Where can you go to hear a band that plays (in no particular order) Fiddle, Banjo, Resonator Guitar, Dulcimer, Whiskey Jug and Kazoo? Only one band I can think of- the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Just got back from the show, and what a show it was.
I was hanging out with the band after they got done with soundcheck, and I got in a conversation with Dom Flemons, one of the three Chocolate Drops. The conversation started with a discussion of roots and jazz music, as I was on assignment from Downbeat, the bible of jazz. This evolved into a discussion of roots music in popular culture. It was fascinating talking to a young (I am guessing under thirty) person discussing 100 year old music being played (by them) in a form that could become popular to a young audience in 2010. We were so engrossed in the conversation that we didn’t even notice that the doors had opened and he was sitting there in the middle of the audience that had paid to see him that night.
When the band hit the stage a few minutes later, they put on an amazing show. Each person in the band played at least 4 different instruments, and switched after almost every song. The combination of modern songs and century old songs was phenomenal.
So, it seems that there is still a lot of great music being played out there- you just have to weed through the crap to find it.