- Member of: Bad Livers
- Genre: Country
- Similar Artists: Rattlecake, Atomic 61
Bluegrass is so rooted in folk traditions that it usually doesn't take much to rock the boat. The progressive bluegrass movement takes the styles and structures of the past and subverts them with rock & roll spirit and a sometimes punk rock attitude.
Danny Barnes grew up in Texas, where he was raised on the music of bluegrass pioneers Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and Jimmie Rodgers. A graduate of the University of Texas with a degree in audio engineering, Barnes dedicated himself to traditional bluegrass playing, picking up the banjo, and seeing where the instrument would lead him. In Barnes' case, the banjo led him to the Bad Livers, a progressive bluegrass band formed in 1990 and likely to either offend or amaze fans of the genre. Alongside bandmates Mark Rubin (on bass and tuba) and mandolin and guitar player Bob Grant (who replaced fiddle player Ralph White), the group is as comfortable on the punk circuit as it is on the folk circuit.
But Barnes' output extends well beyond that project. He frequently plays with artists such as guitarist Bill Frisell and keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, composed the score to Richard Linklater's The Newton Boys and (with Frisell) the documentary American Hollow, and appeared on too many commercials and sat in with too many bands to mention. He currently lives in Seattle, where he leads his outfit Thee Old Codgers, which also features violin player Jon Parry and bassist Keith Lowe. ~ Joshua Klein, All Music Guide