POP MUSIC REVIEW : Keeping the Bluegrass Fresh by Fiddling With Tradition

Fiddler Byron Berline, who has played with everyone from the Rolling Stones to the Flying Burrito Brothers and Linda Ronstadt, is living proof that tried-and-true country music can be one helluva good time.

There are few players out there who can add anything to the weather-worn standby “Orange Blossom Special.” Yet Berline and his five-piece band, Sundance, which opened a weeklong stand at the Crazy Horse Steak House & Theater in Santa Ana on Tuesday, came up with enough interesting elements to give the song a new twist.

Steel guitar player Skip Conover bent his notes for a funky wah-wah effect before hitting the strings to turn the guitar into a percussion instrument. Berline chose to change some of the phrasings and centered his playing as much on harmonics as the straight melody, making for some mighty intriguing listening.

Because they come from a progressive bluegrass background, there is a certain built-in credibility to what these guys are doing.

When a woman called out for Randy Travis songs, Berline politely responded, “You’re going to have to go see Randy Travis’ show if you want to hear Randy’s stuff.”

From there, Berline and Sundance launched into a plaintive Hank Williams song, “The Rambling Man,” where the violin played an eerie-sounding, almost mournful part as the band worked its way into a low-down groove.

Perhaps what makes Berline’s musical vision so potent is the fact that he enlists top-notch players, especially Conover on steel and John Hickman on banjo. These are musicians who would never dream of playing by rote, and the result is music that lives and breathes instead of merely exists for the three minutes that it is being churned out.

Yet, for all the excellence onstage, there is no overt seriousness being exuded by the players. Midway through the set, Berline started querying the band on their favorite birds as a way of introducing “Listen to the Mockingbird,” a song that allows the fiddle player to play bird calls. But rather than resting with the obvious, Berline also did his impression of a jailbird (sawing), a duck (he squatted) and a chicken laying eggs (complete with mood music).

With such an irreverent approach, Sundance keeps the mood light and the music happy.

Indeed, when Berline draws his bow across the strings, he is able to make his fiddle emote some pretty strong emotions. Yet for all the obvious sadness a fiddle can evoke, it was on upbeat songs such as “San Antonio Rose,” “Beaumont Rag” and “Turkey Knob” that its often-overlooked exuberance made the strongest possible statement about a fiddle’s capabilities.

A bluegrassy treatment of “One Way Rider” was more laid back than the version by Ricky Skaggs, but the shuffling tempo suited the arrangement just fine. With a banjo solo that sounded a great deal like honky-tonk piano playing, it was perfect for two-stepping, something the crowd did all night long.

Country music may be enduring growing pains, but Berline’s pure vision and a band that knows how to play the notes with gusto show that classic country doesn’t have to be relegated to the past.

Byron Berline and Sundance will continue through Sunday at the Crazy Horse Steak House, 1580 Brookhollow Drive, Santa Ana. Show time: 8 p.m. Cover: $1. Information: (714) 549-1512.