Front Porch Bluegrass

KPBX 91.1 fm, Sunday, 1pm-2pm

Front Porch Bluegrass host Kevin Brown takes listeners on a Bluegrass journey on “Front Porch Bluegrass.” The show focuses on the wide spectrum of bluegrass music from the early days of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers, to the recent sounds of Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss and Tony Rice.

The popularity of bluegrass music has been growing tremendously over the last few years. Artists such as Ricky Skaggs and Dolly Parton who have grown disillusioned with the commercialism of modern country music coming out of Nashville have returned to their roots in bluegrass to both critical and commerical acclaim.

A new crop of young artists such as Alison Krauss and Nickel Creek have been hugely successful in melding "pop" styles and sensibilities into bluegrass, bringing this style of music to a new generation of listeners. And the smash success of the soundtrack to the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?" really brought bluegrass into the cultural mainstream.

About the Host

Kevin Brown, a local software engineer and bluegrass enthusiast, was Program Director at Whitworth College's KWRS in the early ‘80s. He is involved with the Inland Northwest Bluegrass Association, having served in the past as one of
their vice presidents. Kevin also plays mandolin and guitar for
Big Red Barn.

"You'll hear the "classic" bluegrass sound of tight harmonies, driving rhythms, and traditional bluegrass instrumentation (banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bass and dobro). But you'll also hear the more progressive offshoots--styles often referred to as "newgrass", "jazzgrass", "new acoustic" and "Dawg music" (after the nickname of David Grisman who largely invented the style). These offshoots of bluegrass incorporate the instrumentation, musical elements and even many of the same songs from traditional bluegrass, but they also draw from rock, jazz and world influences."

E-mail with questions, comments or banjo jokes.