ATHABASCA – Bluegrass fans are in for a treat March 21, when John Reischman and the Jaybirds take the stage at the Nancy Appleby Theatre.
The five-piece band from the West Coast will be back in town for the first time in a decade as part of their most recent tour, which features a healthy mix of traditional bluegrass melodies and original compositions like banjo player Nick Hornsbuckle’s tune Wellesley Street.
“They’re a pretty big band with very meticulously professional musicianship. It’s a high level of playing with very nice harmonies,” said Heartwood Folk Club music director Charlie DeShane.
The Jaybirds are a bluegrass band through and through, with each musician playing one of the acoustic genre’s five core instruments: Reischman is an accomplished mandolin player, Patrick Sauber plays the guitar, lead vocalist Trisha Gagnon also plays the upright bass, Gregory Spatz is an acclaimed bluegrass fiddler, and Hornbuckle is renowned for his unique playing style on a five-string banjo.
“That’s the template for every bluegrass band since (Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys), but some of the music we play is fiddle tunes, old-time ballads, things that have a foot in the pre-bluegrass jam,” said Reischman.
Each band member is an accomplished musician. Four of the five Jaybirds have solo albums, and Sauber has been called "the busiest sideman in the country” by other publications.
Together, the act has combined for seven albums, two of which — Field Guide, 2003, and Stellar Jay, 2020, — have been nominated for Junos. Hornsbuckle and Gagnon are Canadian, and while Reischman got his start in San Francisco in the ‘80s, he moved to Vancouver Island years ago.
Despite the combination of nationalities the band, Reischman said the style is the same for all five members.
“Bluegrass is a style that I don’t think changes much,” said Reischman. “The only Canadian influence I think is drawn upon for songwriting. We have a song called Cypress Hills that’s named for the region, but stylistically, it’s not much of an influence.”
The March 21 performance is part of the band’s latest tour, although Reischman said the group isn’t currently promoting a new album. Instead, the band will play tunes they hope to record in the coming months, so long-time fans will have an opportunity to hear some newer material.
“It’s not just one sound,” said Reischman. “The tempos are varied, the band members are featured all individually — I think it’s a pretty entertaining program. It’s not just monochromatic, so to speak.”
Tickets for the show can be found at Value Drug Mart, Whispering Hills Fuel, or Athabasca Health Foods for $30, or tickets can be purchased at the door for $35. This season, admission for anyone 16 and under is free.
The last two shows in the Spring 2024 season are Trevor Panczak on April 8, and Saskatchewan-based country trio Sister Grace April 18.
