Bluegrass Journey DVD
Bluegrass Journey: A Documentary

Producted and Directed by Ruth Oxburg and Rob Schumer
Bluegrass Productions 2003

BY MATT MERTA

This is not the first documentary on bluegrass music (High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music and Gather at the River are more recent outings), nor is this an attempt to show an unadulterated audience a defination of bluegrass music. Instead, it takes the success of O Brother, Where Art Thou? phenomenon and shows the viewer what else the genre, its musicians and its followers offer to a newcomer.

From the opening sequence, we see how determined and tenacious a bluegrass fan can be. Dobro maestro Jerry Douglas and Nickel Creek's Chris Thile are performing together at a recent Grey Fox festival, in the pouring rain, yet the wet onlookers number many, all the while accepting the weather conditions and enjoying themselves immendsely. One of the two main focuses in the documentary is on the said Grey Fox festival, showing in various scenes the opening of the gates, spectators setting up both the camps and their personal seating, artists that perform throughout the week, interaction of artists and audience, and the eternal jamming. Gems amoung these scenes include the evening performance of the Del McCoury Band and Del's interaction with the audience for song suggestions. This shows to the viewer not familiar with the genre or a bluegrass festival how close-knit the artists really are with the audience.

There is the often-repeated talk of how bluegrass got started with Bill Monroe and his band, but this is kept to a minimum. Instead, the viewer is given glimpses of where it has gone and its many branches. From that historical reference we are thrown into a rousing performance by traditionalists Bob Paisley and The Southern Grass.

The second main focus of the documentary, the International Bluegrass Music Association "World of Bluegrass" annual convention and awards ceremony, help to show that bluegrass aficionados have a high regard for the music and a great respect for themselves and others directly involved by givin distinguished awards to those that the more popular Grammy Awards tend to overlook.

Throughout the film, we see the variances of the bluegrass theme. Tim O'Brien shows us his Celtic influences, Nickle Creek performs its progressive stylings and the Krueger Brothers import their European ties. There are alot performances and scenes from one of O'Brien's tours and a number of performances at both the festival and the IBMA convention from artists of all levels.

The non-performance coverage has its ups and downs. The scenes regarding the oncoming rainstorm at the festival helps to show that these outings are not perfect, and the true fans take it all in stride. There is some coverage of the popular workshop, but this could have neemn extended out more (especially the large workshop/jam that Pete Wernick presents to the audience on the main stage). Likewise, the coverage of the pagan-themes wedding has way too much coverage, and leaves the viewer feeling that perhaps this was main event at the festival rather than the music. This material should have been dealt with as a 10-second sidenote.

Must-see performances include Jerry Douglas and guitar wizard Tony Rice joining Peter Rowan on the classic "Hobo Song" DMB's "Rain & Snow" and "Baltimore Jenny" (let these be a lesson on how a good bluegrass band should work with one or two microphones), and Don Rigsby & Friends late-night jam of "These Old Blues". A beautiful Tony Rice solo performance of the "Shanandoah/Danny Boy" medley helps to bring the documentary to a solid, positive close.

Bluegrass Journey has made its rounds showcasing at both bluegrass festivals and independent film festivals. it is currently being shown on numberous PBS affiliates. While there are some weaknesses to the overall production, the numerous stellar performances make this documentary a worthwhile purchase for the personal video library.