Sporting a head of frizzy brown hair and wearing a pink dress, tights and boots, Abigail Washburn certainly fit the appearance of a bubbly bluegrass songstress during her Sept. 29 concert at the Mahaney Center for the Arts Concert Hall. Effervescent from the moment she walked onstage, Washburn shouted a loud “Hi!” to the audience before she gave a strum of her banjo and led her four-man band into the first number of the night, the title track of her upcoming album City of Refuge.
As an alumna of the Middlebury College Language School’s summer Chinese School in both 1998 and 2001, Washburn was quite familiar with the College. Notably, she admired the beauty of the Concert Hall. After performing her first song, she reminisced briefly on her dream of sharing her music onstage at Middlebury.
“I remember when I was a student in Language School. I came [into the Concert Hall] and went, ‘wow someday.’ Well, today is the day,” Washburn said.
The concert was a compilation of some of the most sophisticated and well-written bluegrass songs I had ever heard, ranging from whimsical ballads to soft, reflective lyrical poems to boppy instrumental pieces featuring violin and banjo solos. Washburn’s voice was gorgeous and crystal clear, and her four supporting musicians were equally as skilled. A musician herself, Washburn is a clawhammer banjo player, meaning that she strikes the strings of the instrument using the motion of her wrist rather than the more traditional flicking motion of the fingers. This technique lent itself to her unique sound. The concert consisted of songs from City of Refuge as well as some of her past compositions.
The highlight of the show, however, was a traditional Chinese song which Washburn learned during a trip to China in 1996. The pounding drums and blaring trumpet solos served as the perfect background to Washburn’s soaring voice as she demonstrated her near-fluent prowess. Interestingly, there was a certain passion in her voice during the Chinese song that wasn’t quite as noticeable during her English songs. Through her voice, the audience could feel her love and appreciation for Chinese language and culture.
In between songs, Washburn would introduce a member of her four-man band to the audience. It was certainly a unique crew. For instance, drummer Jamie Dick — also known as “Whistlin’ Dick” — performed a whistling ditty as his introduction and joked how great it sounded thanks to the acoustics of the Concert Hall, while violinist Rob Hecht sported a light pink scarf throughout the performance.
“I find it very attractive,” said Washburn of her bandmate’s attire.
In fact, the entire performance was filled not only with Washburn’s music, but with her quirky sense of humor as well. For example, after one of her songs called “Molly Put the Kettle On,” Washburn was quick to clarify why she chose that particular title.
“It’s not to be confused with ‘Polly Put the Kettle On.’ Polly has problems putting the kettle on. Molly enjoys it,” she said, prompting chuckles from the audience. Washburn also poked fun at the stereotype of the ‘overly dramatic’ singer-songwriter. Before performing the song “Last Train,” Washburn noted wryly that the song was “an exploration of the relentlessness of time or something.”
A few students came to listen to Washburn and her band, but the audience consisted mostly of older members of the Middlebury community. It’s a shame that there were not more students in attendance — there was certainly the possibility of Washburn’s lively bluegrass gaining a small fanbase on campus had more students been there to hear her original music and stunning voice.
Though she performed in a band for this concert, Washburn usually performs and records as soloist. Her third album, City of Refuge, will be released in early 2011.
The Return of Abigail Washburn
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