THE WHEELHOUSE ROUSTERS Ends The

by D IXIE LYNN

GROWING

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A resident musician at the Kentucky Opry in Draffenville, Logan Oakley is rooted in the Western Kentucky country music scene. Taking guitar lessons from legendary entertainer Scottie Henson, performing at the Opry nearly every weekend for 10 years, traveling with former bluegrass band Bawn in the Mash, and playing in a variety of country music bands, Logan is a skilled and experienced musician. So, when he got a text from good friends The Wheelhouse Rousters asking if he’d be able to travel to South Korea for a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to play with the band at an arts and cultural festival—he was up for the adventure.

Formed the same year that Paducah received its designation as an UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, The Wheelhouse Rousters have been playing bluegrass music together, mostly on riverboats, for the last decade. Early in 2022, they were accepted to perform at the World Folk Arts Biennale in Jinju, South Korea, thanks to major help from Lexie Millikan, Executive Director of the Yeiser Art Center. The Biennale is a celebration every two years to bring together UNESCO Creative Cities from around the world for a cultural exchange and collaboration through shared experiences and performances. Last October, the band, with Logan, Lexie, and Seth Murphy, Kentucky cellist and Music

Director of the Lowertown Arts & Music Festival, traveled to Jinju to represent Paducah and the U.S. They were joined by dance, musical, and performance groups from seven other countries including South Korea, Burkina Faso, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Nigeria, and Egypt.

After approximately 40 hours of one-way travel, all while hauling multiple instruments and a load of other travel gear, the Rousters began their jam-packed weeklong adventure in Jinju. Events were planned from morning to night. Guitar and banjo player for the band, Nathan Lynn, described it as feeling like “an intense world-culture camp.” Between mess hall style group meals and vibrant bus rides complete with sing-a-longs, the eight troupes participated in workshops where they shared and learned each other’s cultural customs. Acting as hosts, the Koreans shared their meal time customs and love for fermented foods like kimchi. The Nigerians taught everyone how to wrap headscarves and shared a traditional dance, and the Rousters shared the unique stylings of bluegrass music.

Being the only group chosen to represent our country on this global stage was an honor the band will never forget. “It was maybe the most important career point for me,” says fiddle and mandolin player Josh Coffey. His dad, bass, guitar, and drum player, Eddie Coffey adds, “It didn’t really dawn on me until we got on stage for the first performance and on the screen, it said ‘The Wheelhouse Rousters, United States of America.’ Then it hit home that we were representing our whole country, not just Paducah.”

The main group performances took place over the course of a week-long celebration, which also coincided with Jinju’s annual Namgang Yudeung Lantern Festival, commemorating Korean soldiers that lost their lives during a 16th century Japanese invasion. From the opening night at a beautifully modern indoor arts venue, to the culminating ceremony at a sacred, ancient fortress, the band says being part of the festival and playing these large shows felt like being in a dreamworld. The closing ceremony was particularly moving. “There were brightly colored lanterns everywhere, some as big as me or bigger representing the soldiers, lanterns in all of the trees, and all over the natural amphitheater inside the fortress. It was very beautiful. And the craziest performance I’ve ever been a part of,” says Josh. Among the lanterns and brightly decorated grounds, all eight of the troupes, each dressed in traditional clothing, performed together in a mass call and response type song, with the drums and other musicians keeping a steady beat, as the dancers marched through the entrance of the fortress and made their way to the stage. During this closing ceremony, the Rousters also helped lead a group performance of “Country Roads,” by John Denver, during which the whole audience sang along. A magical and surreal way to end their time in Jinju.

In addition to new cultural associations, the band gained a few other lasting impressions from the trip. “We grew pretty close and learned to rely on one another and support one another in a deeper way. We learned that we can perform under a great deal of pressure if we need to. And rise above any obstacle. And there were many obstacles on the trip that we had to just deal with in the moment,” says Josh.

Bassist Jake Siener adds, “It also really lit a fuse for the band on so many different fronts. The trip has roped Logan into the band and that’s been a beautiful thing.” Since Korea, Logan has officially joined the group, playing guitar and banjo, rounding them out to a five-piece. The band also now feels they can take on anything. So, when the opportunity came to enter the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s 36th Annual Band Contest, the Rousters signed on. This summer they’ll travel to Telluride, Colorado and compete against 11 other bands for a highly-sought after spot to perform on the festival’s main stage, and to join the main lineup at next year’s festival, along with gaining national recognition and critical acclaim.

“Without Logan’s vibe I don’t think we would be going to Telluride this summer,” Siener adds. “And we wouldn’t think that we could do something like Telluride without having done the trip to Jinju.”

Another strong influence from their time in South Korea is a re-ignited enthusiasm for their new album, The Adventure Never Ends. The project was put on hold until the group returned from South Korea. But after they returned, the band felt rejuvenated and went back to the studio at Time on the String to finish recording, adding three new songs that were written in or inspired by the trip to Jinju: “Kentucky Seoul,” “Kimchi Boogie,” and “Kentucky Stroll.” Releasing this summer, this is the band’s fourth record, and features 13 tracks. Closing out the album is the title track, which the band says fits their journey right now. As Eddie put it, “The album title depicts the Wheelhouse Rousters—an adventure that just keeps going.“

A Creative Collaboration

Between the scheduled main shows of the Biennale, impromptu jam sessions often took place among the musical groups. It was during one of these side jams that the Biennale’s musical director noticed similar sounds between the Rousters and the group from

Indonesia called Kaihulu. From their comparable tones and shared knowledge of western style songs spawned an on-going musical collaboration that has now spanned two continents.

In May, Kaihulu traveled to Paducah to perform with the Rousters at the annual Lowertown Arts & Music Festival, again thanks to major efforts from Lexie Millikan and Seth Murphy. Kaihulu’s visit was part of a greater celebration for Paducah’s 10th anniversary of its UNESCO Creative Cities designation, with a public meet and greet at Paducah School of Art & Design, time in the recording studio with The Rousters, and another jam session—this time at Paducah Beer Werks as part of their monthly Bluegrass Jam.