Everything old is new again, at least when it comes to trends in music. Bands like the Lumineers, the Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, and Nickel Creek are on the radio and featured in commercials, evidence that roots-inspired music is mainstream again. But what about the roots of roots music and the foundations of folk? Do new listeners discovering this music for the first time know how and why these styles developed? Those are questions Dom Flemons has been asking himself for years.
“It all came to a head for me with the release of the Coen Brothers film ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’” he says. “It dawned on me that the younger demographic has no idea that folk music stems from strong solidarity, people coming together, and strong political and social implications.”
Flemons, a multi-instrumentalist and one of the founders of the roots string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, calls himself a “preservationist.” He’s been trying, during the last decade, to educate listeners through music, both with the Chocolate Drops and in his solo career. Flemons will be leading his own unique class in music history with a show at The Stone Church on Sunday, Dec. 28, where he’ll be playing songs from his latest record, “Prospect Hill,” along with some old favorites.
“Prospect Hill” is Flemons’ primary focus for this latest tour. It’s his third solo record and the first since he left the Chocolate Drops in 2013.
“(The) thing is, I’ve been playing solo the whole time; even during my tenure with the Chocolate Drops. I had my own style, my own aspirations, and my own areas of study that didn’t have anything to do with the group,” he says. “It came to a spot where Rhiannon (Giddens) and I couldn’t agree on where the group ought to go, so I removed myself in order to let the band, as an institution, move on. I’m not sure where they’re going (laughs). I could’ve stayed forever if my ideas weren’t falling on deaf ears. Now this isn’t to say I’m not open to future collaboration. I am. It’s just not on the books at the moment, and won’t be for some time.”
I removed myself in order to let the band, as an institution, move on.
With this latest tour, Flemons is sharing with audiences his version of American roots music, the study and presentation of which he takes very seriously.
“The Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, the Decemberists… that isn’t roots music per se,” said Flemons. “I’m not trying to take away from the musical contributions they’ve put forward. I’m just trying to educate people on the idea that that type of music is more ‘rock-folk.’ It’s not what you’re going to get from me. I’m more of a preservationist. More of a purist. That said, this music lends itself to a genuine good time.”
Flemons started playing music when he was 16. He asked his parents for a guitar and immediately started singing Bob Dylan songs. “When I told them I wanted to be a folk singer, my father took me aside and said, ‘Son, folk singers don’t make any money,’” he says, laughing.
And, though his roots are in folk music, Flemons eventually dubbed himself “The American Songster,” a title that helped set him apart.
“That opened me up to more opportunities. I mean, ‘folk’ is a four-letter word that doesn’t help get you gigs these days. It’s a saturated term.”
On his records and at shows, Flemons wants to bring audiences back to the time when folk music was less diluted, less saturated. It’s a journey that spans generations of performers and songwriters who influenced everybody from Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger to Bob Dylan, and, yes, Mumford and Sons.
I’m trying to bring value to the traditions of American music. I’m trying to present music that people can learn something from.
“I feel like people need more interpretative art in music. Not rewrites. Folks have been flooded with musicians who are merely rewriting the past in these contemporary times. That’s not my mission. I’m trying to bring value to the traditions of American music. I’m trying to present music that people can learn something from,” he says, and quickly clarifies. “I mean, you don’t necessarily have to learn anything. My ultimate goal is to have people get enjoyment out of this. But, I’m consciously trying to leave some breadcrumbs lying around so that if someone is interested in learning more, they’ll find a wealth of knowledge at the library.”
With “Prospect Hill,” Flemons has set a blueprint for the course of his career. And, from the vast flavor that is incorporated throughout, he’s not pigeonholing himself into any one genre. He’s a student and player of the rich history and deep well of American songs.
Flemons and collaborator Guy Davis recorded the album on the day Pete Seeger died; Davis came from Seeger’s hospital bed to the studio. The record carries on the legacy and traditions of Seeger and other folk musicians who’ve informed and influenced Flemons, and that gives “Prospect Hill” an extreme weight from a myriad of emotive vantage points. He is indeed “the American Songster.” And he’s here to stay.
Dom Flemons will be at The Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket, Sunday, Dec. 28 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door and can be purchased online at stonechurchrocks.com.
