FROM LEFT : Marshall Roberts plays mandolin with Blue Holler during the Great Southern Music Festival in 2019 . Brandon Taylor of Valdosta plays guitar in Blue Holler . Seabie Ewer plays bass with Blue Holler during the Great Southern Music Festival in 2019 .
“ No one tries to stand out or showboat , even though each player could showboat anytime ,” said Ewer . “ We ’ re likeminded , good friends who respect each other ’ s talents and abilities , and we try to play together .”
They are also bound by a sense of pride in their craft . “ We don ’ t come across as being competitive , but we are ,” said Ewer with a laugh . “ We have a humble attitude , but we strive to be the best band at any venue we play without acting like it .”
That competitive nature served them well when they placed sixth at the prestigious 37th Annual International Band Competition hosted by the Society for Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America in Nashville , Tenn ., in 2020 .
Ewer said each band member spends time each week studying music in order to pattern their material after musicians they respect , listing names like Earl Scruggs , Sammy Shelor , Adam Steffey , Kenny Smith , Tony Rice , and Mark Schatz .
They all share in the creative process , Ewer said , and it typically starts with the guitar and vocals . “ Somebody will bring that song to the group and basically audition it ,” he said . “ Everybody will start thinking about what they can do to add value to that song .”
The band arranges where they believe the lead breaks will go for each instrument before going home to work on the arrangement separately . “ Everyone spends time wood-shedding their part and perfecting the lead breaks they want to play , and we start adding from there ,” said Ewer . All rehearsals are recorded at Ewer ’ s home studio , and the band members use the recordings almost like an athlete would use game film to determine areas of strength and weakness in each arrangement .
The result of this “ creation by committee ” is a merging of different styles . “ Different writers bring different types of songs ,” Ewer said . “ Everybody has a different writing style .”
While the band focuses on traditional bluegrass , their sound is difficult to label . Their latest album runs the the gamut from
traditional sounds like “ Backside of the Mountain ” with its Flatt-and-Scruggs banjo rolls to the more frenetic “ Last Resort ,” which shares more in common with contemporary bluegrass bands . There is a Southern-Gospel-meets-bluegrass rendition of “ Have a Little Talk with Jesus ,” a lyrically dark song called “ Blue Holler Ran Red ” — and “ Rest ,” which vocally has a Contemporary Christian music feel not found in traditional bluegrass .
Ewer said this mixing of styles is intentional .
“ We try to have a variety of different styles of music , try to mix up things to have something everyone would like ,” he said . As a result , their performances showcase a combination of original songs , traditional bluegrass hits by legends like Jimmy Martin and Bill Monroe , gospel songs , and bluegrass covers of artists like Etta James and Otis Redding . “ Younger people seem to like a more modern style , almost Americana ,” said Ewer . “ It ’ s fun for us to take these other songs and try to put them in a bluegrass format .”
26 MoultrieScene MAY 2023