Dan Tyminski's 'God Fearing Heathen' advances bluegrass' modern traditions

14-time Grammy-winning composer, singer and songwriter Dan Tyminski's visible and invisible hand of influence over two decades of Americana and country music's integration into mainstream culture and media warrants a significant conversation.

Six weeks before the release of "God Fearing Heathen" -- his first bluegrass album in almost two decades -- he spoke to the Tennessean about how his century-old Country Music Association and Grammy-winning remake of American folk classic "Man Of Constant Sorrow" (for the soundtrack of 2001 film "O Brother Where Art Thou"), platinum-selling 2013 collaboration "Hey Brother" with now-deceased EDM titan Avicii, plus his work with Alison Krauss and Union Station since 1994 have altered the pop cultural landscape in general, but also uniquely prepared him for his latest ten-track recording.

As much as Tyminski's known for being a roots-driven modern-traditionalist, he credits penning the entirety of the album himself -- instead of, say, singing songs that are almost 100 years old with 1000 different previous interpretations -- for its lyrical freshness and resonance with the modern era.

Moreover, knowing multiple generations of the American songbook benefitted his writing process compositionally and lyrically. When he felt his material was erring too close to ground previously tread, he could spin songs in novel directions that spurred fresh material.

It's a process that isn't new to him.

A decade ago, when sent the demo of the song that became Avicii's "Hey Brother" (where Tyminski is credited as a vocalist), he was only sent two sparse guitar lines and a raw vocal.

"The creative circles I work around and mindset I create within immediately [erred "Hey Brother"] in a more bluegrass direction," Tyminski tells The Tennessean about recording his version of the acapella in a tune-driven style.

The version of "Hey Brother" that Avicii eventually released around Tyminski's track amplifies bluegrass' quaint energy into a marching band-style ode to the joys of family unity.

For "God Fearing Heathen," "Hey Brother" is finally reimagined, stripped down, to fit the style that, in his mind, Tyminski's vocal was initially recorded.

He notes that he's glad that the song's timelessness still translated as what he feels "best represents what I'm attempting to create as a bluegrass artist."

This, along with the album's title track being preceded by the hopeful Luke Dick and Jaida Dreyer co-written "Never Met A Stranger" and the pained "Silence in the Brandy" (co-written by Megan Mullins) -- the latter stating that "there's power in the blood, but silence in the brandy," about a war veteran dealing with his post-traumatic stress disorder -- creates an album that his unified in its excellence in using bluegrass' rawness to discover the pulsing heart of what drives distinct human emotions.

Having worked in a myriad of excellent, dynamic creative situations, working with his band -- and still being able to craft with earnest humility -- was appreciated.

"The players in this [iteration of] the Dan Tyminski Band are -- even though they're 20-somethings and younger than my children -- the type of like-minded people who are still able to sit and listen to each other while they're playing, in pursuit of harmonious sounds beyond their years of experience," states the 56-year-old veteran creator.

When also asked to contemplate that whenever he steps out of his well-defined space as a four-time International Bluegrass Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year, he's yielded incredible dividends not just for himself but the culture at large, he's able to synergize his profound popularity to a one-word answer:

Emotion.

"All I'm trying to accomplish is conveying the emotion in these songs in a loud and hard-driving style," Tyminski says. "Because I'm as traditional a bluegrass vocalist as there is, it's fun to push those vocals a little harder and sing them [in a higher octave]."

Reflecting on his career and how this album categorizes his current work and the genre's continuing appeal, he offers a positive reflection.

"I love bluegrass music. But it's more than picking on a banjo and putting out a record. From something that Dr. Ralph Stanley made to what I'm trying to get across on this album, the genre is best when you're pushing to elevate the quality of songs that are meant to be timelessly appreciated."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dan Tyminski's 'God Fearing Heathen' advances bluegrass' modern traditions