Oopsies! I meant 2018. Sorry about that. Here's the thing about the IBMA nominations. The nominees are the same damned people every year. Look, if you are reading this, that means you pay attention to my bluegrass posts, which means you know I am a big fan of a lot of these people. Hell, the last two weeks in a row have featured Tim O'Brien in this spot, and Tim's got himself some nominations. Why? Because he's Tim O'Brien, and of course he's getting nominated. By law, dobro player of the year nominations must go to Jerry Douglas and Rob Ickes, who really are virtuosos on a different level from everyone else, but...
Come on, people.
Bluegrass is a traditionalist genre. This isn't just the fact that Jerry Douglas is indisputably the best dobro player in history. He is, but there's more going on here. The IBMA is just a bunch of traditionalists, in every sense. It is actually kind of amazing that they nominate the Punch Brothers, given how weird they are. I think they've just been browbeaten into recognizing Chris Thile, as they have for however many years since he was in Nickel Creek. Still, at the end of the day (year), when they nominate Punch Brothers, they're nominating Thile. Yes, he is God of the Mandolin and a musical genius who will be remembered a century from now, and past that.
Really, though, what is the point of an annual award ceremony when they just nominate the same people every year for the same awards? The only category that get my attention is the Emerging Artist category. Occasionally, they have the courage to recognize someone interesting there. Someone who isn't tradition-bound.
Like Billy Strings. Buzz has been building around this kid for around a year, and he deserves it. The IBMA tends to be too traditionalist to give the actual award to a weirdo like this guy, but I'm glad to see the nomination. Check this out, and remember that in his day, Bill Monroe was the weirdo.
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