Inside the Washington D.C. Country & Bluegrass Scene

The year was 1963 and the Shamrock Tavern nestled in the busy streets of Georgetown hosted The Country Gentlemen for a bluegrass show. The Washington D.C. based bluegrass band of four reshaped the landscape of bluegrass and country music in the district.

Country and bluegrass music have not been dominating genres in D.C.'s diverse music scene, but a growing number of local artists are changing that. In small venues across the DMV, local artists are creating space for the genre.

The Country Gentlemen set the precedent for bluegrass music in D.C. A genre that was originally founded in the Appalachian region made its way to the urban space in D.C. in the early 1960s with The Country Gentlemen.

Kevin Slick is the Director of the D.C. Bluegrass Union, and an expert in the genre, as a bluegrass artist, and a music writer.

“They took this music that was all around this area and presented it to an audience who might not have otherwise heard this kind of music,” Slick said, “because they presented it in a slightly more sophisticated way.”

Slick attributes much of the success of bluegrass in Washington D.C. to the strategies The Country Gentlemen used to bring this genre to urban audiences.

“They made use of the Library of Congress and found older folk songs and brought them into the repertoire,” Slick said, “they also recorded and performed songs by people like Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, or Gordon Lightfoot.”

Through the Country Gentlemen’s approach of incorporating older folk music and contemporary popular music, they put a new edge on bluegrass for Washington’s urban audiences. “It caught the attention of people who were getting into folk music in the 50s and 60s and gave them access to hearing this kind of music and finding something they liked about it,” said Slick.

Slick alluded to how D.C. is not only a national, but an international hub and home to people of different backgrounds so uniting them to listen to and enjoy new genres of music is something that is difficult.

“Finding ways to present something that connects to people, that’s a huge thing, and I think they were the group that really did that,” Slick said.

Music in Washington D.C. is now reliant on younger generations, and upholding the roots of bluegrass as a less popular genre for Washingtonians is done through consistency, and education.

James Madison University professor of music education, Annie Savage is a member of the D.C. Bluegrass Union, serving as the Education Director.

Savage is an advocate for educating young people on the history, prominence and impact of bluegrass music.

“There’s a big history of bluegrass in Washington DC because it is such a diverse scene,” said Savage “it is not like Appalachia.”

When it comes to the types of genres that music fans are seeing in DC, bluegrass is not at every club, bar, or restaurant hosting live music, but Savage thinks that music education is key in keeping the genre alive in the city.

“I think it’s a kind of a use it or lose it thing, and the young folks that are exposed to bluegrass love it, but if they’re not exposed to it, then they don’t have a lot of literacy or respect for it.,” Savage said.

With the Country Gentlemen setting the precedent of immersing urban audiences in new genres, local contemporary artists have also been creating a culture of local live country music in Washington.

This space for country artists in the DMV has become increasingly important following the loss of a beloved D.C. establishment.

Hill Country Barbeque which was located in Penn Quarter closed its doors to the public last month, it was one of the last places in Washington to be dedicated to country music.

With a lack of local spots hosting country artists, it has become up to the artists to create a local country scene.

Country and Americana artist Justin Trawick has been performing his music in the DMV since he graduated college in 2004.

In 2008, Trawick found himself unemployed, becoming a full-time musician was an easy decision for the Leesburg native. Trawick has looked to broaden the local country music scene in Washington and beyond.

Every second Wednesday of the month, Clare and Don’s a mom-and-pop spot in Falls Church Virginia hosts a listening room series event featuring local artists and creating an intimate setting for community members to come together over country music.

On Wednesday April 9, Trawick hosted the sixth sold out listening room event at Clare and Don’s. This show was the live debut of new country artist Tina Seashore.

“She has already done a lot of amazing life stuff, and this is like a new thing in her life for her to do,” Trawick said, “which is a big deal, so I think that’s cool, being able to curate a show, not just for me but for other people.”

The crowd was small at Clare and Don’s, roughly 50 people, some strangers, some friends, everyone enjoying the company of one another. Many audience members were there to support their friend, neighbor, and colleague, Tina.

Tina Seashore has been a musician since she was young, growing up with classical training on the violin and piano while also singing in choirs, but she never made music a key component of her life until recently.

“A year and a half ago I decided I wanted to explore that part of myself again,” Seashore said.

Even though Seashore is in her fifties, she sees herself continuing to pursue her passion for country music, and the listening room space that Trawick created was a driving factor in getting her out of her shell.

“I was so thrilled that Justin asked me to do this because it was a justification of an ability, I knew I had, it was a good validation from a friend who was a professional,” said Seashore.

As the country music scene in Washington D.C. continues to evolve, artists like Seashore are the next generation to continue bringing diverse voices to the district.