NBB’s O’Bryant says “you take it as it comes”

Release Date: 4/17/2002. Expired: 5/18/2002

Nashville Bluegrass Band member Alan O’Bryant has his priorities right where they ought to be. Despite riding the crest of incredible success, the banjo player knows what’s important in life.

More than an hour late to an interview, O’Bryant, amongst profuse apologies, confessed he was tied up in a parent-teacher meeting at his child’s school. After a 10-minute discussion about kids, parents and their often tenuous relationships, the conversation segued into O’Bryant’s second priority after his family: his on-the-road family, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, which will perform in concert May 18 in Performance Hall at The Renaissance Center. The performance will be the band’s first Tennessee appearance since starting the Down From the Mountain tour.

“We’re riding the success of Down From the Mountain,” O’Bryant said. “I’m delighted. We all feel really honored to be able to have the opportunity that we do have. We’re facing an unprecedented season, almost by 50 percent as big a season as we’ve ever had. It’s mainly due to the association with the Down From the Mountain tour. To get that kind of exposure and be in front of that many people, and to be associated with all the other acts on the show is just wonderful. We feel fortunate. We plan to continue doing just what we’ve been doing and enjoy our lives because we don’t really plow the road up with our nose, or have this really high-powered business approach to our band. We’re more down to Earth, a very basic and traditional framework working band. To be able to have our own band and be able to have time with our families and pursue the things that are important to us and that are associated with our passion, we feel like it’s just a huge honor. We feel very privileged.”

O’Bryant said the band is also looking forward to bringing its music to The Renaissance Center. A resident of Pegram, he said the center is practically in his own back yard, and his children have taken advantage of the center’s offerings. In addition, he said, the band’s mandolin player is a music student at the center.

“Two of our guys live in Dickson, and our mandolin player is taking fiddle lessons at The Renaissance Center, and my kids have been over there,” he said. “I think it’s just a wonderful facility and I’m glad it’s this close to the house. I’ve been intrigued with the history of The Renaissance Center and would actually like to be more involved in what’s going on over there.

“I’m just delighted to be doing something like this so close to home. I consider Dickson County in my back yard. I think Dickson is a neat town. I know a lot of people who live in Dickson. So really, for us, it’s like getting to play a show in our community. At least that’s how it feels to me. I’ve been hearing wonderful things about the concerts at The Renaissance Center and I’m just real glad to have it so close by. We’re honored to be asked.”

So what does the future hold for a cool bluegrass band that just got a whole lot cooler?

“We should be doing another record right now,” O’Bryant said. “With the touring that’s taking place and other things right now it’s been hard for us to get back on that. We’ve got six songs in the can. It will be the first album by this band in its particular configuration. As you know, Mike Compton is back after 12 years away. I’m kind of glad we didn’t step up and do another album right away because it’s given the band the time to re-gel and re-configure into operating with the personnel that comprises it right now. It feels better. But we’re anxious to get back to work. There are some projects... we’re hoping to get to work on a solo album. Mike Compton has written some tunes. As far as the band is concerned, getting through the touring this next year is going to be a major feature.”

O’Bryant said the band will be on tour with Down From the Mountain from June through August. A scaled down version of the tour will travel to Europe in October, and in November a scaled down version will include a tribute to Ralph Stanley.

“We’ve had to be selective in the other dates that we’ve taken in the meantime, but we’re out every weekend in September. We’re pretty much looking at a solid year of work,” he said.

He pointed out that NBB is moving into “uncharted territory” and the future is, at this point, open to many new opportunities and maybe even a few surprises.

“In a large respect, we’re on uncharted territory. We’ve said before we’d like to be members of the Grand Ole Opry, we’d like to be the first bluegrass band to play on the moon,” he said. “Those are opportunities that you can’t manufacture, you just have to wait and see what happens. Many of the most wonderful things that have happened to us have come to us just that way. It’s because we’re here and we do what we do. The biggest reason we do what we do is because there are surprises, there are opportunities that you never dreamed of and you take them as they come.”

The Nashville Bluegrass Band will perform in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 18, in Performance Hall. Tickets are $15.

To purchase tickets or for more information call The Renaissance Center at (615)740-5600.

The Renaissance Center is located at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 minutes west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

Visit the Events - Concerts and Recitals page for more about musical performances.

News

Date Released	Expiration	Headline
No Press Releases to show...