Bluegrass, U.S.A.

The purpose of this entry will be to discuss references to bluegrass subculture in Stephen Sweet's 1996 journal article, “Bluegrass Music and its Misguided Representation of Appalachia”, and any relevant ideas I have which spin off from what is brought up by Sweet.

Sweet (1996) begins by defining the term “bluegrass”, among others, he sources Archie Green as saying that Bluegrass is a “term used to describe the people and culture” (p.38) from the Appalachian region of Eastern U.S.A., adding that bluegrass music is often thought of as indigenous of this area. I do however, disagree instantly with his definition of bluegrass style music, principally with his suggestion that banjo playing in bluegrass music primarily utilises the Scruggs style of picking, rather than any other styles such as clawhammer or strumming. Although Sweet (1996) has a source for this in a book by Robert Cantwell, through my experience and research of the bluegrass genre, I have not encountered anything to give me the impression that Scruggs style holds the monopoly. I would argue that the style of banjo playing is unimportant. Although it is quite often, as said by Sweet (1996), to be in a fingerpicking style, I don't think this is as crucial to the bluegrass sound as he suggests, and through my experience, some songs may even be performed without banjo altogether, while still being able to be considered bluegrass music.

The main content of Sweet's (1996) article pertains to the analysis of bluegrass song lyrics for a sociological understanding of Appalachian people. Sweet intimates that during his study of bluegrass lyrics, songs most often direct the audience's attention away from change. It is this sentimentality for the “good ol' days” (Sweet, 1996, p.43) of country life that I believe attracts a lot of people to the subculture, and consequently why they are seen as hillbillys. The song lyrics, ironically, position the audience to be the commonly stereotyped 'backward thinking' fans of bluegrass, who are in fact craving exactly what they are ridiculed for.

Longing for the olden days up in the hills gives an insight into the type of deviation away from capitalist culture bluegrass fans conduct. Bluegrass lyrics are promoting the traditions of “hunting, farming and trading” (Sweet, 1996, p.39) in juxtaposition to the capitalist society which corrupted and stripped away the Appalachian region, leaving depression, poverty and “exploitation by absentee-owned coal companies” (p.40). Bluegrass fans look to the music as an escape back to happier times, but this is not supported by the modern thinking, capitalist ideals promoted as “progress”.

Of course not all of the participants of the bluegrass subculture hail from the Appalachian region of North America, but this article provides an interesting insight into the lives of a large segment of bluegrass subculture. Bluegrass subculture revolves around looking back to better times, the listeners and performers channelling the past as a way to temporarily forget their current situation. Pining for a return to happiness, much like the blues, makes the songs appear depressing, but really, within bluegrass society, I believe it is a way of venting frustration and some sort of passive-aggressive defiance to mainstream society.



Bibliography:

Sweet, Stephen. (1996). Bluegrass music and its misguided representation of Appalachia. Popular Music and Society, 20(3), 37-51.