Get in the tub
One of the true beauties of living in the mountains of Western North Carolina is the sheer fact that you can’t throw a rock in any direction without hitting someone who is a picker and a grinner.
And as a handful of local musicians came together last year for summer barbecues, front porch gatherings and any means of melodic escape from quiet winter days, so came to be the formation of Ol’ Dirty Bathtub.
A mix of bluegrass aficionados, string maestros and old-school rock-n-rollers from Haywood and Jackson counties, the band will be performing on the Bridge Park Stage during the Greening Up The Mountains festival at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 23, in downtown Sylva.
Garret K. Woodward: How you would describe the Bathtub?
Brad Boulet (banjoist): I don’t guess we aim for much other than a good time. People seem to want to call us bluegrass because we play traditional string instruments, but, out of respect for bluegrass players, we don’t claim that. I guess we’re kind of known for taking tunes we like — which might be 90s pop or classic country tunes — and playing them our way on stringed instruments. We play a good number of originals, too.
GKW: When you’re playing live, and everything is clicking along perfectly, what are you feeling, thinking?
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BB: There are those nights when you’re 15 seconds into the first tune and you can tell it’s going be a good night. All of them are good because we get to play music together, but those nights you just try to let go and enjoy the ride.
GKW: As the Bathtub has gone along, where are y’all aiming to go with this project?
BB: We have specifically discussed not having real goals other than playing and having a good time. We may write some more originals and we may set aside a few nights to learn the entire Beastie Boys catalog.
GKW: And how does one “get in the tub” as a listener?
BB: It’s definitely not a situation where you want to execute a beautiful swan dive. The tub is more of a cannonball deal. Just climb on in the tub. We’re having a blast and will be glad to have yah.
