Brilliant Bluegrass

Pert Near Sandstone dominates Minnesota

By Diane Miller
Music Editor

The state of Minnesota has an exceptional collection of roots music bands. Bluegrass in particular is becoming a dominating force in the scene with bands such as Pert Near Sandstone continually gaining popularity with their unforgettable melodies and hard-hitting instrumentation. To me, Pert Near Sandstone is bluegrass brilliance. Not only does each band member command their instrument, they each write and play songs that establish themselves as smart and creative musicians.

A Twin Cities bred music group, Pert Near, is easily one of the most prominent bluegrass acts around the Mid-West and is even starting to reach into other parts of the country. Just this summer they were victorious at the prestigious Northwest String Summit Band Competition. This music festival takes place in North Plains, Oregon and features some of the best roots music acts in the country! Success for Pert Near seems to be a growing trend.

With an upcoming release of their newest LP, Paradise Hop, the band has more excitement to look forward to. Nate Sipe (fiddle/mandolin/vocalist) told HPR about how the band has never pushed so hard to get their music out. “We’ve put a lot of energy into it. We are all really happy with how it sounds and how it was recorded. We want to get it into as many hands as possible.”  So far they’ve sent it all over the place including record stores and radio stations to gain hype for the release. They’ve even recorded a stellar music video for their single “Solid Gone”. “From there, we’ll see what happens… It will be like sending a kid off to school for the first time,” says Sipe.

Paradise Hop features 12 original songs, along with a couple of their favorite traditional folk tunes. Sipe describes Paradise Hop to be the most thought out and intricate album they’ve ever recorded to date. Compared to older albums they’ve put out, Paradise Hop still has the familiar high energy, old-timey sound that Pert Near is known for, but more mature in its lyricism and songwriting.  Paradise Hop, which is a track off the new album, was chosen as the album title because it summarizes what the albums is about. According to the band’s website “Paradise Hop is a celebration of life in all of its glorious peaks and torturously painful valleys that leaves listeners with an acute sense of what it’s like to step into the beautifully twisted world of Pert Near Sandstone.”

Pert Near will be appearing in Fargo on Oct. 27th joined by another Minneapolis bluegrass band, the Boys N’ the Barrels. The CD will not be for sale until 11/15/11, but you can expect to hear a lot of the new material featured from the album performed. Bluegrass is, after all, at its best when performed live. Come and join the fun and dancing from a few Minnesota heroes of old-timey music! Both Pert Near and the Boys N’ the Barrels are both sure to please!

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