I hope some of you had an opportunity to listen in to Traditions this past Sunday. My special guests were singer-songwriter Rich Deans (a powerful songwriter – author of “Don’t Dig My Grave Too Deep” which was covered beautifully by Pat Wictor), and an exciting band based out of NYC called The Second Fiddles (pictured to the left with me in the WFDU studio).

The Second Fiddles grew out of a roots music scene that is gaining momentum in the city, and especially in the Borough of Brooklyn!

A number of the musicians had previous experience in alternative rock and blues music, but their interest in music led to a rediscovery of roots music. Even Tommy Ramone, the original producer and drummer for the punk rock group The Ramones, has an alt-indie bluegrass band called Uncle Monk. I’ve played a few cuts from their debut CD on Traditions and it has an exciting fresh sound, yet does not drift that far from the source.

Performing at venues such as Barbes and Pete’s Candy Store, the Second Fiddles are building a following that is enjoying their lively brand of old timey jazz and country blues tunes. Groups like the Wiyos, Hazmat Modine, Delta Dreambox, the Ebony Hillbillies and Bill Carney’s Jug Addicts are just a few of the local groups that are introducing this music to new audiences. These groups are exploring roots music in all its forms – jazz, country, blues, ragtime, Klezmer, gypsy and more!

Don’t think that they are trying to make carbon copy renditions of the originals. They are not re-imainging the songs either. The groups are making the songs their own – honoring the original styles and breathing new life into the classics. Their music should appease the traditionalists and still open up doors to new ears who have yet to discover the treasures of our past.

I’ve often felt that American audiences AND musicians could not grasp the world of traditional music. The purists treated the songs and styles as museum pieces – look but don’t dare touch! The “folk” scene seemed to gravitate to new singer-songwriters and ignore the beautiful music that is our national heritage.

Now, the dust has been removed and artists like the Second Fiddles are taking the music down of the shelf and embracing it! The sounds are wonderful, and I hope that you will take some time to sample it. Visit the clubs, listen to WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS and discover the “new” folk revival that is taking shape. (Picture to the right – The Second Fiddles perform in WFDU-FM’s studios. L-R: Peter “Trip” Henderson, Guillaume Goussault, special guest Peter Ford , and Jon Vesey )