{"id":7182,"date":"2015-02-27T05:30:12","date_gmt":"2015-02-27T10:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=7182"},"modified":"2015-02-27T05:30:12","modified_gmt":"2015-02-27T10:30:12","slug":"bluegrass-character-actor-bryan-sutton-takes-a-starring-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2015\/02\/27\/bluegrass-character-actor-bryan-sutton-takes-a-starring-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Bluegrass \u201cCharacter Actor\u201d Bryan Sutton Takes a Starring Role"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Asheville music scene has its share of local-boy-makes-good stories. And with his 1997 debut onto the national scene, guitarist and Asheville native Bryan Sutton<\/strong> quickly made a major impression in bluegrass and the wider music community. Named IBMA’s Guitar Player of the Year eight out of the last fifteen years, Sutton has also won a 2007 Grammy. And his latest album, Into My Own<\/em>, was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Bluegrass Album category.<\/p>\n

Though he’s now based in Nashville, Sutton’s local roots run deep, and inform his music. \u201cMy initial exposure to music was in Western North Carolina mountain towns,\u201d he says, \u201cwith my grandfather playing fiddle and my Dad playing banjo.\u201d Though he’s played \u2013 and still plays \u2013 rock and jazz guitar, his first love remains the mountain music of his heritage. \u201cA lot of what I experienced as a kid growing up in Asheville \u2013 Shindig on the Green, for example \u2013 is still there.\u201d He credits Asheville’s approach to music as part of his own musical development. \u201cAnybody can fit into Asheville’s music scene; it’s really open and lovely. If I still lived there, I would be as active as I could be. When I come to Asheville, it really does feel like coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Into My Own<\/em>, Sutton adds something new: his vocals. But while his singing voice might be new to listeners, it’s not new to him. \u201cI sang in a band we had when I was a kid; it was my Dad, my sister and a couple of our friends. I was never a lead singer, but I sang a lot of parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut in the last ten years, I’ve been leaning into wanting to do more lead vocal work. For me, it’s a good combination of a natural step and a necessary challenge. I never want to get too comfortable with what I’m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/center>And even though he thrives on challenges, on exploring new dimensions in his music, Sutton is comfortable within the bluegrass idiom. \u201cMy goal is always to honor the traditions in bluegrass, but also to include what’s original to me, what might be considered more progressive.\u201d<\/p>\n