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The four band members in GREEN MOUNTAIN GRASS are Dave Wilmoth (29, mandolin), Adam "Pickles" Moss (25, fiddle), Trevor Smith (19, banjo/guitar), and Jesse Dalton (26, upright bass). Together, they are exploring the sounds of traditional bluegrass, gypsy swing, folk, funk, reggae, and jazz to discover their own genre-bending sound. While some listeners haven taken to calling this sound “gonzograss,†the end result is described by the band as “melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic mastery with elements of sarcasm, quotes, humor, and exaggeration.†That description is all well and good, but it belies the fact that Green Mountain Grass is taking diverse traditional musical forms founded on instrumental mastery and improvisation and combining them to create something that is altogether new. Yet somehow, the band manages to preserve the elements of those traditions without dishonoring them. Bassist Jesse Dalton forgoes the ethnomusicology and simply describes the band’s approach as “a self-induced psychedelic frenzy of quick-witted talent as seen from the other side of the musical looking-glass.â€
However they might describe it, the band’s approach does a lot for the band’s sound, as well as explains their appeal. While they variously dare to be a bluegrass band without a guitar (sometimes) or a funk band without a drummer (usually), the combination of intimate acoustic instrumentation and adventurous free-spirited improvisation allows the band to be equally compelling no matter where they are. Whether they are in front of an attentive listening-room audience, on a tall stage playing to a throng of sun-baked festival-goers, or in a local venue orchestrating a gonzograss dance party for their fans, something exciting and inspiring is always being created.
Green Mountain Grass has officially released their brand new studio album called 'As the Crow Flies' on April 12, 2008 with a CD Release Party at The Parish in Austin, TX. Go to www.greenmountaingrass.net for a link to purchase all of the band's albums.
