Bloomington’s Finest Bluegrass is ‘Homegrown’

Though the Not Too Bad Bluegrass Band claims they are not out for notoriety, notoriety has certainly found them.

As Indiana’s prime folk artist, the band has been selected to perform for two concerts as part of the 2010 Homegrown Concert Series put on by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

The first concert will take place at noon Oct. 13 at the Coolidge Auditorium in the American Folklife Center. Another concert will be at 6 p.m. the same day at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.

Doug Harden, a mandolin player, wasted no time diving into stories of past band mates and their graduation to “bigger and better” bluegrass endeavors.

“Bluegrass is all about everyday folks, even though we don’t get a lot of radio play,” said banjo player Brian Lappin.

Early members of the Not Too Bad Bluegrass Band have gone on to play with bluegrass singer-songwriter Alison Krauss and Bloomington native John Mellencamp.

“We have all had our own opportunities to tour and move up, but that has never been the main focus for our band,” Harden said. “We are just a group of good pickers who like the slower pace of making music.”

The band started with weekly jam sessions, which Harden said, “really brought the neighborhood together.”

But the band’s level of talent soon catapulted them to perform at the Bluebird Nightclub in Bloomington.

“The Bluebird is where we got our start. From there we played other clubs and bars in the area, but most of them have closed down since then,” Harden said. “Our band’s inside joke is that we have closed down more bars than Prohibition.”

Playing together for more than 20 years, the band attributes their musical start to their families. However, that does not mean every member was always an avid bluegrass fan.

Guitarist Brady Stogdill claims his early influences were more of the Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails variety.

“I wanted to learn how to play by ear, and my father agreed to teach me,” Stogdill said. “My focus was learning how to play rock songs, but after my first bluegrass jam session, I was hooked.”

The camaraderie of these seasoned artists was unmistakable. But according to Stogdill, that is exactly what bluegrass is all about.

“It is not uncommon to meet other players at a festival and just sit down to jam with them, famous or not,” Stogdill said.

Stogdill said for most of these artists, bluegrass is considered a family affair, and all of the artists keep in touch with their roots.

“It isn’t age- or income- specific either and really is growing to touch a wider range of people,” Harden said.