Still on the scene: Grammy-nominated bluegrass band to play at Strasburg Theater

Click Here to Recommend Story View larger image Members of bluegrass band The Seldom Scene, from left, are Dudley Connell, Ben Eldridge, Ronnie Simpkins, Fred Travers and Lou Reid. The band will perform at the Strasburg Theater on Nov. 20. Courtesy photo View larger image The Seldom Scene has been around since the 1970s but has lost and replaced members throughout the years. The current members have been together since 1997. Courtesy photo

By Laetitia Clayton -- lclayton@nvdaily.com

Bluegrass fans -- and those who just enjoy good music -- are in for a treat when The Seldom Scene takes the stage at the Strasburg Theater on Nov. 20.

The Grammy-nominated band, long regarded as one of the most progressive groups in bluegrass, has been around in one form or another since 1971, and has produced 19 albums. The Scene's 2007 CD, "Scenechronized," earned them a Grammy nomination for best bluegrass album.

Dudley Connell, lead singer and guitarist who joined the band in 1996, says he got there by way of an ad in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. Three of the band's members had left to form their own group, Chesapeake, and the Scene was looking to replace them.

"They're a Washington institution and I had admired and respected them," said Connell, who from 1975 to 1994 was with another popular D.C-area bluegrass band, The Johnson Mountain Boys. "It just sort of fell into place. I think the timing was just right for me."

Current members Ronnie Simpkins (bass) and Fred Travers (dobro and vocals) also joined in 1996. Banjo player Ben Eldridge, the last remaining original member, and Lou Reid (mandolin and vocals), who rejoined the group in 1997, round out the band.

One can't mention The Seldom Scene without a reference to mandolin player and singer John Duffey, a founding member and the band's leader who was with them until his death in 1996. He has been described as a character and a great talent.

Eldridge says in a video on the band's Web site, www.seldomscene.com, that Duffey was "one of a kind" and "one of the most incredible tenor singers that I've ever heard."

"We had a full year with John, fortunately," Connell said of himself, Travers and Simpkins.

From the band's beginning, it was decided that its members would keep their day jobs and limit performances to weekends and festivals, a philosophy that's still in effect today, Connell said.

"We don't go out on the road. We're kind of weekend warriors," he said. "And I think actually it has kept the band healthy. We like to play music, but we don't necessarily like to be together all the time. I think it's kept the music fresh for us."

Connell and Travers live in Maryland, while Simpkins and Eldridge live in Northern Virginia, and Reid in North Carolina.

Eldridge says in the video that when the band first started out, it was considered nontraditional because most bluegrass bands in the '70s were singing about cabins and mountains.

"When we first started, I think we were maybe sort of trendsetters, doing what people considered nontraditional," he says. "We would steal stuff from anybody we could," including James Taylor and Elton John. Now, Eldridge says, "We don't go too far out."

Even though The Seldom Scene doesn't consider itself a full-time band, it's hard to tell by looking at their touring schedule. Upcoming shows in 2010 include the Birchmere in Alexandria, one of the band's first regular venues, as well as performances in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, Vermont, Missouri and Washington state.

Local singer and songwriter Joe Herbert, an independent promoter who helps the Strasburg Theater with booking acts, said he wanted to bring The Seldom Scene to town as part of an ongoing effort to offer great bluegrass music in the area.

"I used to run bluegrass shows at the theater every Sunday about two years ago," Herbert said. "We featured a lot of local talent and some national acts that were passing through.

"It all started with the Ralph Stanley show that I helped out with at the theater. I turned them on to bluegrass, I guess you could say."

Stanley has performed at the theater several times, as have The Hackensaw Boys, he said. Herbert would like to get both of them back in the future, as well as book other well-known bluegrass acts, such as the Del McCoury Band and the Old Crow Medicine Show.

Herbert said he's excited about having The Seldom Scene here for the first time.

"I've known about The Seldom Scene for years," he said. "I saw them years ago at the Birchmere when John Duffey was still alive.

"I would always say that we'd like to see more bluegrass shows here."

Amanda Murphy and the Lost Indians, a bluegrass band from Northern Virginia that has played at the theater before, will open for The Seldom Scene. The music starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the Nov. 20 concert at the Strasburg Theater are $20 in advance and $22 at the door. Special VIP packages are available. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for dinner. For more information, call the theater a 465-1777.