How many BASS PLAYERS become bandleaders? And how many of those are women?
Missy Raines slaps that bass!
On July 1, Missy Raines, of Missy Raines and the New Hip, played Madison Square Park, as part of the Madison Square Park Conservancy summer concert series. She opened for Claire Lynch, a terrific bluegrass player with a sweet Dolly Parton-like voice, whose band she used to be in.
Missy Raines’ debut CD as a bandleader, Inside Out (released in February) is on repeat on my ipod.
Missy Raines and the New Hip's New CD
Her double bass, taking center stage, really brings out the rhythm and groove in every track. Pretty much ever trad and folk and roots musician claims to have jazz influences in one way or another– but you can really hear it with Raines. This really is “newgrass,” for those who don’t even think they like the genre. For one thing there’s her instrumental line-up– not a banjo to be seen– and a drummer! Dobro, bass, guitar, mandolin and drums– yes, the emphasis sure is on rhythm. Her music has a groovy, jazzy, lunch-on-the-patio vibe.
Another real strength of the CD is Raines’ husky, soulful singing. She sang harmony for years with Lynch, and she toured with Lynch’s guitar player Jim Hurst and sang with him– but here her vocal skills really land. It’s just the kind of vocal sound that goes with the instruments– the CD really is seamless. ”Basket of Singing Birds” really sparkled live, but I love the song “Magnolia” even more– both are by songwriter Ed Snodderly, but Raines’ somehow sly delivery gives them an edgy grace.
I’d never seen them play– last night was their first New York gig, outside of APAP (Assocaition of Performing Arts Presenters) showcases — so she said this was the first time she’d performed for “real” people. I was at APAP this year, but I know what she means– those showcases are a cross between backers’ audition and house concert.
The weather held– somehow Missy knew it would, she told me on the phone– and the groove was phenomenal. Earlybirds like me and my friend Kelly Glover (fresh back from LA where she was working at Law & Order) were soon joined by those wandering in from the park, those looking over from the Shake Shack line, and people lingering on the corner of 23rd and Madison.
The International Bluegrass Music Association has called Missy the best bassist player EVER.. If you hear some David Grisman, you’re right— Raines cites him as an influence— then she also cites rocker Joe Jackson. The sound rests in between bluegrass and jazz. Even the CD title is a tribute to Miles Davis, and his 1950 album “Birth of the Cool” (it’s also referencing Raines’ actual new hip; she had hip replacement surgery in 2005).
The New Hip are composed of Ethan Ballinger on guitar, Michael Witcher on guitar and vocals. The band played “Victory Is Yours,” an original number off of Ballinger’s CD Wish Upon a Falling Star, and as soon as I get it, I promise to review it here– it had techno elements and was very interesting indeed!), Robert Crawford on drums (yes!!! drums!!) and Dominick Leslie on mandolin . It’s a slightly different line-up from the CD– Dillon Hodges is not there and Crawford and Leslie are– but what hasn’t changed is that her backup band are all virtuoso twenty-smething men (and some really, really look like boys!) Raines is a forty-something trad-jazz musician, leading a band of young male pluckers ranging in age from 19 to early thirties. All of her band are rising virtuoso–, 21-year old Ballinger uses mandolin in a jazzy feel and got raves from MandolinCafe.com, 27-year old Witcher has played with Sean and Sara Watkin, Dolly Parton, and Tony Rice, and Leslie, who grimaces as he plays and jerks around, is about to enter the Berklee School of Music– and will still tour. I chatted with Missy after the show.
Did you know what instruments you wanted and then you found the players?
Totally.I knew I wanted drums, because I wanted to explore all the options we’d have with drums. I knew I wanted dobro, because I just love the instrument. I didn’t want banjo, because I knew the music we were going after wouldn’t best fit that. Mandolin is absolutely essential to this kind of music partly because of the connection I feel deeply to Bill Monroe to and David Grisman and Sam Bush.
How long has the idea for the band been brewing?
Jim Hurst (guitar player with Claire Lynch) and I started a duo back in 1998. We sat down and did a five year plan and a ten year plan about what we wanted to do as a duo. One of the things on my wish list at that time was to start a band. It was during a stint with Claire Lynch in 2004 that I really got focused on this band.
How would you describe your music?
I’ve always been really interested in the contrast of acoustic instruments playing jazz music. One of the biggest things that changed my life was hearing David Grisman back in the ’70s and Tony Rice playing jazz-influenced music. But, I always wanted to play with a drummer. It is unusual in bluegrass—I don’t really think we’re playing bluegrass. We have elements of bluegrass and we come from bluegrass but I’m hoping we’re a shoot off of a tree. There’s so many great bands out there right now that are coming out of bluegrass—people like The Greencards and The Duhks (editor’s note: The Duhks play Madison Square Park this Wednesday, July 8th ) are taking an acoustic venue and stretching it out a little bit. To me it stems back to one my big heroes, Bill Monroe; he truly was the first innovator within bluegrass. He came in and took what everyone considered hillbilly music at the time and jazzed it up a little bit. He experimented with a lot of different things… early recordings will just demonstrate that. He had a lot of soul in his music.
To me, it’s funny when traditionalists kind of think oh, we have to keep bluegrass a certain thing. I think that bluegrass by definition is about growth and about exploration.
How did you happen to choose the bass?
That was complete happenstance—my father did play the bass, although my parents were enthusiasts, not musicians. He actually made a washtub bass for himself and then he got an actual bass. So the bass was in the house, and I picked it up, and the rest is history.
Were there people that didn’t take you seriously as a girl bass player?
If it was there I blotted it out. Sure, there were a few things here and there. There are jobs I know I didn’t get because I was a girl. I didn’t get any of that at home or from those closest to me, so I thought they were the oddballs.
Did you take lessons, or did you teach yourself to play?
That’s an interesting term– who does really teach themselves. I didn’t have any regular formal lessons, I watched a lot of people, I may have taken literally one or two lessons in my life, but mostly you watch people and play, play, play. I jammed for days and days and days when I was a young kid. I started into playing the bass when I was 12 years old. I played guitar and piano before that. Once I started playing bass, that was it, I didn’t want to play anything else.
What was it about the bass that appealed to you so much?
The support aspect—I love making music with people. Playing something and searching for that groove. And the groove happens when people are playing together with each other and listening to each other and playing off each other and if you’re lucky you find the groove.
Do you have a favorite song on the CD?
That would be hard—there’s a tune on there that I wrote for my dad which is a pretty personal favorite, The Ides of March.
Oh yes, that’s beautiful, and haunting. Did I read somewhere that “stop, drop and wiggle” is written for your cat?
He was the inspiration, Kitty Boy. We just lost him, from kidney failure. He was 16, I wanted him 16 more years. He was very vocal, he was very personable, he’d come right up to you and introduce himself, he was like, how are you? His favorite thing to do was running in front of you, meowing, and he would just literally drop, he’d do this kind of wiggle thing and move all of his feet like this. He’d do that constantly, and it would be dangerous because you’d fall over!
Do you mostly get inspiration from people and furry people that are close to you?
It could be anything. We’re very much an instrumental band as well as a vocal band… music that I’ve been affected by is instrumental music that evokes emotion in me. I want to create music that evokes emotion in someone else. I don’t have to dictate what that emotion is, that’s the beauty of it. It could be anything.
How does it feel to be the only girl in a band of boys?
Sometimes I’m ready to scream out for some estrogen! I have traveled with guys in my life but there’s been some women in the bands from time to time. They’re definitely mostly younger; I find it incredibly energetic. I love their energy cause I love challenge and I love the contrast of my life next to theirs.
What’s in your next five-year plan?
Make a couple more records and write a lot more music. I have spent a lot of time to get momentum going, get record contract which we did, from Compass, create a band with chemistry, which we have—now we can sit back and just start writing.
Ethan Ballinger, Missy Raines and Robert Crawford (Dominick Leslie and Michael Witcher just out of the picture!)
Listen to Raines’ tune for Kitty Boy here:
Cool, no?
Gwen Orel writes about music, theatre, film and culture for a variety of folks, including the Wall Street Journal, the Jewish Daily Forward, Time Out New York, Back Stage and others.
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As a former Orel victim/interviewee, I’m impressed anew. You have such a great way of making these interviews seem so breezy, yet the information is so clear and concise. Such a good editor, you is. And I can’t wait to hear Ms. Raines. Or is that Mizzy?
[...] http://www.cityscoopsny.com/?p=1827Pretty much ever trad and folk and roots musician claims to have jazz influences in one way or another– but you can really hear it with Raines. This really is “newgrass,” for those who don’t even think they like the genre. For one thing there’s her … But, I always wanted to play with a drummer. It is unusual in bluegrass—I don’t really think we’re playing bluegrass. We have elements of bluegrass and we come from bluegrass but I’m hoping we’re a shoot off of a tree. … [...]
Great article, I be lovin’ Missy
[...] Q&A with bass-playing band mistress Missy Raines [...]
dYc3tR I want to say – thank you for this!