"Bluegrass is a living, vibrant part of the folk tradition. It continues to be created and re-created by the cultures of the South that invented it. It is rare to hear a band from outside the South play and sing this music so convincingly. The Bluegrass Intentions haven't learned bluegrass music, they know it."
David Greely, Mamou Playboys
"Forget everything you think you know about Northern California bluegrass bands. This one owes none of its sound to either Stephane Grappelli or the Grateful Dead; if the band's debut album is any indication, it rarely performs songs written later than 1950 (except for banjo player Bill Evans' own "Petersburg Gal", a banjo showcase which could have been written in 1950). This is high-energy, old-school bluegrass that will please the most hardline traditionalist. The Bluegrass Intentions balance ebullience with virtuosity, and the result is one of the most satisfying bluegrass albums of recent years. Highly recommended."
Internet All-Music Guide
"What a mesmerizing blend of the old and the new! Ancient primeval tones played with a modern precision; tough, gritty vocals; sparkling instrumentation creativity and a bouncing, buoyant groove that just doesn't quit. It's a CD that simultaneously looks both to the future and that primordial bluegrassical ooze and comes up with something fresh, exciting and new in the process. This is a powerful CD that I'm going to be playing incessantly here in Nashville."
Dave Briggs, WPLN-FM, Nashville, TennesseeWhat would happen if you took a strange melody from a 1934 field recording made by Alan Lomax in Crowley, Louisiana, added lyrics from the oldtime fiddle guru Tommy Jarrell, and played the resulting combination bluegrass-style?? The Bluegrass Intentions! Bill Evans on banjo, Alan Senauke on guitar, Eric Thompson on mandolin, Suzy Thompson on fiddle, and Larry Cohea on bass have joined forces to play energetic classic bluegrass, drawing not only from the legends of bluegrass (like Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, Don Reno, the Osborne Brothers, etc.) but from musical heroes from other Southern genres: oldtime fiddlers like Marcus Martin and Benton Flippen, bluesman Leadbelly, pre-bluegrass hillbilly bands like Buster Carter & Preston Young, and country-western singers Rose Maddox, Buck Owens, and George Jones...the Bluegrass Intentions interpret this material in a way that is fresh yet totally consistent with the classic bluegrass sound.
Bluegrass Intentions: Unstoppable Old-Time Groove!
"Bill Monroe meets Memphis Minnie at the Cajun fais-do-do, and together they buckdance their way into the 21st century!"
Innovative traditionalists Bill Evans (banjo, vocals), Suzy Thompson (fiddle, Cajun accordion, vocals), Eric Thompson (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Larry Cohea (bass and vocals), and Alan Senauke (guitar, vocals) are among California's most highly respected musicians, working alongside artists like David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis, and Maria Muldaur. Whether re-working material from a Library of Congress field recording, adapting a Cajun two-step, reinventing a Flatt & Scruggs or Jimmy Martin classic, or playing their original tunes, the genre-bending Intentions combine a lifetime of blues and rhythm, impeccable musicianship, and superb harmonies, all around one central microphone.
"Old As Dirt", the Bluegrass Intentions' CD! To hear clips from the album, read liner notes, and order your very own copy, please visit http://www.nativeandfinerecords.com/OldAsDirt/Hear.html
Other related recordings:
"No Mockingbird", Suzy Thompson's debut CD of oldtime fiddle rags and blues songs, with many special guests including members of the Bluegrass Intentions, Mike Seeger, Jody Stecher, Kate Brislin, Maria Muldaur, Del Rey, Geoff Muldaur, and many others. To hear clips from the album, read liner notes, and order your very own copy, visit http://www.nativeandfinerecords.com/NoMockingbird/index.html
Alan Senauke's CD "Wooden Man - Old Songs from the Southern School", which includes guest appearances by members of the Bluegrass Intentions, Kate Brislin and Jody Stecher, Larry Hanks, Jon Sholle, Marty Cutler, Mary Gibbons, etc. To hear clips from the album, read liner notes, and order your very own copy, please visit http://www.nativeandfinerecords.com/WoodenMan/
Listen to the Bluegrass Intentions sound! To listen to clips from our CD, "Old As Dirt", Click Here!
Members of the Bluegrass Intentions give private lessons! For info on fiddle lessons with Suzy, visit Suzy's web page or email Suzy. For info on guitar or mandolin lessons with Eric, email Eric. . You can contact Eric or Suzy via phone at 510-848-5018. For info on banjo lessons with Bill Evans, you can phone Bill at 510-528-1924 or email Bill
The Bluegrass Intentions are available for festivals, concerts, weddings, parties, and other celebrations! For booking information, email the Bluegrass Intentions or phone us at 510-848-5018.
Home | Eric and Suzy | Eric Thompson
Suzy Thompson | Blue Flame Stringband
The Todalo Shakers | Bluegrass Intentions | Aux Cajunals Thompsons' String Ticklers (Ragtime & Blues)
Upcoming Appearances | Weddings,Parties, etc.
