Stalwarts of bluegrass to treat town

Otago Daily Times

21-05-2025

A band hailing from the Blue Ridge Mountains, where bluegrass is firmly rooted, is coming to give Gore an authentic taste of Americana.
In his slow, southern drawl, Randy Gambill said three out of the four members of his band Sassafras come from the Blue Ridge Mountain area of North Carolina.
The band have been to New Zealand two times before, but not to Gore and he was always in awe of the friendships and connections he made with people through music.
He spoke of playing at the Niagara Falls Bluegrass & Roots Festival on one of his visits, saying that he felt he could relate to the "really neat" locals.
"These are our people, you know, they're country people, and that's what we are, you know," he said.
"So we fell right in there with them."
On top of bluegrass, he said the band play a mix of old country classics, like Johnny Cash, a few originals and some Western swing mixed in too, just to keep it interesting.
"We go to have fun and make sure we emanate that from the stage and let everybody else have a good experience."
He said where he grew up, near the mountains, was a "hotbed" for country music, where the influential Carter Family originated in the 1920s.
Earl Scruggs, who originated the three-fingered way of playing a banjo which bluegrass music is based on, also grew up in North Carolina.
"I was steeped in it from the start, I didn't have much of a choice, that's what was around," he said.
Gambill said in their live show, between songs, the four-piece try to give a bit of background to bluegrass, how it formed and its context.
"We like to give a little background on the history of the music, so they feel more connected to it," he said.
He found New Zealanders were an "attentive", music loving audience, that was very keen on live music, compared to the watching-TV-at-the-same-time types that they sometimes experienced in the United States.
Mr Gambill plays guitar while Ken Dowell is on banjo, Billy Gee on bass, Wes Tuttle switches from mandolin to fiddle and the group all contribute vocals.
They try to give bluegrass a little twist and the odd one out, Gee, who comes from Maryland, only got hooked on playing country and bluegrass when he attended Appalachian State University in North Carolina, Gambill said.
Originally a rock and roll player, Mr Gee brings a different angle to Sassafras's music, Gambill said.
"I guess you could say Americana is really what we do," he said.
When the guitar player spoke to The Ensign , the group were in Kaikoura and about to visit a seal colony.
Gambill said when he was playing a solo gig in New Zealand around 18 months ago, a local came up and started jamming with him.
This jammer became a friend, who coincidentally owned a whale watching business in Kaikoura, which the group were going to enjoy during their stay.
"So, again, if it hadn't been for music, you know, I would have never met my buddy," he said.
"There's music again, connecting.
"Isn't it awesome?"
• The band will be playing at the Bayleys Tussock Country music festival this Saturday at The Little Theatre.
Doors open at 7pm.
Tickets are $25 on iTicket.
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