Biscuit Burners Kick Bluegrass
Jennifer Conlee, co-news editor
Bluegrass music is becoming
very popular in the
United States,
and Biscuit Burners, a new band that plays “fiery mountain music,” is making
it’s way to the top of the Bluegrass charts.
On
Feb. 14, during a national tour to promote their new CD, “A Mountain Apart,”
Biscuit Burners made their way through Levelland to play at South Plains
College’s, Tom T. Hall Recording and Production Studio in the Creative Arts
Building.
SPC’s
Bluegrass Ensemble, Pickin’ on the Plains, opened for Biscuit Burners with
some of their favorite
Bluegrass songs.
“We
came here especially for Dan,” joked Shannon Whitworth of Dan Bletz. Bletz,
who plays acoustic guitar for the group, graduated from SPC in 2001 with an
associate of art’s degree in commercial music, with a concentration in
bluegrass.
“I was
going to college and messing around too much,” Said Bletz, who is originally
from Pennsylvania. “I found SPC on the Internet, and I had always
played bluegrass. South Plains was known for
Bluegrass.”
The
group writes much of it’s own music, and the songs on their albums are
unaltered, to give listener’s a feel for real bluegrass.
“We
play for anybody,” Bletz said.. “We have a wide range of music, and some
come out for the older crowd, while some are good for college bars.”
Biscuit Burners consists of five members, and was originally a female group
that formed to play at a benefit.
“Mary
and I were the originals, then Bill joined,” said Whitworth. “We are the
core, and Dan and John joined later.”
After
graduating from SPC, Bletz traveled to Asheville, North Carolina, which he
calls “bluegrass central.”
“It’s
like Nashville for Bluegrass musicians,” Bletz said. In Asheville, Bletz
met the original players at music jams. They have now been playing together
for three years.
Whitworth, who plays the clawhammer banjo and acoustic guitar, and lends
vocals, Mary Lucey, the acoustic bass player and vocalist, and Bill Cardine,
who plays resphonic guitar and sings, are all from Virginia and the
Carolinas.
The
newest member, John Stickly, is from North Carolina. Stickly plays the
mandolin for the group.
“I was
interested in it [the band] because it was a fresh sound of bluegrass music
and great songwriting,” said Stickly. “We played at festivals together, and
sounded good.
Biscuit Burners helps to educate students as well.
"We do
roots music in the schools program, and a lot of young girls have come up
and told us how inspiring it is for them to see us doing this," said Lucey.
Biscuit Burners has managed to come up with their own mix of bluegrass music
that is unique to them. They are becoming popular even in large cities such
as Chicago.
“One
of our songs is the top bluegrass song on Ipods in Chicago,” said Whitworth.
“It’s funny because we’ve never played there.”
In
January, the band was featured on the BBC World TV Series “Destination
Music.” The band has also been showcased at the International Bluegrass
Association Conference, and has performed on the legendary stage of the
Ryman Auditorium with Vassar Clements. Their debut album, “Fiery Mountain
Music,” was number six in the Top Ten Bluegrass Albums of 2004 by the
Chicago Tribune.
The
Biscuit Burners name began as a joke.
“Mary
once commented that we get so caught up in our music that we wouldn’t hear
anyone at the door, and we would let our biscuits burn,” Bletz said. “It
started as a joke, and kind of stuck.”
Their
new CD, “A Mountain Apart,” and their debut album, “Fiery Mountain Music,”
can be purchased at their website,
www.biscuitburners.com.
