Trish Plays Bass

Bluegrass came along as a new calling for career musician and classically trained upright bassist Trish Imbrogno. She'd already spent 25 years with her instrument, performing with classical ensembles and symphony orchestras and gracing the stages of prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall.

Even after all that, the allure of roots music caused her to take an unexpected turn.

"I don't think I knew what I was missing until I found it," Imbrogno explained. "When you're in the classical world, the path is very prescribed – hours in a practice room with Simandl and Flesch, mastering solo rep and excerpts, all aiming for that orchestra job with steady weeks and a salary. That was my world for a long time, and I didn't really question it. I didn't even realize there was another way to make music professionally."

That started to shift after Imbrogno began playing with her partner, who's a fingerpicking guitarist in the style of Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Blake. She explained, "We were gigging regularly as a duo, and through that, I found my way into the broader Americana scene."

She was invited to bluegrass night at The Park House, a tiny bar in her Pittsburgh, Penn home base. She said it was so small, she had to lift her hand-carved, one-of-a-kind bass over people's heads "just to squeeze in the back corner." It was a scene of "no mics, beer flying, people jumping around inches from us, and no idea what I was doing…but it was electric and became a weekly thing for five years."

Over time, she started booking so many roots gigs that her calendar was already full; the orchestral work was crowded out. She preferred the more enjoyable bluegrass events.

"I didn't feel burned out preparing that material," she said. "In fact, I was excited about it. Meanwhile, every time I pulled orchestral music out of the folder, I'd sigh. That's when it hit me: Maybe I don't love this the way I thought I did. Or maybe I never really did – I just didn't know any other path existed."

What she found in bluegrass and Americana was connection. "In classical music, you're making this beautiful, intricate art, but the audience is silent, reverent, hands in their laps. In roots music, the audience gives you energy in real time," Imbrogno summarized. "You feel it. They clap, laugh, yell, and come talk to you after the show. It's not always about perfection; it's about people. And I realized I'm someone who needs that."

In addition to her gigging with Pittsburgh-based Sweaty Already String Band, she's just released her debut album, Bluegrass Love Songs, Volume One. She said it is "built around a bit of an inside joke I've made for years."

Calling something a bluegrass love song is kind of an oxymoron, Imbrogno said. "The melodies might sound sweet, but the lyrics usually tell a darker story. I started saying onstage that I only sing 'Volume One' love songs – the ones where everybody stays alive at the end…these are the heartbreak tunes…getting dumped, cheated on, left behind. Still sad, but nobody gets murdered."

It is with this humor and clear love for bluegrass that Imbrogno was guided in selecting numbers for the EP, which includes songs such as the locally beloved tune "Cherokee Shuffle" and what she described as the "love-hate" song "Clinch Mountain Backstep."

The experienced team Imbrogno assembled for the record includes Murphy Henry (banjo and vocals on one track); Dede Wyland (guitar and harmony vocals); Rainy Miatke (mandolin); and Becky Buller (fiddle). Christopher Henry recorded and engineered the album, with additional recording work by Ben Surratt and Mark Raudabaugh, and mastering by Will Shenk.

Imbrogno is really excited about this deeper new step into the bluegrass world.

"I didn't make this record because I want to be a front person or start my own band. I love being a side person, and I've been fortunate to play on a lot of records across different genres," she said. "But most of those don't show up when you search for me. So, part of this project was about visibility – making sure people can actually find me if they're looking for a bluegrass bass player. And part of it was proving to myself that I could do it."

She acknowledges the inspiring examples set by others and credits her main mentor in the classical world, her bass teacher, Jeff Turner. Imbrogno said she has found inspiration and mentorship in Missy Raines, whom she described as "an incredible player, teacher, and human." She also cited other women of roots music, including Dede Wyland, Becky Buller, Vickie Vaughn, Shelby Means and Molly Tuttle.

While she believes women performers of all stripes are a powerful bunch, Imbrogno attempted–quite thoughtfully–to explain the unique features of being a female bassist.

"The upright does have something special," she explained. "You're basically wrangling a full-sized human when you play it. There's a physicality, a kind of grace-meets-power. And when someone really plays the upright – when their technique is dialed in, especially with a bow – it's like a dance. It becomes an extension of the body. That instrument moves with you. It breathes with you. And that's something you don't get with a fiddle, or a guitar, or even an electric bass."

She said when people see a woman onstage wrangling a bass, they see a "powerful visual of a woman completely in sync with an instrument that takes up space…unapologetically."