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THE SPECIAL
CONSENSUS is a four person acoustic
bluegrass band that 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. The band has since
appeared on The Nashville Network “Fire On The Mountain” show,
toured for three seasons as 4/5 of the cast in the musical Cotton Patch
Gospel (music and lyrics by Harry Chapin), and released twelve additional
recordings. Songs from the 1998 Our Little Town, the 2002 Route 10 and the
2004 Everything’s Alright releases 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Bluegrass Association, has been archived at the Nashville office of the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 rosters of the Illinois
Arts Council (Artstour) and the Heartland Arts Fund 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. |
