As the current administrations — both state and national — remind us on a daily basis, you just never know what will happen next.
So perhaps, it shouldn’t be a surprise that, over the last five or so years, the hillbilly brand has become hot property.
And it’s about time. While Mountain Staters know how cool their home state is, West Virginia has been the go-to state for all the usual low-blow yuks for decades. Most recently, comedian Whitney Cummings — who apparently was shocked (appalled?) when she found out her father was born in West Virginia rather than Virginia — offered up some “good-natured” (and decidedly unfunny) jokes when she appeared on “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”
But perhaps the tables are turning? In the culinary world (never a strong suit for West Virginia), ramps, pepperoni rolls and morels are now marketed as haute cuisine in cities far more “cultured” than Charleston ... of course, with a (legal) moonshine chaser.
But we’re here to talk about music.
The current new Appalachia poster boy is Tyler Childers. Childers, a Kentucky native with plenty of West Virginia roots, is on fire. He has appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” headlined Red Rocks (with Robert Earl Keen opening) and is tearing up the festival circuit.
Childers’ success is on the heels of other unlikely stars, including The Avett Brothers, Sturgill Simpson, Old Crow Medicine Show and Chris Stapleton.
In 2000, the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” did for bluegrass what “The Big Easy” did for Zydeco in 1986. Both films jump-started an interest in those genres. And with the release of Ken Burns’ epic, 16-hour documentary, “Country Music,” look for another bump.
Burns’ documentary features plenty of early country music — a first cousin to Appalachian music — and a number of West Virginia artists. Case in point: Following the airing of the documentary, Kathy Mattea’s greatest hits collection and her 1989 hit “Where’ve You Been” were among the 40 top-selling country albums online — the first time she’s had a song on the country charts in nearly three decades.
But the renewed interest in Appalachian and old-time music may have deeper roots: Authenticity. And, to paraphrase Wheeling native Tim O’Brien, West Virginia is prime real estate for old-time music.
“So much in pop culture is contrived and aimed at selling something,” said “Mountain Stage” host/artistic director Larry Groce. “Maybe this is a backlash. I think young people are tired of being sold and are yearning for something that’s real. And one place you can look for that is Appalachian old-time music.”
For a number of years, “Mountain Stage,” which gets a bird’s-eye view of musical trends, has seen a strong showing of groups that are influenced and informed by the music of Appalachia. Some of those groups include Crooked Still, Black Prairie, Abigail Washburn, the Black Lillies and the Downhill Strugglers.
“I grew up on this kind of music,” said “Mountain Stage” executive producer Adam Harris. “So I’m excited that we’re seeing more of it. It’s great to see other people discovering it — and falling in love with it!”
O’Brien, who has been immersed in various forms of old-time music for half a century, has his own unique perspective.
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“The music comes and goes in popular culture, peeking out now and then and then going back under a ‘shelvin’ rock,’” he said, referencing an old-time fiddle tune he learned from French and Ernie Carpenter. “Each generation finds their way in and does its own work reshaping it. But its essence won’t really change.
“Older music is an inescapable part of humanity’s weave,” he added. “When I first started playing it, I knew right away that there was a mysterious power in it ... and, for me, it’s still got that deep magic.”
Meanwhile, the Augusta Heritage Festival, which has promoted and taught Appalachian culture and old-time music for 46 years, has seen an increase in out-of-state attendance. This year’s festival included visitors from 14 states.
Emily Miller — a Kansas native who moved to Elkins in 2010 with her husband and musical partner, Jesse Milnes — is the artistic director of the Augusta Heritage Center and the string band director of the Davis & Elkins Appalachian Ensemble.
“There is a reverence for old-time and Appalachian music in a way I’ve never seen before,” she said. “People are reconnecting with roots in some way. And a lot of festivals around the country and the world are celebrating Appalachian and country music.”
Jesse Milnes, a native West Virginian and the son of old-time musician and folklorist Gerry Milnes, agrees.
“There are different stages of people getting closer to the real roots of it,” he said. “A lot of people may buy a Tyler Childers album, and that’s as far as they’ll get. Then there are some who will be drawn into the vortex. That interest and attention is great for musicians — that’s what we live on.”
So, what does all this mean for West Virginia, and will it benefit the state in the long run?
Unlike cities like Asheville and Charlottesville, West Virginia has never been good at selling itself. While that’s certainly part of our collective charm, it’s also why we’re still a hidden gem (i.e., at the bottom of the economic barrel).
“Anything that will attract people to the state is a good thing,” said Groce, who moved to Barbour County in 1972. “Maybe it will spark a back-to-the-land movement like in the ’70s? That was the only time West Virginia has gained population in the last 50 years.”
Perhaps West Virginia should capitalize on Hillbilly Power?
Just imagine the fun (and merch possibilities!) if the West Virginia Power were renamed “West Virginia Hillbillies?”
And while we’re on the subject, what’s with that new giant shopping center (Park Place Plaza) across from Riverwalk Plaza in South Charleston?
I guess South Charlesoton city officials haven’t heard of the “retailpocalypse?” Why don’t we put the kibosh on that thing before it’s too late and create a mega-park that would feature an annual West Virginia music festival?
