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All-female group shakes up the bluegrass scene
that Back in May 2021, a group of four Colorado musicians who had known each other for years and had played with each other on and off in different configurations met up for a concert that was supposed to be a one-time quartet appearance. did. festival.
The show was so successful that it featured platinum recording artist Bonnie Sims on mandolin, multi-genre musician Dr. Joy Adams on cello, Hazel Royer on bass and guitar, and Eve Panning on fiddle. The four members decided to continue this composition and formed the group. Big Richard.
“The festival looked at their line-up and noticed the lack of female representation, so they contacted Eve and called the three of us to ask if we wanted to do something together. “Sims said. “It was so much fun and so emotional. I just knew I had to keep going and we just moved on from there.”
This four-piece band expertly incorporates traditional bluegrass, classical, modern bluegrass, country, and pop. The group also refreshingly reinvents beloved traditional songs, often using traditional fiddle tunes as instrumental reverie during their storyteller original songs.
On January 27th, world-class musicians will head to Jammin’ Java for a night of fun and great music. This is the first time the band will perform in Virginia.
Audiences can expect playfully irreverent stage banter, exceptional four-part harmonies, imaginative arrangements, and a healthy dose of female angst at every Big Richard performance.
“This is definitely a high-energy show, with lots of original songs we’ve written, as well as a good mix of old bangers and fun covers that we’ve transformed into our own versions,” Sims said. said. “There will be a lot of songs that people know.”
For example, Big Richard recently crafted a fun cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World.” One of their favorite performances is Linda’s arrangement of the Ronstadt classic “When Will I Be Loved.” One of the songs performed live for the first time is Pink Floyd’s “Time,” a huge favorite of Sims’s.
“These are songs you wouldn’t expect a string band to tackle: pop, rock and old country classics,” Royer said. “We let our personal musical taste dictate the introduction of the song, and the band finds a way to shape it and make it their own.”
All four musicians are songwriters and bring something different to the group. That originality is also demonstrated on stage.
“We all take turns leading the band and we trade who fronts the songs, so we have a really good variety of songs,” Royer said. “We’ve done some co-writing, but we usually start with a seed of an idea from someone and build from there. Or we just bring in what we’ve written and the rest of the band… Sometimes I add harmony to build it up.”
Big Richard plans to release his first studio album within a year, and plans to include all original songs. The band released the successful “Live from Telluride” album, which was a combination of new songs and covers.
“We hope to record it in the spring,” Panning said.
The Jammin’ Java port stop is part of the East Coast tour, and Big Richard will also take part in the 2024 Jam Cruise in February, where they will be one of about 50 bands to sail from Miami for five days.
“We’re very excited to be able to do that,” Panning said. “We’re looking forward to using that gig to set up a tour in that area and playing in that part of the country.”
All members of Big Richard enjoy playing live and are grateful to everyone who comes out to support them. That’s why they connect with their fans on social media. If you contact him online, he will almost always respond to one out of four people. And they encourage people to give it a try.
“Everyone in this band is so powerful.” He’s a musician,” Sims said. “What you have in your head of what a sweet little girl band should be is not something you’ll find. Let’s instill a new way of thinking.”
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