I took a chance last night. I went to a concert, one of only three I’ve been to since 1974. It was in the Arts Center in Carrboro by Chris Hillman (right) and his longtime collaborator Herb Pedersen. And, while I knew I would enjoy the music, I was afraid I would have to endure some Bush-bashing or anti-war patter between songs, which seems to be de rigeur on the concert circuit these days (according to friends who go). I had decided to just grit my teeth and stay for the music.
Happily, there was no politics, just a great concert of Bluegrass, country and gospel (with a few Byrds songs thrown in). Hillman, for those who don’t know, was the bass player for the original Byrds in 1964. He was recruited to that seminal group from a Bluegrass band, for which he played mandolin. The complete lack of any political statement at all made me wonder if maybe Hillman wasn’t your typical California liberal. If there is a safe venue for spouting liberal cracks during concert it certainly is the Arts Center in Carrboro.
So I went to his Web page to see if there was a clue. Yes, there was. This is from his bio page:
But there is another side to Chris Hillman that many of his fans and admirers don’t know about. He has always possessed a pioneer’s work ethic when it comes to songwriting, singing and performing. He has a keen interest in things Americana, particularly the history of the United States, and a deep respect for Judeo-Christian ethics. More importantly, this is a man whose heart and soul is dedicated to his family above anything else, even the trappings of major stardom.
And this:
“Traditional family values (have) worked for thousands of years, and I think a lot of people my age are embracing a more conservative outlook on things. Once they’ve actually been married and have (had) children, they say, ‘Wait a Minute, Mom and Dad were right!’” Hillman recently commented in an interview with Charles Levin.
