BY RYAN GREEN
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
This Saturday at the Birchmere, Fredericksburg's own John Starling, of Seldom Scene fame, will be dueting with Jay Starling, his son, for the first time publicly.
The Starlings will be opening for Grammy-winner Dan Tyminski and Ronnie Bowman, a duo that promises to wow listeners with technical musicianship and the smooth vocal timbre that has taken the bluegrass genre by storm.
Tyminski's renown is nearly unprecedented for a bluegrass musician, in large part due to his international hit "Man of Constant Sorrow" from the "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack.
Still, it is likely that fans from across the Washington area would have bought tickets for this show even if the headliner couldn't make it. After all, this area owes much of its proclivity for great bluegrass to the Seldom Scene. The Scene's weekly gigs at the Red Fox Inn in the early 1970s certainly turned more than one generation onto the high lonesome sound.
Now, 40 years later, Starling will take the stage with son Jay, himself a multitalented musician who has played nationally with acts such as Keller Williams and Adrienne Young.
The writer caught up with the pair on the perfect example of a Fredericksburg city front porch. Relaxing in a ring of chairs, the interview ran loosely, with the Starlings seemingly defining their upcoming show as they spoke.
"This is something new and different," said Jay. "It's special for me just to play with him, kind of in the house he built, whether he would like to admit that or not."
The father-and-son duo are openly delighted with the musicality they share. While showing off a picture of Jay holding a guitar as a young boy, John described how this show came to be.
"The Birchmere said they wanted to set up a duet night," said John. "And they asked me who I wanted to play with, and I said I think I'll choose a real musician and get Jay. Read on.
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