There are bands, and then there are institutions. And it’s probably about time we moved the Marshgrass Mamas into the “institution” category.
Eight women strong, the Marshgrass Mamas has been thriving for almost 25 years. A mix of deft acoustic playing, sweet-and-sour vocal harmonies and a ton of laughter, the group has served as a temp-to-permanent home for a variety of female Charleston musicians.
The current lineup features upright bass player Kristen Meierer, Cary Ann Hearst (of the popular Charleston duo Shovels & Rope) on guitar, Dolores Payne on banjo, Chandler Marburg on guitar and fiddle, Gina Perez on fiddle, Caitlin Cahill on banjolele (a combination banjo-ukulele), slide guitarist Skye Paige and guitarist Becca Smith.
It’s a one hell of a lineup with serious instrumental skills, rich vocal harmonies and songwriting chops galore. You can hear most of these players in their individual projects, bands like Admiral Radio, The Butterbeans and Yee Haw Junction, but the Mamas’ sound is something special.
And now, more than two decades into success, the band has its first album out. And it will perform again Dec. 6 at The Pour House.
So with all of the band’s gifts, why did it take the Marshgrass Mamas so long to make an album, aptly titled ’Bout Time?
“We call ourselves South Carolina’s most underachieving band,” Meierer said in a recent interview with the Charleston City Paper. “It took us 25 years to come up with our first recording, so yes, it’s about time.”
“Our intention is just to get together and have fun and play music together,” Hearst added. “But half the time, we’re just chatting. So when you chat half the time, you don’t get very much accomplished. We’ve been together for 25 plus years, and I think we’ve only done 15 years of work.”
That laid back, all-in-fun vibe runs through all eight tracks on ’Bout Time. In fact, the first track, “Just Havin’ Fun” sets the tone perfectly, a shaggy dog tale of a whirlwind romance that takes us south of the border. The instruments chug along like classic up-tempo bluegrass, accented with deft group harmony vocals.
That tune leads into wistful ballads (“Find the Joy”), joyful picking sessions (“June Apple”) and “Laundry Sucks,” a quick bit of advice delivered with gospel flair: “Housework makes you ugly/And laundry sucks.”
“Some of those songs, we’ve had for years, and we’ve been asked to record them for years,” Meierer said with a laugh. “We finally just had to get them recorded so that people would stop bugging us.”
Specifically, there was one person who kept bugging the band to get its songs out: 11-time Grammy award-winning Americana singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile.
Carlile invited the Marshgrass Mamas to perform at her “Girls Just Wanna Weekend,” last year, an all-inclusive, four-day vacation event in Mexico that features music by female and non-binary artists. Once she heard its songs, she was insistent that the band make a record.
“Brandi Carlile said, ‘You HAVE to go record something,’ ” Hearst said. “’You need five songs on Spotify or something. You need to get your shit together.’ Well, that’s an approximation of what she said.”
“When Brandi Carlile tells you to record an album, you’ve got to do it,” Meierer said. “Especially if it involves going back to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico.”
Hearst said in addition to finally releasing an album, she’s noticed the band has begun to influence the next generation of female Charleston musicians.
“Now we’ve got these girls we call the Marsh Grass Minis,” she said. “And they can pick circles around us. They are forming their own little groups and supporting each other through music. So, I love that. We inspired other girls.”
Having said all of that, Meierer is quick to add that you shouldn’t be expecting a second Marshgrass Mamas album anytime soon.
IF YOU WANT TO GO: The Marshgrass Mamas plays two shows on Dec. 6. Doors open at noon for the 1 p.m. show and 5 p.m. for the 6 p.m. show. Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy., Charleston. $17-$20. charlestonpourhouse.com
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