- April 26, 2024
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Sarasota bluegrass band Passerine is a new act at Flagler’s Creekside Festival. See Page 6 for the full stage schedule.
For the past three years, Sarasota-based modern bluegrass act Passerine has been fine-tuning its sound.
Recently replacing its bass player (with David Baker) and adding a fiddler/third female vocalist (in Sara Stovall), dobro player David Brain says the group aims to explore and expand the limits of acoustic instruments.
“We have some tunes that we’ve taken from the bluegrass traditions,” he says. “But we are not old-school bluegrass.”
Instead, he describes his band’s sound as a contemporary take on bluegrass and folk stylings. With a tri-vocal harmony lead, the band builds sets around cover songs while sprinkling in originals. Passerine has also been known to adapt pop ditties into bluegrass arrangements, which Brain thinks allows listeners to hear songs’ words and rhythms differently.
Influenced by Neil Young, Patty Griffin, Neko Case and more, Passerine averages about three to four shows per month, which the band feels is just right.
“Whenever we play, we pretty much pack the place,” Brain said, citing a strong following on Florida’s west coast. But he’s careful not to overbook, for fear the band would be labeled as a “bar band” — or worse, the magic would wear off.
“If you’re (playing long shows) all the time, it really starts to squelch the creativity and, over time, the quality,” he says, adding that Passerine would rather focus on shorter, more polished sets. “(Otherwise), it becomes more like work, like a job … We’re still keeping it special.”
Passerine plays at venues such as farmers markets and college ice-cream socials.
The band’s two lead singers/composers, Carmela Pedicini and Tanya Radtke, used to play together a decade ago, eventually going their separate ways to join other bands or go solo. They reunited in 2008, after Brain and Radtke performed a duet at the Sarasota Music Festival. The two had so much fun, they knew it was time to get old the gang back together.
“I don’t think we really imagine ourselves making it big,” Brain said. “But I think we’d like to … become more of a national touring act.”
Currently, each band member has a day job. Brain is a college professor; Pedicini is a nurse; Stovall is involved in music journalism; and Baker is a college student.
For more, visit www.PasserineMusic.net.
