than a dozen years before working up the nerve to audition for bluegrass legend, Bill Monroe.
If one appreciates bluegrass music, one need not hire a bluegrass band to hear it, nor need they follow the social media page of the best local bluegrass band in the city. They need only be in the know of where and when their favorite California bluegrass festival is scheduled.
The corporate event planner sometimes has to go way out on a limb when selecting musical entertainment. What will be “just right” for the occasion? What genre is “in” with the attendees – or, should you surprise them with something unexpected?
Bluegrass music for a wedding or wedding reception might not be for everyone. But neither are Pachelbel’s Canon, Wagner’s Bridal Chorus, or Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (the latter of these sounds a little sexist anyway). Neither is pop, funk, or disco.
For many, the bluegrass style of music might have established itself in their ears as the banjo and fiddle most prominent from those all-time greats, Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt. But pull up some of the wonderful videos of their band, The Foggy Mountain Boys 7, on YouTube and you’ll see the other instruments that complete the sound: a standup bass, acoustic guitar, sometimes a mandolin and the dobro.
Music is a language. And as language evolves, so too does music.
Some would say the sensory and atonality of of Debussy (said to be influenced by a literary style in France in the late 19th century known as Symbolism) somehow was the progenitor to American-born jazz. And jazz, known for its improvisational jams, could well be what evolved traditional bluegrass music to jamgrass sometime in the latter half of the 20th century.
October 25, 2019, Los Angeles, CA – RootsGrass Promotions and Molly Malone’s Irish Pub has announced an All Souls’ Day roots music celebration on November 2, 2019. Dubbed a “Sinners & Saints Soiree”, the lineup includes the notable reunion of the storied all-woman Americana band Sugar In the Gourd, as well as the California bluegrass stalwarts The Rattlesnakes, and the hippie jamgrass outlaws The Storytellers.
What does it take to rise in less than two years from a band that was busking the streets of Pasadena and Santa Barbara to being a favorite on the circuit of bars, taverns, and festivals all around Southern California?
We chose the name because we’re a folky, bluegrassy band – a modern, progressive bluegrass band – but a bluegrassy band band nonetheless. These songs typically tell stories. Stories about train engineers and heroes and villains and life out on the road. Part of the art of it is telling these stories with credibility and authenticity. The music isn’t enough. So a band takes a lot on when they decide to be a bluegrass band and then decide to call the band “The Storytellers”. You’d better know what you’re doing!
March 11, 2019 – Los Angeles, CA – The Storytellers, the preeminent Los Angeles folk band, will perform a concert to benefit The Coffee Gallery Backstage on March 17 in Altadena, CA. The Storytellers are the fastest rising folk group on the Los Angeles music scene. The Coffee Gallery Backstage is a renowned listening room owned by legendary folk music promoter Bob Stane.
February 22, 2019 – Los Angeles, CA – The Storytellers, the fast-rising Los Angeles folk band has announced a fourth Friday monthly residency at Bon Vivant Market & Cafe. The esteemed Atwater Village cafe, owned by renowned restauranteur Tricia La Belle, has been recognized for their eclectic French and California-inspired cuisine and ambiance.
Welcome to our new website. We have decided to upgrade our website to better reflect where we are as a musical ensemble and the quality of our live music performances.
The website was designed and developed by our creative and talented friends at BrightBulb Solutions, the same team that developed our first website and that designs our concert posters.
