Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Which Way to the Gun Show?

Bluegrass musicians tend to be particularly reverent to tradition. And yet the genre has long proved fertile territory for progressive thinking and picking, resulting in a wide spectrum of grassy varietals — from newgrass and jazzgrass to punkgrass and beyond. Michigan’s Greensky Bluegrass embody that bipolar trait. Their latest record, Handgun, boasts traditional picking prowess as well as gleeful concessions to more modern, pop-centric styles including rock and country. This Saturday, January 21, the band headlines a hoedown — or is it a hootenanny? — at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge. Local prog-grass outfit Jatoba opens, celebrating the release of a new CD