Help My Sister's Dream Come True

August 1, 2006 10:08 AM

My sister told me recently—with some sadness—that she's wanted for a long time to play the upright bass in a bluegrass band.

She lives in Toronto, though, and outside of her lab, she doesn't really know anyone. She learned how to play the violin in elementary school, and played it through high school, but she's probably rusty. Still, she has a solid foundation for knowing approximately where the notes are on a four-string instrument.

I suggested that maybe she should find some bluegrass in Toronto, and talk to someone about:

1. getting some lessons,

and

2. finding people to play with.

She said she'd checked craigslist, and didn't find anything. She also didn't know of anywhere in Toronto where she could even find bluegrass.

So my question is this: do any Toronto mefites know anyone with a bluegrass band that I could put in touch with my sister? Or, do any Toronto mefites know of any bluegrass "hotspots" where she could get started?

posted by interrobang to Education (17 answers total)

Try ccontacting the mandolinist from the East European Klezmer progressive band Beyond the Pale. I know it isn't Bluegrass, but Eric is a great BG mandolinist and should know a lot about the folk scene in Toronto.
posted by zaelic at 10:14 AM on August 1, 2006

Go see these guys on Saturday afternoon at the Brunswick House. It's an awesome time, and they're really approachable. Good luck.
posted by Ohdemah at 10:18 AM on August 1, 2006

Here's the very minimal website for the Brunswick House.
posted by Ohdemah at 10:26 AM on August 1, 2006

Be aware that when you play an upright bass, you need to make some lifestyle commitments. For example: transportation. To get from point A to point B, you need to be prepared to have or have access to a vehicle capable of housing it. If you choose to travel with it on a bus, be prepared to purchase an additional seat for the bass.

If my daughter decides to play an instrument, I would not be highly supportive of upright bass or drums, just for the transportation.
posted by plinth at 10:27 AM on August 1, 2006

While I can't aswer the specific questions you asked, I play upright bass and would be willing to answer any other questions you or your sister might have... Email is in the profile.
posted by drezdn at 10:30 AM on August 1, 2006

Oh oh oh, I know (some) of the answers to this! (well, my partner in crime boyfriend volunteered the following information):

We live in Guelph, and just spent the past weekend volunteering at Hillside, where there was an abundance of bluegrass musicians present. If she missed that, maybe she should check out the Shelter Valley Folk Festival where there will be a lot of the same musicians.

In Toronto your sister should go to the Silver Dollar Room, located on Spadina, south of Bloor. Check out the calander for Wednesday nights that feature Crazy Strings. This ensemble plays bluegrass, and features musicians like Jenny and Dan Whiteley (circa Heartbreak Hill fame) who both appeared at Hillside.
posted by carabiner at 10:32 AM on August 1, 2006

My brother plays upright in a bluegrass band and drives a Toyota Acura sedan. The bass fits in the front passenger seat fine. Just lay the seat back. No problem. He hauls it all the time this way.
posted by wsg at 10:46 AM on August 1, 2006

She's in Toronto! One of the cultural meccas of Canada! This is not a sad situation. Sadness would be if she was in Flin Flon, Manitoba. I think all will work out great for her.
posted by rolypolyman at 10:54 AM on August 1, 2006

I don't think she should worry (at first) about getting bluegrass-specific lessons. Once she gets a little facility on the instrument, she should start looking for people to play with. Obviously, if she gets a choice between a bluegrass band and an acoustic noise rock ensemble (for example) she'd pick the bluegrass, but all experience is good. The main issues of the role of the bass, following chord changes and locking in with the other rhythm instruments are going to apply no matter the genre.

Once she gets good, she should have no trouble finding lots of bands that want her.
posted by timeistight at 11:19 AM on August 1, 2006

The Tranzac club is a pretty good place to find bluegrass, as well. Her best bet, though, might be to sub to the Bluegrass-L mailing list and ask there. (I think the one on UKY is *the* Bluegrass-L, while the one on UGA is just another list, but I'm not sure.)
posted by jacquilynne at 11:26 AM on August 1, 2006

my parents didn't want me to be a drummer primarily because of transportation. i stuck it to them later by playing tuba/sousaphone.

transporting large instruments like upright basses sucks. my cousins are both somewhat accomplished bassists, and both drive station wagons. the one who lives in the woods in washington has no problems, but the one in san francisco does have problems parking sometimes.
posted by kendrak at 11:39 AM on August 1, 2006

I second the bluegrass nights on Wednesday at the Silver Dollar, and the Foggy Bottom Boys. There's tons of bluegrass in TO.
posted by Succa at 11:49 AM on August 1, 2006

Er, foggy Hogtown boys, not S(F)oggy Bottom Boys.
posted by Succa at 11:50 AM on August 1, 2006

Has your sister considered looking into Bluegrass camps? There are several in the US during the summer, if she doesn't mind coming down here for a week or two. One camp that is fairly large and has a lot of foreign students is Camp Bluegrass in Lubbock, Texas (though my father is one of the instructors there, so perhaps take my recommendation with a grain of salt).
posted by internet!Hannah at 2:08 PM on August 1, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers, everyone. I've forwarded her this thread, and I think it's really gonna help.

Thanks!
posted by interrobang at 4:54 PM on August 1, 2006

hey, not all uprights require big transportation. this "suitcase bass" is considerably more transportable than most uprights. plus it looks cool.
posted by jdfan at 6:19 PM on August 2, 2006

I carry my upright in a four door sable... Transportation isn't a huge problem.(3/4 scale)
posted by drezdn at 8:14 PM on August 2, 2006