by Caroline Wright
The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming!
Immersion seems to be a key factor in this band's sound. For years, Mike Flood, the newest member, had taken his bass out only rarely-“to dust it off, or put an LP on and play along,” he says. “But they've made me make up for it in the last year, I tell you! We practice a minimum of six hours a week, every week.” Early in his musical career, Mike was almost lured to the U.S. by an opportunity to play on a cruise ship between San Francisco and Honolulu. “I didn't go,” he says, with, perhaps, a bit of regret. “I had a career, a wife and two young bairns. I didn't want to go professional.” He put the bass away and settled down to raise his family. A couple decades later, the telephone rang. “The last thing I ever expected was a call to audition for Deep River. They'd just lost their bass player, and I'd always had a love for this music. But I hadn't played for 25 years!” Mike went for the audition, and was impressed by how nice the Deep River gang seemed to be. “We got on very well. And the three of them have such a love and understanding of the music. It's the real stuff, the real harmonies, just incredible instrumentals,” he says. “They don't compromise. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and it caught me, hook, line, and sinker.” Founding Father The founding father of the Deep River Band, Gerry Williams first learned to play guitar when he was about 12. During a stint with the Royal Navy, Gerry found himself at sea playing with a skiffle band. He began playing bluegrass music in 1962, and he's never stopped. His extensive collection of bluegrass and old-time recordings has helped Deep River create an authentic traditional sound. The self-employed carpenter's mournful tenor has a raw edge reminiscent of Hank Williams, Carter Stanley, Hylo Brown, and Red Smiley.
In May 2001, Deep River enjoyed its first tour of the southeastern U.S., which included a spot at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival and a gig at Madams Organ in Washington, DC. The band also made time to record its first album, with the help of American pal Jimmy Gaudreau. Virginia Sessions featured standards like “Rose of Old Kentucky” and “Gold Rush” by Bill Monroe, “Are You Missing Me” from the Louvin Brothers, and traditional instrumentals like “Cherokee Shuffle” and “The Old Spinning Wheel.” The project's first run, marketed through County Sales, sold out. With its return trip to the U.S., the band itinerary includes appearances at Doyle Lawson's festival in Denton, NC and Virginia's Festival in the Pines, among others. The tour will climax with an appearance at the legendary Birchmere in Washington, DC. And Deep River will also make a second trip to the recording studio, arranged, once again, by Jimmy Gaudreau. “We have a much different sound now; we're much more driving, we're tighter. I generally think we're 100% better,” Gerry comments. Guests on the project will include Gaudreau, Jack Lawrence, and possibly Dick Smith on banjo. “Our banjo player is a brilliant mandolin player,” he grins, “and it probably would be nice if we got the chance for him to try a mandolin trick or two.” The Prodigal Son Mandolin tricks are not a problem for Adrian Farmer. He began playing guitar when he was seven, and has evolved into a serious multi-instrumentalist. Amazingly, he's never had a lesson on any of the instruments he plays-banjo, resophonic guitar, guitar, mandolin, bass. “My parents never discouraged or encouraged,” he says. “When I was learning, I was practicing on school days about four hours a day, and at weekends, nine or ten hours a day. And they never said, 'Come on, put that down.' They just let me get on with it. That's a form of encouragement, I suppose!" When he was 14, young Adrian discovered the banjo. “My parents weren't too chuffed about it-they weren't that happy about me picking up the banjo, because of the volume!” he chuckles wryly. He fell hard for the music of Don Reno, J.D. Crowe, and Ralph Stanley. “The first LP I heard was Earl Scruggs, and that got me started. Music from the 50s and 60s-to me, that's the height of bluegrass!” Adrian has appeared with the Good Ol' Persons, and toured with Jim Eanes, for whom he named his son. An accomplished luthier, Adrian has built instruments for many well-known musicians. All of the instruments played by the Deep River Band are Adrian Farmer creations! He writes music, too; Deep River's new album will include a couple of his original banjo and fiddle instrumentals. Though he's performed on almost two dozen European recordings over the course of his long career, Adrian looks forward to working in an American studio again. “You guys over there know how it should sound,” he says. “In Europe, engineers who actually understand the music are few and far between. I've only found one, and he's in Holland!” Not Just Fiddlin' Around Tall and lean, Gina Richardson cuts a strikingly dramatic figure onstage, providing sweet fiddle accompaniment for the Deep River Band. A classically trained violinist, Gina teaches violin in England's schools to students as young as seven. Gina's introduction to bluegrass music came just five years ago. She was immediately intrigued. “I know scales and chord structures, so learning the new tunes was easy,” she recalls. “I could work from a chord base, a bit like guitar, and improvise from that.” The improvisational nature of bluegrass fiddle was most appealing to the violinist. “I've always been able to play from the air. As a child, I'd pick up anything I could hear, but as my schooling went on, I was pushed down the classical channels.” These days, Gina's delight in her new music is audible in every note she plays. “I love being able to pick up tunes and improvise. It's so much freer! And I just love the sound of bluegrass, the drive. I love it. It's wonderful!” Her sultry high baritone blends exceptionally well with the tenor voices of bandmates Gerry and Adrian. “I've not got a very high voice,” she admits. “For a woman, it's quite low. They're pushing me higher, and I can get more volume!” Whirling Through The Bluegrass The Deep River Band's itinerary is packed full of exciting appearances and events. Will they have enough time for all they want to do? “Well, Gerry seems to think so!” laughs Adrian. “It's the chance of a lifetime, to come over to the States for three weeks and play at all these places. We've just got to make time, that's the thing.”
For bassist Mike Flood, the trip will be particularly thrilling. Not only is it his first trip to the U.S.; it's his first time on an airplane! “They're worried I'm not going to get on!” he laughs, speaking of his bandmates. “But nothing's gonna stop me.”
Caroline Wright is a freelance writer. She can be reached via e-mail at c@wrightforyou.com.
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If you're looking for proof that hardcore bluegrass can sprout and thrive in foreign soil, just listen to the Deep River Band. With an irresistible blend of soaring harmonies, excellent instrumentation, and traditionally inspired material, this British quartet arrives in the United States this month for a few weeks of bluegrass immersion, American-style. 
With Gerry at the helm, the Deep River Band has become one of the best-known bluegrass bands in England. “We get booked in all the clubs, and we have a regular six-month slot at the Heart of England, a large bluegrass club just outside Warwick Castle,” he says. The band has provided support for many visiting American acts, including the Shankman Twins, Bill Clifton, Jimmy Gaudreau, Richard Bennett, Special Consensus, Jack Lawrence, Dick Smith and Mike O'Reilly.