Grass Roots, True Country
This piece originally ran in the Redding Record Searchlight in April 2002.Darce Chriss and The Travellers
I recently found myself pondering the transcendent nature of roots music at the Shasta Senior hall on Benton Ave. This may seem like an unlikely venue for a 28 year old to have a philosophical experience, but this was a Friday night, and the weekly Senior dance was underway. There was a band playing but it was not a bandstand configuration that I expected to see at the senior hall. This band was comprised of four electric guitar players and it had neither a bassist nor a drummer.
One might expect that a band of four electric guitars might insight a riot at the Senior Center, or at least antagonize all in attendance. However, the police were not called and I was transported to a foreign but comfortable place. The music was so good that it warmed the marrow of my bones. It made me feel as though I was in a movie. I wanted to thank the director for the soundtrack.
I was in the presence of Darce Chriss and the Travelers and I was experiencing what Darce calls “true country,” music marked by an implied groove and beautiful ensemble playing. With all of the attention focused on Roots music these days, seeing Darce and the band play is a timely yet timeless experience. The lead guitar lines of Darce and Bill Dale add the high and low end dynamics to the song, while Mary Chriss and the other guitarist, recently Dwayne Walker or Dan Locke, add the cymbal and the drum aspects of the rhythm section.
The Travelers perform in the positive and improvisational fashion that is the hallmark of seasoned music professionals. All the players are encouraged to sing and there is no setlist. The players sing songs they love and there are highlights to each players performance that exude an energy and a feeling that cannot be faked; Darce Chriss channeling Hank Williams on “Jambalaya,” Bill Dale making every note sound perfect on every guitar solo, Dan Locke singing “There goes my everything” in a rich sonorous basso profundo, Dwayne Walker filling the entire room with Merle Haggard’s “The Bottle Let Me Down,” and Mary Chriss sending the house asunder with Marty Robbins’ “Beyond the Reef.”
This is roots music of the highest order. “Roots” has become a very popular label since “O Brother Where Art Thou.” Chriss and the Travelers are an embodiment of this term. Their instruments seem to be a palpable extension of the trees under which Hank Williams Sr., Hank Snow, and Ernest Tubb and a myriad of other writers penned the classics of Country Western Music.
There is a grass roots quality to this music as well. Chriss and the Travelers play primarily for seniors, choosing to play the senior center circuit as opposed to the bar circuit. Their music is an elixir for the young at heart and they minister to the areas seniors through their song. If you are a fan of music you need to catch this band.
Note to editor: The ladies of the Shasta Senior Center wanted me to put out a call to all men over the age of 50 who can fog a mirror. “Get them to come down here and cut the rug,” Gladys exhorted… “It only costs 2 bucks, and they might get lucky.”
Darce Chriss and the Travelers are a grass roots, true country band. They play weekly on Wednesday and Thursday at the Senior Nutrition Center and the first Friday of the month at the Shasta Senior Hall. They will be performing at 12:00PM Saturday April 20, 2002 at the Cottonwood arts fair.
[+/-] read/hide this post
posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 9:59 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
RSC,
It is good to hear from you. What are you up to these days? You probably got a pretty good idea of what I am up to. I don't think that I was pissed at you but I lost touch with a good many people when I went to graduate school. I apologize if I made you think I was pissed off or something. I made a monastic commitment to my work and I gave up alot of things at that time, including having a life other than work (for money) and work (for school).
The long and short of it is that I left graduate school, married Hana, went into the wold world of High Technology, worked in the Silicon Valley and Europe, unplugged, decoupled from high tech, moved back to Redding, started a company making award-winning olive oil, had a child with Hana, lived in Redding for five years, before moving back to the Bay Area.
I am glad to be back in touch with you. If you want to reply in email and not in the clear like this, my email address should be listed on my blogger profile. Otherwise, I look forward to catching up with you more Raoul. Were you from Dartmouth that one night? Was that our cover story? Raoul Duke Dartmouth '77 or something like that.
All the best,
BJK
Total and complete appreciation for the writer of this column. Hi Brian, this is Darcys youngest daughter Alana, I met you here at daddys house quite a few years ago and just now found this on daddy. I have to let you know that we lost daddy to cancer on Nov. 5, 2007 but through you and the many many people he touched, his music lives on. Thank you so much for you caring heart to make my daddy never forgotten . God Bless You, Alananorthern@gmail.com
10:36 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home