Bluegrass a Musical Passion for Richmond District Couple

By John W. Davis

Jeanie and Chuck Poling might be described as a typical Richmond District couple; married with regular daytime jobs, living in a flat near Golden Gate Park with two children attending public schools. But that is where the "usual" ends.
The couple, who met about 20 years ago through their shared love for music, are serious, active performers of the country music genre called bluegrass. The Polings perform regularly at various venues in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Recent gigs include performances on Clement Street at the Last Day Saloon and The Plough and Stars and in the Mission District at The Atlas Cafe.
With Jeanie as the guitarist/lead singer and Chuck on the mandolin, they create an exciting, energetic, toe-tapping sound. They perform as a duo, but are often joined by fiddle player and singer Karla Solheim. In a typical jam at The Plough and Stars anyone from the audience is encouraged to join in.
"We create right on the spot within a laid back atmosphere," Chuck said.
The Polings love performing. "We met through our interest in music and have the same feelings about it," Jeanie says.
While Northern California would not be regarded as the center of country music, bluegrass does have an active, popular following with a well attended bluegrass festival in Grass Valley and a Northern California Bluegrass festival in February with 10 days of performances and workshops. Chuck characterizes bluegrass as a genre of traditional country music.
"There is a lot of crossover but bluegrass refers to the type of instruments and the style of music, a hard-driving rhythm and high lonesome sound," he said. "We use a lot of acoustic instruments, including the dobro (a metal acoustic guitar), banjo, bass fiddle and mandolin Ð but no drums."
The roots of bluegrass are in the African-American tradition of songs from the early 1900s in the rural Appalachian area in the southern U.S. However, most sources give credit to Bill Monroe and his Grass Valley Boys Band for introducing the new form of country music in Kentucky in the '20s.
Monroe brought a hard driving, powerful sound using acoustic instruments and vocal harmonies. The mandolin became a critical part of bluegrass bands. Many experts date the real beginning of the music to 1939, when Earl Scruggs, a 21-year-old banjo player with an innovative style of three finger picking , joined Monroe's band. Music has been a lifelong part of the Polings life.
While they grew up enjoying a wide variety of music, including show tunes, jazz standards and classical, they have a special appreciation for bluegrass.
Chuck says young people are looking for music with some sort of soul and universal themes, such as disasters and heartbreak. In fact, a good percentage of the PolingÕs audience is in their 20s.
Jeanie and Chuck see themselves as a good match for the bluegrass performance style, which relies on a close connection with the audience and a people-friendly attitude that encourages involvement and participation.
"We maintain eye contact with the people and we even handle the hecklers in a positive (non-threatening) way," Chuck said.
"Bluegrass brings all kinds of people together. This music is the common language," Jeanie added.
Chuck, a native San Franciscan, grew up and attended schools in the Mission. He later attended college at the University of Mississippi where he enjoyed southern country music and other interesting characteristics of the culture.
Jeanie, originally from Long Island, is active in the Parent Teacher Student Association at her younger child's school. She says, a bit ruefully, that her children have not yet taken to their parent's love of bluegrass, but maybe their interest will increase once they pass through the teenage years.
The Polings love living in the Richmond District, a block from the park, close to great restaurants and having family nearby (Jeanie's parents live in a flat in their building). The Polings preparation for a gig can begin by finding songs from obscure gems by "scavenging" used record stores. Then they work on the structure of the arrangement of the song and determine which instruments to use. When they work with others they try to give all participants a chance to shine.
The Polings encourage all Richmond residents to attend a jam or festival.
"The best way to learn about bluegrass is to come to (a jam)," Chuck says. Some upcoming events featuring the Polings include: Dec. 4 at The Plough and Stars, 116 Clement St., at 8 p.m., no cover charge; Dec. 15 at Rock Soup Cafe at Mission and 29th streets, at 7:30 p.m., no cover; and in February (details to be announced) at the S.F. Bluegrass Old Time Festival.