Marc Tonglen, Nederland. A local staple of the Nederland music scene, Pioneer Mother will be holding a CD release show at The Larimer Lounge in Denver on Sunday, March 7, 2001. The quartet is most well-known for mixing wit, modern wisdom and classic bluegrass instrumentation into a live performance that is more outlaw country than bluegrass. Featuring poignant songwriting inspired by nomadic living and fueled by three-part harmonies, Pioneer Mother is bringing back the magic of heartfelt and soulful living.

The new album is called, The Call and it tells a tale as old as time with regard to the constructs of modern mythology. Lydia Sprouts, singer, songwriter and mandolinist for the group explains, “As we were putting together the songs, we realized that the entirety of the album spoke to the hero’s journey that we were all on. The first song, Dirt Road, reflects that call to travel that long and winding road - to get out of town and that kind of thing.” She carries on, “The album ends with my song, When I’m Gone. It’s an interesting tune I wrote on my 33rd birthday about dying and hoping to find that place and so that people can feel my spirit once I’m gone.”

In the band’s bio, it states that the group hails from the musical incubator of Nederland, Colorado. In asking about what makes the local music scene here in the mountains so special, she digresses and begins to speak about Bill Monroe. “Everything about Bill Monroe and his band speaks to the land and the space there in The South that provided the opportunity to create the music they were creating. The space itself was an integral part of the creation of the bluegrass sound.” The same can be said of the music that has been created over the years here in Nederland, since the days of The Caribou Studios and onward into the formation of such bands as Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, String Cheese Incident and Elephant Revival. There is something about these hills that allows young musicians to congregate and create. Pioneer Mother is one of the most recent examples of this trend, following in the footsteps of bands such as Gipsy Moon, Mountain Standard Time, Smooth Money Gesture, et al. As the album states it in its title, The Call now is to support them the best we can by purchasing tickets and attending their Sunday March 7th show at The Larimer Lounge in Denver and to listen to their new album wherever albums are streamed and or sold.    

There will be two shows, an early and a late in the fine listening room environment of The Larimer Lounge. Safety protocols and social distancing guidelines will be strictly implemented. 

For ticket information, logon to www.larimerlounge.com and for more information on Pioneer Mother logon to www.pioneermother.com.

(Originally published in the February 25, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)