Though there has been much for musicians to complain about regarding the current state of the music business, one major new development partially makes up for the negative. Chock it up to first- and second-generation rockers hitting elderly status in recent years, but it’s now considered status quo for older musicians in all genres to be on stage. Indeed, San Diego is seeing a major trend in late-blooming artists like banjo player Tommy Dahill, who performs at Winston’s tonight, Jan. 14. Born in Key West, Fla. in 1965, Dahill initially bought a guitar as a 17-year-old Led Zeppelin fan, although he didn’t actually start playing music until he was 35. “I was watching George Thorogood and thought, ‘I can do that,’” said Dayhill. He began teaching himself chords the next day, eventually taking lessons from acclaimed blues player Robin Henkel. His switch to banjo a year and a half ago was initially for practical reasons. “I hurt my hand and I couldn’t bar a guitar chord,” Dahill said. “I had a banjo lying around and started playing that.” Inspired by Barney McKenna, a Celtic music legend and banjo player for the Dubliners, Dahill shifted musical gears, though staying with Delta blues as a focus. “If I don’t start the day with playing a little bit in the morning, I feel like I’m mute,” Dahill said, “which is not real cool for your neighbors when you’re a banjo player.” He jokingly dubs his sound as “browngrass” music. “Just about everyone that picks up the banjo tries to sound like Earl Scruggs playing bluegrass,” Dahill said. “The name is a statement that I’m not trying to be another bluegrass guy who imitates Scruggs. I wanted to create my own sound. Besides, there is no bluegrass in California. It’s all brown grass.” Now a mainstay of the local acoustic scene, Dahill generally performs solo, though he occasionally joins Americana combo Folding Mr. Lincoln on stage. He said bringing a banjo into a sea of guitars elicits a good response from audiences. “Most people get a grin on their face as soon as they see it,” Dahill said. Though he covers a range of material from Robert Johnson to the Dubliners, his focus is squarely on original material. Uniquely for area banjo players, among the more typical songs he plays are those that deal with political topics. “It is all about my life,” Dahill said. “But it’s also about my views on things, such as the bill of rights and the encroachment on it in recent years. However, my first songs were about body surfing.” Dahill acknowledges that age 35 is a little late in the game to start in music. “I go to shows and guys have been singing for 20 years and I’ve been singing for, like, one,” Dahill joked. “Sometimes I’m not as good a singer as I’d like to be or will be, but my favorite singers have a little bit of roughness to their voice, so I figure that’s okay.” Dahill plans to record an album this spring. Having gotten so much enjoyment from his new music career, Dahill occasionally regrets not having started earlier — but only a little. “I think all the stuff that goes with being a young musician would have killed me,” Dahill said. “But in a way, I’m kind of glad I didn’t pursue music earlier. Starting later, I’ve had the presence of mind not to imitate other people. If I had hit it when I was in high school, I might have been just some other guy who sounds like Jimmy Page — or who tries to.” Tommy Dahill appears at Winston’s, 1921 Bacon St., tonight, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. There is no cover charge. For more information, visit www.listenlocalsd.com.
