Dept. of Musical Chairs

A New Jerk in Town

by Taylor Smith

Portland bluegrass kings Jerks of Grass last Thursday announced the departure of fiddler John Farrell. Farrell bowed the strings for the Jerks from the band's inception two years ago and was the voice behind such Jerk standards as "Carolina Star" and "I've Waited as Long as I Can."

But bluegrass's loss is swing's gain: Farrell will soon be handling fiddling chores for the Sean Mencher Combo. He says that his long-bowed fiddling style is more suited to Mencher's brand of Texas swing, but also notes that he's learned a lot from his former bandmates. He'll also find time to menace 12-year-olds as a math and science teacher at Westbrook Middle school.

Stepping in to fill the Jerk's fiddling void will be multi-instrumentalist Zach Overton, a former guitarist and fiddle player for the Muddy Marsh Ramblers. When 21-year-old Overton found out about the Jerk's vacancy, he called and said flat-out, "I want the job." His feel for bluegrass and upfront attitude impressed the Jerks, who offered the Tennessee native the position. "Zach's playing is the sound we were looking for," notes banjo player Carter Logan.

Overton recently performed an impromptu set with the Jerks of Grass during their regular Tuesday night "Jerk Jam" at the Free St. Taverna. Despite all joining together for the very first time, the Jerk's sounded as authentic as ever -- and Overton's proved he had the chops on the fiddler's litmus test, The Orange Blossom Special, and even threw in a little Deep Purple riff for good measure. In short, the Jerks show no signs of slowing down.

Those longing for a bit more of the high lonesome John Farrell are in luck: the new Jerks of Grass CD, tentatively titled "Nowhere Fast" and due around September 15, will preserve his singing and bow-strokin' for generations to come. The disc features a host of Jerk favorites, from the traditional tones of Bill Monroe's "My Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin'" to Bela Fleck's newgrass barnstorm "Whitewater." The Jerk's own Ron Gallant offers up the project's only original, a tune entitled "The End of My Blues."

When asked how he feels about the Jerk's new lineup, mandolin and guitar player Gallant slyly looks at Carter Logan and replies, "Once Zach is broken in we can start looking for a new banjo player." Once a Jerk, always a Jerk.