Over the last few years, Kian Dye has established himself as a linchpin of the local and regional bluegrass and acoustic music scenes. His versatility extends to both his instrumental skills (playing fiddle, mandolin and guitar, among other instruments) and his many roles (performer, teacher, jam session host).
Now he’s releasing his debut solo album, a self-titled collection of instrumentals. It’s one of the most impressive local releases of the year so far, and should appeal both to all fans of creative acoustic music.
Kian has been playing violin since he was a kid, and had crossed over into bluegrass by the time he was in middle school. He was originally attracted to the genre’s opportunities for improvisation, as well as the community around it.
As part of his connection to the local bluegrass community, he hosts the bluegrass jam at the Honey Moon on the last Thursday of every month. He has won national recognition for his playing and writing, including the Monroe Mandolin Appreciation Society’s 2023 Tune Writing Contest.
Because of all this, when it came time to record the album, he was able to call on some of the best musicians around: Forrest Gibson and Joe Suskind play guitar, Brian Alley plays banjo, Josiah Payne plays mandolin and Forrest Marowitz plays bass. Kian is on fiddle throughout, plus mandolin on two songs and mandola on one. The album was recorded mostly live with the musicians playing in the same room.
A lot of younger bluegrass musicians might be tempted to use their debut album to show off every hot lick they know, but Kian doesn’t fall into that trap. First he writes memorable melodies, then he and this crew of players improvise on them (without ever getting overly frantic). The resulting sound reminds me of some of Bela Fleck’s “new acoustic” work, where all the bluegrass skills are firmly in place — but the musicians use that as a jumping off point to go to new places.
In this case, that includes twisty Celtic-ish reels like ”Madrona” and “Deception Pass,” the gently loping swing of “Fairhaven,” and the bluesy thump of “Good Things Are Coming.” They really cut loose on “Whatcom County Breakdown,” the one pure barn burner of the batch. The titles of most tunes reflect Kian’s love of the Pacific Northwest.
The album also adds “recording engineer” to Kian’s skill set, as he recorded it himself as his senior project for the Audio Technology, Music and Society program at WWU’s Fairhaven College. If he hadn’t told me it was a class project, though, I never would have guessed it. It sounds to me like a musician with a mature musical and compositional voice, creating art at the highest level. Here’s hoping Kian continues contributing to the local acoustic music scene for many years to come.
News
In other music news, the madness of Ski to Sea weekend is nearly upon us, with throngs of racers and their friends flocking to Fairhaven for music and merriment. Sunday, May 26 will be packed with music at the Village Green, headlined by recent subjects of this column, North Sound Soul.
Nearby venues like Skylark’s, Stones Throw and Paws for A Beer will also stay hopping all day Sunday. (Skylark’s has their outdoor beer garden open, and they’ll have music all day Saturday too.) There’s even a punk and metal show with Warp Detour and Dryland happening at Evil Bikes on the night of Saturday, May 25.
Downtown, Boundary Bay is typically a hub for pre-race festivities. They’ve got the Legendary Chucklenuts on Friday and GrooveBot on Saturday, both groups with strong followings who don’t seem to play out all that often — making it all the more special when they do.
Jesse Stanton's music column, The Beat Goes On, appears weekly. Reach him at jsbhammusic@gmail.com; @JSBhamMusic. Check with individual venues to make sure events are still taking place as scheduled. Live music events in Whatcom County: http://www.cascadiadaily.com/category/living/arts-and-entertainment/music/music-calendar
