For those who have heard the spoof-laced music of bluegrass-comedy act The Cleverlys, there’s no denying the quintet is a talented lineup of players. As for whether they’re serious about what they’re doing, the answer is a resounding “you bet.”
So serious, in fact, that The Cleverlys outfit—which allegedly is composed of kinfolk Digger, Miles, Vernon “V.D.” Dean, Harvey D. and cousin Otto—has taken its sound to the recording studio and emerged with a self-dubbed debut that pokes fun at mainstream hits via a bluegrass treatment that only The Cleverlys could devise.
The Cleverlys Merge Bluegrass with Comedy on Debut Album
Original songs, such as “Girl with No Pantyline,” “Eye of the Cage,” “Wheel Hoss” and “Tennicles,” are scattered throughout the 12-track CD, which is knee-deep in comedy/pop-styled bluegrass instrumentation. But spoofing other artists’ music, such as The Bangles’ “Walk Like An Egyptian,” Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” and Bill Wither’s “In the Pines/Ain’t No Sunshine,” also is a serious—and attention-nabbing—endeavor for this “family” band that hails from Arkansas.
In 2011, The Cleverlys experienced a memorable, career-building year, from performing in front of 60,000 at CMA Music Fest last summer, to layin’ their hillbilly-drawlin’ sound down on the stages of The Mint in L.A., Nashville’s Station Inn and even making their Grand Ole Opry debut. And oh yes, somewhere along the way the troupe managed to accrue more than a million views on their YouTube channel and thousands of Facebook fans, not to mention “thumbs-up” recognition from critics at USA Today, Music Row magazine and The L.A. Times, to name but three.
Fan Demand Pushes Bluegrass/Comedy Act to Create The Cleverlys CD
Nonetheless, thanks to the quicksilver favor that The Cleverlys found on the live circuit in 2011, the demand for a tangible, “take-it-home-after the show” recording multiplied faster than wild rabbits on a warm spring day. In turn, the group retreated to The Ozarks and Stabbin' Cabin Records studio to create the entertainers’ freshman CD, which was officially released Dec. 13, 2011.
On Jan. 7, 2012, The Cleverlys’ guitar-playin' funnyman—Paul Harris, a.k.a. “Digger”—took time to field a few questions for Suite101 writer Lisa L. Rollins about The Cleverlys CD, which boasts both side-splitting, backwoods humor and veteran musicianship. The following is an excerpt from this interview with the sometimes hard-to-pin-down comic/musician who’s been mixing bluegrass music and humor for two decades and counting.
Which came first for The Cleverlys, the comedy or the bluegrass playing?
“This is hard to answer. It’s like the question what came first the biscuit or the gravy, the Eiffel or the Tower, the fingernail or the clippers? I just know you can't have one without the other.”
Will true-blue bluegrass fans find favor with the material on this CD--or feel betrayed by the spoof-filled offering?
“Favor, for sure. Bluegrass fans have embraced us and have been a huge part of our fan base.”
How does the songwriting/comedy writing process work for The Cleverlys? What inspires the music?
“We get inspiration from nature. … A spring meadow, a rolling brook, a baby antelope being dropped from the sky by a soaring eagle. These are great vehicles for writing bluegrass.”
Is there a stereotypical Cleverlys groupie or fan that comes to mind? And if so, describe, please.
“We call them ‘Cleverheads.’ They're the best fans on Earth. They will travel far and wide just to get to Cleverland! Thank you, Cleverheads!”
As for the year ahead, The Cleverlys—whose exaggerated characters are based on both fictional depictions and folks they’ve met in real life—have a new disc to tout and a loaded touring schedule that will find them merging “the hokey with high brow,” accompanied by respectable bluegrass pickin’, from North Carolina and Missouri to Arizona, and then some.
To learn more about the group or sample The Cleverlys CD, please access the players’ official website.
Lisa L. Rollins - Texas native Lisa L. Rollins, Ph.D., is an award-winning feature writer, interviewer and journalism educator.
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