By Staff
Special Consensus, an international touring act returns to Niles this weekend and will be promoting its new CD. "Signs"
On Sunday at 7 p.m., come to the free concert at Riverfront Park to hear "Bluegrass with an attitude."
The four person acoustic bluegrass band began performing in the Midwest in the spring of 1975. The first band album was released in 1979 when the band began touring on a national basis. In 1984, The Special Consensus initiated the Traditional American Music (TAM) Program in schools across the country and began appearing on cable television and National Public Radio shows, according to the band's website: www.specialc.com.
Songs from most recent Special C recordings (Our Little Town, Route 10, Everything's Alright and Trail of Aching Hearts) have appeared on the National Bluegrass Survey chart in Bluegrass Unlimited and on the Gospel Truths chart in Bluegrass Now. A video production of the TAM Program, sponsored by the Northern Indiana Bluegrass Association, has been archived at the Nashville office of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and sent by the IBMA to hundreds of schools throughout the United States.
In 2000, Pinecastle Records released the first band performance video, filmed for Iowa Public Television's "Old Time Country Music" show, and The Special Consensus 25th Anniversary recording to mark this milestone year for the band. The 25th Anniversary and Route 10 recordings each received a Highlight Review in Bluegrass Unlimited, and Route 10 was included in the Top 10 Recordings of 2003 in both Bluegrass Now and the Chicago Tribune.
In November 2003, The Special Consensus received a standing ovation after the first band performance on the Grand Ole Opry at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. The 2005 Everything's Alright release was included in the Top 10 Recordings of 2005 in Bluegrass Now and Greg was featured in the September 2006 cover story of that periodical. The band was featured in the August 2005 cover story of Bluegrass Unlimited.
International tours have brought The Special Consensus to the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, Ireland and South America. In 1993, the band performed the first of many concerts with a symphony orchestra, complete with orchestral arrangements of songs from the band repertoire. The Special Consensus is included on the touring roster of the Illinois Arts Council (Artstour) and continues to participate in the Arts Midwest Performing Arts Touring Program.
The Special Consensus repertoire features original compositions by band members and professional songwriters (such as "Ten Mile Tennessee" and "Margarita Breakdown"). The repertoire also includes traditional bluegrass standards (songs by Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, etc.) and songs by artists from other musical genres (such as "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin). As a result of this musical diversity, The Special Consensus has performed at the most traditional bluegrass festivals and has also been the band to bridge the gap between traditional and progressive bands at more diverse festivals and fairs.