Old time tunes get new twist

For Mark Palms, of the old-time music group The Raisin Pickers, playing a pair of
shows in historic opera houses is a perfect fit.
The music the Pickers play and the opera houses in Grand Rapids and Pemberville share
the same deep roots in American rural culture. The venues offer an
"intimate’ atmosphere of the musicians. "It’s a wonderful
opportunity," said Palms.
Palms is joined in the trio by Carol Wells Palms, his wife, and David Mosher. They
all play fiddle and sing with Mark Palms also contributing banjo and guitar,
Carol Wells Palm, string bass, and Mosher, mandolin and guitar.
They’ll perform Live in House concerts Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Pemberville, and
Sunday at 2 p.m. in Grand Rapids. Tickets are $12. Call (419) 287-4848.
Though rooted in old time music, The Raisin Pickers write much of their own material.
These new pieces extend the traditional music rooted in Celtic and Scottish
dance tunes and African-American blues, work songs and spirituals.
The Raisin Pickers got their start 22 years ago in Manchester, Mich., where the Palms
live. The Raisin in the name comes from the river that runs through town.
The couple had met while studying music at Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich. She
was a classically trained violinist and he was self-taught in the folk
tradition. "It’s always been a mixed bag between us."
They both went on to teach music in schools. He recently retired, but she is still an
orchestra director in the Ann Arbor schools.
Mosher is also more rooted in the folk traditions. He’s made his living as a
performer, session player and producer.
The band makes good use of the members’ varied backgrounds.
While Mosher and Mark Palms "learned folk music and bluegrass as it comes from
the back porches and backwoods of rural America," sometimes just
reiterating the old tunes is not enough.
"People want to be entertained," Palms said. The classical grounding helps
with fashioning old-time material in new ways with vocal harmonies and
instrumental arrangements.
The band has evolved over the years. At times it ballooned to as many as six members
with ukulele and tuba. "We had a lot of great players come and go,"
Palms said.
The band pared down to three making it easier to manage and tour.
As the players age, they’re less willing to tour widely. Instead they’ve started
their own festival and traditional music camp.
Bringing players up from the south helps augment trips to keep the musicians in touch
with the music’s roots.
They try to communicate that to listeners. "We try to connect with the
audience," Palms said. "We talk about where a song came from, what
influenced us. We just try to have fun with the music and enjoy what we do, and
usually the audience picks up on that."