Canadian Bluegrass: At home in Alaska

Photo Courtesy of Collin Goldie

Web posted September 20, 2007

By Libby Sterling | For the Juneau Empire

The Canadian bluegrass band Hungry Hill will visit Juneau for the first time this week, but the group's members aren't new to Alaska or its capital.

"I feel very at home in Alaska with these people who are so crazy about bluegrass," said Nadine Landry, Hungry Hill's bassist and vocalist.

Before Landry and fellow bandmates Jenny Lester, Bob Hamilton, Mark Thibeault, and Ross Nickerson formed the group, they were playing with other bands in festivals all over northwestern Canada and Southeast Alaska, including Juneau.

Landry, originally from Quebec, said she is especially fond of Southeast Alaska. She first visited Juneau in 2001 for the Alaska Folk Festival with only a few tunes under her belt. Year after year, she has returned and is now a regular in the Alaska bluegrass scene.

The five members of Hungry Hill don't just pride themselves on their tight, traditional bluegrass sound. The group's repertoire includes a few covers, but contrary to popular bluegrass practice, Hungry Hill's main focus is on writing original material.

Founding member Bob Hamilton compares his past bluegrass experiences to his time with Hungry Hill and says the emphasis that is put on originality in this group makes all the difference.

"It's a band where we write," said Hamilton, who was a member of the Undertakin' Daddies, which was nominated for best roots/traditional album at the 2002 Juno Awards (Canada's version of the Grammys). "Our new album is 100 percent original material, which is kind of unusual for a bluegrass band."

He said the writing is very intentional as well, as Hungry Hill tries to stay as true as possible to the roots of traditional bluegrass.

"It's cool to write within a specific genre that uses a certain kind of framework," Hamilton said.

The band also, according to Hamilton, composes specifically for its members, allowing each member to use his or her musical strengths in a way that playing cover songs just can't match.

Hamilton describes a writing process that can sometimes be difficult, as all of the band's members are spread across various parts of the Yukon Territory and British Columbia. Members take advantage of modern technology, e-mailing MP3 files back and forth and building layers on top of each other until they reach the final product.

Hamilton said it's a priority to set aside time to compose as a group, especially when members are able to get together in person. Often, at this stage, songs are half-formed and writing becomes a collaborative effort between all the members.

The group's second album, "Ride," was released Sept. 15 to a full house at the Yukon Arts Center in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. The band is touring Southeast Alaska and British Columbia to promote it.

Debbie Peters, the band's manager, says the Whitehorse crowd enjoyed Hungry Hill's performance.

"What people say about their music is that their original work just feels like bluegrass classics," Peters said.

The Whitehorse show was the first time many of Hungry Hill's new songs were played for an audience, and, to Landry, the crowd's enjoyment came as great encouragement.

"It's always good to know that people still care," she said.