Click HERE to visit our website!
Throughout the 60 plus year history of bluegrass music, many young people started breaking musical molds at a young age…Sam Bush, Chris Thile, Casey Driessen and Michael Cleveland, just to name a few. There have been several bluegrass Bobby Fishers over the years, and it appears Rockin’ Acoustic Circus is one of these prodigy-like groups making a name for themselves. This six-piece outfit of five teens and one musical veteran are quickly morphing from a well-received regional act into a hopeful national sensation with their incredible motivation and astounding talent. They’ve already blown away folks at award winning festivals like Walnut Valley in Winfield, KS, opened for artists like Sam Bush and it seems what’s next is one small step for bluegrass, but one giant leap for RAC.
“This band is open to all styles of music,” says veteran musician, Rick Morton, guitarist and ringmaster with Rockin’ Acoustic Circus. “They’re hard working -- eager to learn, create, play and perform. What we do has a whole different feel to it -- a different sound.”
Morton’s had quite the musical career as he was part of Ronnie Dunn’s award-winning band, prior to Dunn joining with Kix Brooks to form one of the most successful country-music duos of all time. Morton also played fiddle for the Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum/multi-million selling recording act, The Tractors.
The rest of the band may not have had the years of experience as Morton, but all have spent a good portion of their young lives playing music. Defining the groove with his “Dawg-inspired” mandolin chops, Sterling Abernathy, is an accomplished player and Iron Chef of the eight-string. He makes older mandolin players so jealous their F-styles turn green. Voted “best hair in the band,” fine young banjo player, Carson Clemishire has only been playing the five-string for a few years and already has licks to spare and banjo rolls to be reckoned with. Eric Dysart’s impressive list of fiddling achievements includes being a finalist in the Nashville-based Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. His fiddle playing is virtuosic with his left hand as smooth and unyielding as his bow hand. Emma Hardin, “bluegrass cellist” for RAC is not only an accomplished young classical cellist, but is breaking ground by innovatively chartering a journey into new musical territory. Watching Emma’s brother, Zac Hardin (also classically trained) play bass, is like watching a man wrestle a bear, but kidding aside, that bear is not going to win. Young Zac can really plunk the stain off that bull-fiddle and rounds out the group as if the bases were loaded and Hank Aaron was up to bat.
Now, these powerhouse teens – along with their musical mentor who’s been teaching them not only about the music, but the music business as well – have merged into one impressive band. One that can take a bluegrass standard, an incredible jazz instrumental, an old rock-n-roll tune, and even a Beatles song and put their unique acoustic stamp on each one. Additionally, this band has recorded some outstanding original music and are writing more to add to their already impressive repertoire.
As the Rockin’ Acoustic Circus waters of musicianship look for a larger place to settle, their remarkable abilities move them toward a real shot at national recognition. They are poised to take their fresh blend of acoustically fused bluegrass, jazz, blues, swing, (and even some old rock-n-roll) to musical audiences everywhere. “I’m really focused, and they’re really focused, on their arrangements and how they’re playing them,” observes Morton. “Right now it’s about the music, about taking our opportunities to go play, play well, and have fun.”
Commentary Thoughts Written By:
John Wooley, author of “From the Blue Devils to Red Dirt: The Colors of Oklahoma Music” and
Bob Xang, contributing writer for “The Current” magazine.
!!! Start Code To Apply Top Banner !!!!
|
|
