Since he emerged as an acoustic music prodigy in the early 1960s, Peter Rowan has been known by the company he keeps. That starts with Bluegrass legend Bill Monroe, who added Rowan to his Bluegrass Boys as lead singer and guitarist in 1965.
Photo by Ronald Rietman
After learning on stage with the father of Bluegrass, Rowan went on to partner with David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Vassar Clements, Tony Rice and others. His songs “Panama Red” and “Midnight Moonlight” were hits for the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Along the way, hes been nominated for six Grammys and has one of the golden icons on his mantle.
Rowan continues to push the boundaries of acoustic music. This time around, he’s teamed with Tibetan music sensation Yungchen Lhamo. This is their first official tour together after meeting at a music festival and doing some jams in the New York area.
Lhamo is as known in world music and pop circles as Rowan is in traditional music. She’s worked with Michael Stipe, Natalie Merchant, Billy Corgan, Sheryl Crow and she records for Peter Gabriel’s label.
The music they are making, Rowan said, is better than he even expected and the show’s musical boundaries are expanding with every performance. Seem getting two talented Buddhists (Rowan has long been a practitioner) and a hot bluegrass band on stage is working well.
“It’s really surprising as she learns our melodies, each night gets a little bit more expansive. And as we learn her melodies, we can go in her direction,” Rowan said, while riding toward Georgia after a show in Asheville.
Yungchen brings a great feel and sensibility to the music – “She gets it and she knows how to jump into the moment. She has the faith to leap into space.”
Rowan has built his reputation on pushing the boundaries of acoustic music and this time around, mixing bluegrass with Tibetan folk, is no different.
“People don’t come to hear me play bluegrass in the traditional way,” he said. But that doesn’t mean the audience doesn’t get the precise picking and singing they expect from Bluegrass.
“We work around one mic for vocals. That gives a cohesiveness to our sound, because we can hear each other,”
His bandmates are all master musicians in their own right. The band includes Michael Witcher (dobro/vocals), Keith Little (banjo/vocals), Paul Knight (bass/vocals) and Chris Henry (mandolin/vocals).
Crowds have been coming up after the shows on this tour to share their enthusiasm.
“When guys come up after the show, you know that somebody is listening,” he said.
The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, featuring Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo, will play the Palladium on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and information visit www.mypalladium.org or call the box office at 727 822-3590.
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