Jim's "Music Minute"

I am by no means an expert on the genre of bluegrass, but in the last few years I have become more interested in traditional American music, bluegrass being in that category. Even though I may have only a remedial knowledge of the style, I can certainly tell when I'm in the presence of great musicians, and that was the case Thursday night at the Palace Theater in Greensburg.

There is a reason that Ricky Skaggs is a 13-time Grammy award winner - he's awesome. On this trip to Greensburg, he was backed by his 6-piece band, Kentucky Thunder. All of these guys are world-class musicians who were tight and in the pocket from the opening number to the obligatory encore. In a strange way, I felt like I was at the symphony. For those of you not familiar with bluegrass, it requires a tremendous amount of technical ability. Most of these guys could put any heavy metal shredder to shame. I was especially impressed with the lead acoustic guitar player, but each member of the band was equally skilled.

Skaggs played a nice mix of tunes from his more recent albums - traditional bluegrass favorites, some of his older songs re-arranged for bluegrass and just some of his favorites. He even put down his mandolin and played guitar on a few songs. Like jazz players, bluegrass musicians are all about keeping their music pure and true to the style, and Skaggs in no exception. His show was every much a bluegrass history lesson as it was a performance.

I should also say a few words about the venue. The Palace Theater is a wonderful place to see a show. It's a beautifully restored old theater in downtown Greensburg. It's not very big, so no seat is a bad seat. I highly recommend visiting their web site to check out their schedule. Find a show that you'll like and visit this gem.

After a very busy week, this concert was a welcomed oasis. Seeing live music is good for the soul - I should do it more often.

Here's a clip of Carrie's favorite song that they play.