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Admittedly, bluegrass music has never really been my cup of tea. But after some prompting from Palms manager Dave Fleming, I'm glad I took a sip at Saturday's performance of The Waybacks.
It's worth the price of a ticket just to see guitarist James Nash's fingers flutter over the guitar and mandolin. The guy's awesome, and Palms favorite Corby Yates could learn a thing or two from Nash about what happens when you turn down the volume enough for your audience to actually hear the notes rather than listen to the sound of your eardrums exploding.
Not a problem with The Waybacks. The sound mixing was just right and you could hear every lovely note. I would've been happy just listening to Nash solo on the mandolin, but the entire band was wonderful. Fiddle and bass were also well-represented, and I was told by a local bluegrass fan that the addition of a drummer is unusual for a bluegrass band, but it works just fine for The Waybacks.
On their website, www.thewaybacks.com, they describe their sound as "newgrass." If you visit, you can hear samples of their music. It's bluegrass with a little jazz, a little celtic lilt, a little country thrown in. Some of their numbers almost sound like revved-up music boxes. Fleming described their style by saying, "They go shopping in a lot of different aisles."
It's true, it's a little difficult to exactly pin down The Waybacks' sound, but it made me think of a treeful of parakeets: bright, lively, energetic and a whole lot of fun. You can't be anything but happy when you're around it. Take a sip of The Waybacks next time they're in town. You'll like the flavor.
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