Bluegrass and modern themes give Union Station its diverse sound

BY WALTER TUNIS,   Lexington Herald-Leader

Ron Block remembers a time when his world revolved around bluegrass.

This was years before he joined Alison Krauss and Union Station; ages, it seemed, before he helped mold string-band music into a serene acoustic pop sound.

"I went through a period where bluegrass was the only form of music, as far as I was concerned," said Block, who has served as Union Station's banjoist, co-guitarist and harmony vocalist, and one of its prime contributing songwriters, for 14 years.

"There was about a four- or five-year period where that was all I would listen to. Before that I was a fan of Marty Robbins. My brother had Fleetwood Mac records, and my sister would be listening to Foreigner or James Taylor. Then I got my `bluegrass is the only good music' attitude.

"But in a way that was good. Immersing myself totally in one kind of music taught me a lot about music in general. When I realized that, I started going, `Hmm, James Taylor sure sounds good. Joni Mitchell sure sounds good. Pat Metheny sure sounds good.'"

What a surprise. Turning a versed bluegrass background into an open forum for outside inspiration has also allowed Krauss to remain a visible and continually popular talent. Though she can master the Kenny Baker school of bluegrass fiddle swing (check out the version of "Cluck Old Hen" from Union Station's 2002 double-disc album "Live" for proof), Krauss has also transformed material by Bad Company, Elvis Costello, Sting, Todd Rundgren, Keith Whitley, the Foundations, Gillian Welch and, of course, Block into testaments of simplicity, sensitivity and strength.

Call it country, bluegrass or pop. Krauss's music is all that and more. Such diversity has been key to her commercial appeal and, for a time, a point of ridicule for bluegrass purists.

"There was some resistance for a while," Block said. "There would be an attitude shown or an odd comment made. But I imagine Bill Monroe had some disgruntled old-time music people to contend with when he came out with the supercharged, innovative and radical new music he called bluegrass. It was anything but traditional back then. He went against the grain with a fusion of old-time music and country. There was Irish and Scottish fiddle music in it, too. It was bluesy. It had all these elements stuck together. Back then, the spirit of this music was pure innovation."

There have been recent instances where Krauss has been able to rekindle traditional inspirations, court the contemporary and expand her fan base even further. She was a cornerstone participant on the multi-platinum soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," which also made Union Station guitarist Dan Tyminski a celebrity with "Man of Constant Sorrow." But on 2003's "Cold Mountain" soundtrack, Krauss turned Elvis Costello's "The Scarlet Tide" into a war-torn lullaby and Sting's "You Will Be My Ain True Love" into a ghostly Celtic-flavored lament (sung with Sting on the album and Tyminski in concert).

Contemporary tunes with antique themes ignited by a voice of ageless and effortless calm - this has been Krauss's ultimate gift of vocal persuasion.

But for Block, who penned "A Living Prayer" - the lovely finale to Union Station's new album "Lonely Runs Both Ways" also closes many of the band's current concerts - Krauss' voice presents a major songwriting challenge. At first, Block wrote specifically for the delicate contours of her singing. Then he did his best to forget they existed.

"When I wrote `Jesus Help Me to Stand' (from the 1992 Union Station album `Every Time You Say Goodbye'), I thought specifically of Alison's voice. Same thing with `There Is a Reason' from 1997's `So Long So Wrong,'" Block said. "But for `A Living Prayer,' I just focused on the content itself. I write better when I'm not worried about whether the band is going to accept a song I've written. You just have to let all of that go and be creative."

So where does Union Station go from here? To larger halls and bigger gigs, that's for sure. In June, Krauss and Union Station will perform at the jam band-based Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee, where attendance could top 100,000.

"I think we're just hitting our stride, really," Block said. "I know I have a great desire to be more creative, to get better.

"But mostly, I'm just thrilled to play with one of my favorite singers. When I first saw Alison perform in '87, I thought, `Oh man, I'd love to play with her.' And so the truth of it is if I could pick anyone in the entire music world to play with, I would choose exactly who I'm playing with now."

KRAUSS CALLING

Here are the highlights of the multi-platinum career of Alison Krauss:

1971: Born in Champaign, Ill.

1983: Wins Illinois State Fiddle Championship.

1987: Releases debut album "Too Late to Cry" at age 16.

1990: Wins first Grammy Award for "I've Got That Old Feeling"; bassist Barry Bales joins Union Station.

1991: Banjoist-songwriter Ron Block joins Union Station.

1994: Guitarist-vocalist Dan Tyminski joins Union Station.

1995: Compilation album "Now That I've Found You" becomes major hit on country and pop charts.

1998: Grammy-winning dobroist Jerry Douglas joins Union Station.

2000: T-Bone Burnett-produced "O Brother Where Art Thou?" - featuring Krauss, John Hartford, Emmylou Harris and others - is released in December.

2002: "Down From the Mountain," featuring artists from the "O Brother" album, tours to sellout crowds.

2003: Krauss records new Sting and Elvis Costello tunes for "Cold Mountain" soundtrack, another Burnett project.

2005: Plays fiddle with Bono, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Steven Tyler and Scott Weiland during a version of The Beatles' "Across the Universe" at the Grammy Awards.