Just Bluegrass Band

by BMP, 01/19/2004

“The Just Bluegrass Band is the type of band that radiates an infectious energy for the music from the time they take the stage until they step down 45 minutes later. This five-man band is made up of some of the best unknown talent in the industry today. They are destined to have a place among the best in bluegrass music.” The Central Ohio Bluegrass Association

In the summer of 2001 the four members of what would become The Just Bluegrass Band were sitting around trying to come up with a name. “We had come up with every river and every mountain and about everything you could think of and the guys weren’t going for it,” recalls guitarist and vocalist Lee Surgener. “We messed up on a song at practice and our banjo player Jeff Blankenship said, ‘Come on, it’s just bluegrass,’ and at that point I said, ‘You know what? That would be a good name for us,’ and we’ve stuck with it ever since.”

Based in the Mansfield area of Ohio, The Just Bluegrass Band also includes upright bass player Don Long and Kevin Crabtree, who contributes mandolin, fiddle and vocals. The group defines its music as a kind of contemporary progressive bluegrass. “If somebody likes The Lonesome River Band, they’d like us,” Lee added. “That’s our style. Our shows are really hard driving and we like to get the crowd involved. We pride ourselves on our stage appearance and our show. We know people pay to have good entertainment and we want bluegrass music to take that next step to that level where it’s not just front porch pickin’ - it’s a professional show.”

After performing southern gospel for many years with The Tackett Family in the late eighties and early nineties, Lee approached Jeff about putting together a bluegrass band. “Jeff and his brother played in the Rocky Mountain Boys as well as Flatland Grass and he was an Ohio and Oklahoma State Banjo Champion,” Lee said. “He was also a house musician for Nashville On The Road and was probably the best banjo player to come out of this area, but I knew he hadn’t played with anybody in a long time. He originally said no, but about a month later he said he’d give it a shot.”

After putting a band together with a few other members and performing at a festival, Lee and Jeff realized they had to find musicians as serious as they were if they were going to try to go anywhere.
Lee called mandolin player Kevin Crabtree, who had played with several area groups including Harbor Town and Tug River, to see if he knew of any musicians of his caliber. Kevin had just left the band he was with and joined Lee and Jeff. Lee had also made contact with an upright bass player named Mike Martin. They all got together to rehearse and decided to form a group.

ROAD OF ILLUSION

In January of 2002 Just Bluegrass performed at a local coffeehouse in Belleville, Ohio where they met Brad Hamilton, president of Lexington Music Group, who eventually funded and produced the group’s first CD entitled Road Of Illusion in mid-2002.

The 12-track project includes Bluegrass Funk 101, No Mother Or Dad, Head Over Heels, Because I Love You, Lord I Want To Be, Remington Ride, Road Of Illusion, It’s Mighty Dark To Travel, A Good Woman’s Love, It’s Done, When It Rains and One Way Track. Mike Martin, who was with the group until early 2003, wrote the title cut; Lee contributed Lord I Wanna Be; and Jeff wrote Because I Love You and Bluegrass Funk 101. “On the first project we were obviously showing that we were contemporary to progressive-style band and we knew we had to have something to get out there and start promoting ourselves,” Lee added. The group also credits bluegrass musician Col. Larry Fuller with helping them spread there name and get additional bookings. “Larry heard us on-line at our website, liked us and got us bookings in Kentucky and Michigan,” Lee said. “We appreciate all he does in bluegrass and it shows he’s in it to help other bands.”

Another one of the group’s highlights that year was opening a show for country group Confederate Railroad, however, they didn’t get the chance to perform. “We were onstage at six o’clock and ready to play at the Crestline Harvest Festival and we got hit with a powerful storm and a downforce wind that blew a steel lighting boom onto the crowd,” Lee said. “There was a family that was there to see us and they were severely injured. We went to their house and played for them and sent flowers to the little girl while she was in the children’s hospital with a fractured skull, a broken femur and brain swelling.” Between the time of the accident, September 2002, and March 2003, The Just Bluegrass Band put together a three-band fund-raiser at a local union hall and raised a lot of money for the family.

TIME

Bassist Don Long, whose father-in-law is well-known Ohio fiddler Tex Regan, joined the group in March of 2003 for the recording of the group’s second project entitled Time. Former bassist Mike Martin now performs with Faces Made For Radio. The group recorded their second project at Rick Hayes’ Legend Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio. The project consists of 13 cuts including Three Little Things, Time, Wild Bill Jones, River’s Edge, Your Love Is Like A Hurricane, I’m Not Broke But I’m Badly Bent, Blue Moon Of Kentucky, Wheel Hoss, Someday, Sitting On Top Of The World, Farther Along, A Kid’s Life and Great Balls Of Fire.

This time around Lee wrote the title cut. “My wife and kids had gone to Kentucky to visit her mom and dad and the first thing I thought of was: Sitting here alone with nothing but time/I look back on those memories and how they’re running through my mind. The second verse talks about walking through the mountains and the beauty of life that let’s you know the Good Lord gave you all these things, the mountains, the rivers and how everything is so meaningful. The moral is that you may not have all the wealth in the world, but everything that you have is more important than money.”

The 13-song project also includes many other original numbers including Three Little Things, co-written by Lee and former member Mike Martin, which features Kevin’s brother Andy Crabtree on Dobro. “It has a hard Dobro bluesy kickoff that reaches out and grabs you,” Lee said. “The song is about Three little things that she told me/Three little things she implied/The first two I just don’t remember/But the last little thing was goodbye.” Lee also wrote the romantic Someday about his wife and A Kid’s Life, and co-wrote a song with Dee Mills called Your Love Is Like A Hurricane.

Jeff contributed the instrumental River’s Edge, which is kind of a mix of traditional, claw hammer style, and contemporary banjo. “With River’s Edge Jeff wanted to show his contemporary side and even threw some claw hammer in there because he was raised around the old style of bluegrass,” Lee said. “The mandolin does some work as well. Kevin and Jeff are really good at twinning each other and it’s just something that’s natural that came out on stage one time. They do it on the CD a lot.”

“The second CD blows the first one out of the water,” Lee said. “Obviously we were together longer and that helps. We’re tighter, it’s really hard driving. The only real slow song on it is the Flatt & Scrugg’s gospel song Farther Along.

Kevin, has built a new state-of-the-art studio in Butler, Ohio which the group plans to use for its next project. “We’re going to try to do about 14 songs - about nine or 10 originals,” Lee said. “With this third one we’re going to really take our time because money won’t be an issue. We want it to be just like the second one except better - showing that we are continuing to grow as a band, and we’re able to create our own music and style that people will enjoy.” The project will also revisit Bluegrass Funk Part Two. “That idea was an education in funk on banjo on the first project,” Lee said. “The second one is going to be a little more dressed up.” The project will also include more originals as well as a gospel number or two. “We pride ourselves as a band to keep the tradition that’s always been in bluegrass to have gospel as a part of the show and recordings,” Lee said.

The Just Bluegrass Band’s plans for the future include more projects and wider recognition on a national scale. “We all sat down as a band and decided we want to break out on the national circuit,” Lee said. “We know that the only way we’re going to be able to do that is of course hard work and promotion. Our goal is to go as far as it will take us. We want to be national. We want to be right up there with The Lonesome Rivers, The Mountain Hearts and The Wildfires. We have a lot of bluegrass festivals lined up and 2004 is a year that looks promising for us.”

reprinted with permission from
Jan/Feb 04 Bluegrass Music Profiles Magazine

MP3 samples available!
Sitting On Top Of The World
Three Little Things

Discography:
Time (self) 2003
Road Of Illusion (self) 2002

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