It you’re looking for a bit of musical merriment, Debutants, a creative bluegrass string collective, are throwing a Funslinger's Ball on Nov. 22 at the Clyde Theatre.
The event will also feature the release of Debutant’s second full-length album of original music, Fiddle & A Rose.
Known for their individual musicianship and multi-instrumental expertise, this seven-member ensemble, which was founded in 2019 by Jon Swain and Lynn Nicholson, has forged an eclectic signature style that embraces the oldest and newest of bluegrass traditions, attracting music lovers of every age and persuasion.
They are fiercely dedicated to preserving the genre itself and teaching that craft to the next generation of young string players, explaining that, “in a world of things that are so bleak and artificial, the authenticity of bluegrass and the harmony of bluegrass really resonates with people.”
Here WBOI’s Julia Meek discusses the evolution of the group with Swain and Nicholson and the musical motivation for this elaborate celebration.
And hang on until the end and enjoy a listen to Steam Train Whistle Whine, an original from Debutants’ new album, Fiddle & A Rose.
Event Information:
Debutant's Funslinger's Ball
at The Clyde Theater
Saturday, Nov. 22
6:00 p.m.
All ages
Find complete details and ticket information at Debutants Facebook page.
This is a transcript of our conversation:
Julia Meek: Lynn Nicholson, John Swain, welcome.
Lynn Nicholson: Thank you.
Jon Swain: Thanks for having us, yeah.
Julia Meek: Now you have come a long, crazy way since you two first decided to get your bluegrass on back in 2019; in a word, what has that journey been like?
Lynn Nicholson: Man, I'm gonna go with rewarding.
Julia Meek: [chuckles] That's a good feeling to have, that's for sure, Lynn.
Lynn Nicholson: Absolutely, absolutely.
Jon Swain: Exciting.
Julia Meek: And that's inevitable, putting you two together, John, thank you for that. Now let's talk about your current roster.
You two, Lauren Blair, Sean Hoffman, Ellen Coplin, Michael Newsome, Colin Taylor, that is a veritable who's who of red-hot string players; you call it an ensemble, your group. What's so special about that exact combination?
Jon Swain: Well, everybody is their own unique musician, and come from different places, and you put it all together, and it's one unique sound, and everybody's got something to bring to the table that's different, and we all jive really well together, and it's just special.
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, absolutely, it's like, it's a family, you know? And it's something that we've all played in lots of different projects and groups, and we know that that secret sauce is like when you really love each other, you know, and we really do.
And we love spending time with each other, and we get really excited about each other's songs and each other's talents. And we're all just really grateful to have found each other and to have this time and space to create.
It's like our little oasis from everything else in life. We get together, and it's just like therapy. It's rewarding.
Julia Meek: It's heartening to hear your answers, because it shows. Did it surprise you when it was happening, that it was happening?
Jon Swain: It still surprises me to this day, absolutely. [chuckles] Like Lynn said, we all care about each other very much.
And we like to, you know, eat a meal together and write songs and the music sometimes, just it comes second to our friendship, sometimes, you know. [chuckles] So it's special.
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, absolutely.
Julia Meek: As long as there's plenty of both. I guess that's a great thing all in itself.
Jon Swain: Mmhhm. Yeah, definitely.
Julia Meek: And okay, the music rush, it's difficult stuff. And you are all good musicians. You're multi instrumentalists. You are genre hoppers. You are showmen and women all. But even so, how did the spectacle that is "Debutants" evolve?
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, well, we just kind of are a circus of individuals together, I think, [everyone chuckles] and uh, and we have a lot of fun, so we like to get everybody else in on the fun.
And from day one, we wanted to do something different. There's a lot of bands out there, there's a lot of shows and concerts, but we wanted to think outside the box and keep people on their feet.
We don't want them to know what to expect. We want them to expect the unexpected. So we try to come at it from a different angle whenever we can. We don't want to get lazy. We want to keep surprising people.
Ever since that first Debutants Ball, the circus hat fit really well, so we've just kind of kept that hat on, you know? [chuckles]
When you're in a band with seven people, you just kind of show up as the party, wherever you go. You find your people a lot easier, because you're this band of merry travelers that are out there doing their thing. The fun seekers find you.
Julia Meek: They feel it, they feel it too.
Jon Swain: Yup.
Julia Meek: So what's your biggest advantage having amassed this bunch of crazy, dare I say, creatives under one band, all in good spirit and good musical sensibility?
Jon Swain: Well, it's definitely, a they say seven heads are better than one kind of thing, to put it shortly. [all laugh]
Lynn Nicholson: Unless you're trying to plan on rehearsal or an outing... [all chuckle]
Jon Swain: Or a calendar. [laughs]
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah!
Julia Meek: So it does really, really help that you have seven extraordinary people, not just good musicians, not just good musical spirits. You all know the meaning of hard work and working together.
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, it really is.
Julia Meek: And it's magic.
Lynn Nicholson: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. Everybody shows up and they're happy to be there and, and that's just something we've always wanted to keep, is the fun, you know.
You can get sour on things so easily, and if you're doing stuff for the wrong reasons, I think that's a fast track to getting sour.
But we are constantly humbled by our seven lives and aligning those lives, but constantly rewarded and reminded of why we're doing it.
When you finally get together and you have that rehearsal, or that really awesome show when you're out on the road, or you get to play with one of your heroes in open forum or something.
Where you're just like, yep, this is worth all of the challenges and the struggles.
John Swain: And that magic, it fills you, and you're ready to go for the rest of the week.
After a good rehearsal; you know, you write a good song together. I mean, you're just, the rest of the week is just bliss, you know, so...
Julia Meek: And let's face it, you all, we all, were dealt the big Covid Quarantine setback with the rest of the world.
You were literally just forming, just putting stuff together, and everything we're talking about right here, right now, was a little bit of a hint and a dream and a gleam somewhere.
John Swain: Yup.
Julia Meek: And you were literally the first act in town to go "Quarantune" is what you called it, with a virtual house concert.
It was actually the practice that you were having that night that we all, the whole got the quarantine word. What did that edge give you and your big, really roots movement, your family movement, would you say?
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, well, we were supposed to play at the Brass Rail that night, but the show got canceled, and it was one of the early, early shutdowns. Everything was canceled.
So we lost a little steam from losing our show that night, but we had, you know, black lights set up in my living room where we'd practice anyways, and we were like, you know what, let's just, let's just live stream something.
And I think because we were an acoustic band, and we were able to still gather on the porch or in the living room and a little less overwhelming setup and a little more ease of getting together and playing music, we were still able to do that.
And we were all luckily healthy enough to do that, and maybe a little foolish enough to do that, depending on your point of view. [all chuckle] But we just pressed record, and the next thing you know, we had well over what the capacity of the Brass Rail was tuning in.
You know, everyone was at home looking at their phones even more than usual, and we realized we had a very captive audience out there. What that did for us is, we found a lot of really close friends and family and future Debheads that were looking for that light in the darkness.
They were looking for that fun as things were getting taken away from them left and right. So we trudged on, and we committed to still providing that for people.
We had a lot of outdoor shows, campouts and things where we were able to still safely gather and do it semi-responsibly. You know, we had people tell us, like, Man, I don't know how I would have survived the shutdown without you guys.
Because these were, like, avid live music junkies, that were going out, you know, multiple times a weekend to get their fix, and they had nowhere to go.
Julia Meek: And a word on your official Debutant pham, aka Debheads. Did it surprise you how quickly it did take shape? And by the way, how "pham" are you still today?
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, it did. It did surprise me, and I think it's because it was really a time to show our true colors, of like, okay, you know, we were still kind of conveying to everyone who was starting to lend an ear what we were all about.
And that was where I think we were able to really convey like, hey, we're about fun and we're about love and getting together and community. And man, what a dark time when all that was so needed.
And absolutely, those people are still some of our best friends, closest allies and front row at every show, you know. So the Debheads army has, has only grown, grown in strength and spirit.
Julia Meek: It's a powerful moment, it's legit, yeah.
Jon Swain: Yeah, it's crazy when you have people that tell you that your music, or your songs, like, literally saved them, you know?
And that's like, on a normal basis, but then we had the whole Covid thing that happened, and that just really put it into perspective for us..
Julia Meek: And you were there. Yes, it's valid.
Jon Swain: Yeah, you know, so afterwards, when people were ready to come out of the woodwork and felt like it was safe, I think everybody was just 100 times more excited to see music, and so they really latched on, and it created this amazing scene that still feels perpetual, so...
Julia Meek: I hope it is. I hope it is. And, okay, your signature sound currently, 2025, where has it brought you in its evolution?
Jon Swain
Yeah, I think with what we're doing, there's, there's such a huge well to draw from. You can play Bill Monroe from the 40s.
You can take a Pink Floyd song and totally flip it on its other side, you know, and you can do so much with the undeniable groove of bluegrass music. I mean, it's got a groove just like funk, just like blues, just like any dance music.
It's got its own groove to it. And we love to take that, and I think through all the improvisational side of it and the jam stuff and everything, I think it's led us to being more of a song band, more than anything at this point with the sound that we're going for now.
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, definitely. I think we know how everybody can kind of shine.
And man, when you're holding those cards in your hand, it's just so fun to be able to play them in a creative way and draw upon that, you know?
So, yeah, I think the inspiration from the well of what has been done, and then from the well of what we're all trying to do originally, it's a really rewarding, [chuckles] you know, again, well to drink from So...
Julia Meek: And the more you immerse yourself in the genre, in that well, and you're getting quite fluent in navigating that well, what are you learning about the genre that even you didn't know about? And then what does that allow you to do with that genre?
Jon Swain: Yeah, I think we all are still digging into this music individually and together, and seeing how far back we can go, whether it's old time tunes, different songs and tunes from every decade you know, which is crazy.
And then really learning the ins and outs and the intricacies of the music and being able to take those intricacies and put them into our own songs and our own way of playing.
Julia Meek: You have multiple backgrounds represented in your players as well, from classical to jazz to blues. Roll it all into one, and of course, that's all Americana, and this is all roots, and this is all where it belongs.
But is that, is that a secret weapon? Do you feel like those genres, or those little flares, those little flavors, make their way into your music?
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, I think so definitely. And I think how we write things, you really hear that, all those pieces coming together. And those backgrounds coming together.
And, man, it's just so awesome to flush something through all of our minds, whether it's coming up with harmonies or intricate arrangements or even the covers that we want to play.
I mean, I remember John bringing a John Hartford tune before I even knew who John Hartford was. And that's one of those things where you're really doing your homework into this rich history of bluegrass music, folk music, string music, old time music. And there's just so much.
The more you discover, the more there is to discover. And yeah, you just run into all of this awesome stuff along the way. And you just try to, you know, rip a couple pages out, learn a tune or two from it and throw that in the middle.
Jon Swain: And try to break some rules. [all laugh]
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, yeah. [chuckles] Try to break some rules.
Jon Swain: Fuse some John Hartford with some Post Malone, and really blow people's minds. [laughs]
Julia Meek: Yes, indeed. And you've also got a full length album ready to drop.
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah. So this Nov. 22, Funslinger's Ball is the release of our second full-length album, and that's called Fiddle & A Rose.
It's definitely, as you can pick up from the theme of the ball, it's a little more western infused. As much as we can be wild western infused, I would say.
And there's some cowboy songs on there, and some different motifs that come up that we're playing with. But as a style, I think, like John said, we become more of a song band versus a "let's play some bluegrass breaks around a progression" kind of thing.
It's let's come up with just the coolest song that we can all dream and scheme up these arrangements and get excited about and flushing it through everybody's worlds and everybody's ears, comes out with this really cool, original sound that is way bigger than the sum of the parts.
Jon Swain: Yeah. [music plays]
Lynn Nicholson: The more that we do this together, the better we get at doing that. And Fiddle and the Rose is definitely the culmination of that thus far, of us playing together and being inspired by each other.
Jon Swain: Absolutely. [music resumes]
Julia Meek: And as you have been mentioning, your dance cards are almost always very, very full, tending toward an endless variety of those balls being Debutants and all; ones more colorful than the next. How did they evolve, especially, why the madcap?
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, well, again, once we put that circus hat on, you know, you can't take it off. So I believe our first one was pretty much Circus-themed.
The second one was Day of the Debs, and that was Halloween themed. And it was a tip of the hat to like Day of the Dead. We were dressed up in sugar skulls, and we had some really cool things happen in there, but it was just a Halloween Rager.
Our last one, for our first full-length album, River on the Moon, was space-themed. That was the Space Ball. That was a ton of fun. We had space scenes, 3D projected all over the walls, and we were astronauts and aliens, and it was a galactic good time. [all laugh]
Julia Meek: I think we're beginning to know you like to word play. And that's fantastic!
Lynn Nicholson: Yes! Exactly. Never stop playing. Never stop you know, being young and dreaming and having fun, that's that's what we're here to do.
Jon Swain: Mmmhhmm.
Julia Meek: And what can you tell us is in store for your upcoming Funslinger's Ball. Who do you expect to see there? Vendors, revelers, and anything else ready to be Gunslinging. [all chuckle]
Jon Swain: We have to keep some surprises in our pocket. [chuckles]
Lynn Nicholson: That's the number one secret ingredient, is surprises. But one cat that's out of the bag is our good friends, The Tillers from Cincinnati. They are kind of a folk punk ethos, but very classic sounding, awesome group.
They've been playing for, I think, over 15 years now, and they're just so great when you hear them, it just sounds old and new at the same time. And we're really excited to get them on the big stage.
We've got some other acts that we have not announced yet, so there will be good things happening in every direction you look. You mentioned the vendors.
We've got a really great community of local artisans and regional crafters and creators, as well as just some people that are going to have some tables there talking about their nonprofits or their organizations that are doing cool things that we like.
We've got our performers that are adding their sensory excitement to the stage as well. So we're going to have some aerial performers, some different flow artists, and the stage will be adorned with a multi-sensory buffet of delight.
So yeah, expect the unexpected, but expect a good time.
Julia Meek: And expect the Clyde theater to be full of Funslingers, that's for sure. Now let's look at bluegrass as an endangered species, guys.
Even with its very, very good and firm Indiana, southern Indiana roots, how critical is getting the next generation of folk musicians into bluegrass is it for bluegrass's own safety?
Jon Swain: t's definitely important. I look at it as another great American art form, just like baseball. Bluegrass music is, it's not that old when you think about it, you know?
It's an amalgamation of all these different roots musics coming together, and it's really important to keep it alive, I think.
And I think we're trying to do that, especially with the Hoot Camp that we did this past summer.
Julia Meek: A word on the Hoot Camp.
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, definitely. Well, you said it. I mean, southern Indiana has those roots, but Northern Indiana, at least when I was growing up, there was a little bit of a dry spell as far as finding this music, finding other players to play with, finding teachers.
There was a few people that I was lucky enough to know growing up that exposed me to it, but man, when I finally had my mandolin and I was ready to learn it was few and far between of finding those jams and those teachers and those other pickers that you could play with.
And I do feel like that has improved a lot, and maybe it's just because being in that scene, I see those people now. But I think at least my son is going to be raised with a lot more bluegrass in this town and a lot more folk music than I was.
You know, that's all we can do, is do our part to make sure that it's here. And the Hoot Camp, that was definitely a daunting new territory to explore, teaching a camp full of kids grades 4 through 12, these pretty complex instruments, mandolin, fiddle, banjo.
It's not like Hot Cross Buns on a piano, you know? [all chuckle] It's, it's a little more complex than that. But, man, I was so inspired by these kids, and so floored with how quick they picked it up and how excited they were with it.
And the best thing I heard all week was like, You guys are going to do this again next year, right?
And it was just like, wow, they're hungry for this, you know, and we're providing this for our community and for this future generation of pickers, you know, you kind of see your place in the bigger picture of it all. And that's really what it's all about.
Julia Meek: How does it feel to be in that bigger place, especially influencing kids for the generations to come, to be the future of bluegrass?
Jon Swain: Yeah, yeah. Really cool. It was, for me, it was awesome seeing them access it through our original music, you know, and being able to walk the timeline backwards and kind of find bluegrass and its original form.
You know, through what we're trying to do with it, and turn it over and spin it backwards and kind of create this...
Julia Meek: Did they get it?
Jon Swain: Yeah, I did think a lot of them got it, yeah. And it was cool to see, you know.
Julia Meek: And, okay, do you think it's possible, as you are working on it, and certainly you have a plan and a goal and a dream and everything else.
Is it possible to bring this to the forefront of interest, of playing, supporting, teaching, growing that medium into the 21st century as a formidable medium, a formidable genre that everybody could, should and will embrace?
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, I think so. I think bluegrass music has seen a big resurgence in the last 5-10, years here, especially you have some really exciting people out there doing good things with it, you know.
And you have young people that are taking it into a new generation. That's what we're trying to do in our own way too, you know.
And to some people, we are bluegrass musicians. And to some people, we probably couldn't be further from bluegrass musicians, because you have that staunch, you know, traditional versus progressive divide, which is just cool, that's so fun to play with, you know?
Julia Meek: [chuckles] Gives you freedom.
Jon Swain: Yeah.
Lynn Nicholson: And to just not take yourself overly serious, but, yeah, I think it's not only possible. I think it's necessary.
And I think that in a world of things that are so bleak and artificial, I think the authenticity of bluegrass and the harmony of bluegrass really resonates with people, and I think that's partly at play of why we're seeing this resurgence.
You know, we went from everything auto-tuned, and everything so digitally remastered and perfect out there to all of a sudden, I want banjo on the radio, and you're hearing, you know, raw instruments and raw voices.
And people are resonating with that, and people are seeking that out. Yeah, I think it's a sign of the times.
Julia Meek: And last question, with all of your new-fangled ways to bring that genre into the 21st Century and keep it going strong, beautifully strong. What is it at the heart of the art of bluegrass that keeps it forever in your own?
Jon Swain: Definitely that undeniable wanting to dance when it comes on, that, that groove, you know that it's got, like I said, every other genre music that makes you want to move this one's got its own unique way of doing that.
Lynn Nicholson: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely you gotta, you gotta make, especially the pretty ladies.
You make, the pretty ladies dance out there and the fellows will follow, and next thing you know, you're having a good old time.
But no, I think it's that authenticity.
That that resonates with people you know, it's the real deal. It's picking on a front porch playing for peace of mind and for the players and for the listeners, you know. And I think it's that authenticity that is at the heart of it all.
Jon Swain: Mmmhhmm.
Julia Meek: Lynn Nicholson and John Swain are founders and core members of the bluegrass band, Debutants; thanks for the music you make, guys and for sharing its wonderful story, continued success, do carry the gift.
Jon Swain: Thank you.
Lynn Nicholson: Thank you, Julia, appreciate you.
