By Perry West
Washington D.C., Dec 12, 2017 / 12:09 pm
Folk music is known for its foot-tapping, hand-clapping, barn-raising style – but now, a group of Dominican brothers is giving the genre a theological twist.
Meet the Hillbilly Thomists, a group of Dominican brothers who have a new album coming out on Dec. 12, which they describe as an authentic human and religious experience.
"Music can be sacred, but it can also be simply human – which is also sacred, just in a less explicit way with lyrics and themes," Brother Timothy Danaher, one of the vocalists, told CNA in an interview with four of the band members.
"The New Evangelization needs all kinds of music, both the sacred and the human, to get the attention of people going about their daily lives."
The band consists of 10 members from the Dominican House of Study and St. Dominic's Priory in Washington D.C. It began as a lighthearted project with a focus on traditional Celtic music.
"The band itself was started by a couple of friars in our province," said Brother Jonah Teller, who sings and plays guitar in the band. It grew out of a group of brothers who would get together to play Irish tunes, he said.
At first, the project was a fun excuse for the brothers to get together weekly and enjoy music. But as it grew from Irish tunes to more folk and bluegrass, the band began to perform publicly, receiving gigs for Catholics venues outside of the house.
The name "Hillbilly Thomists" comes from a line delivered by Catholic author Flannery O'Connor. After her novel Wise Blood was released, she said people had identified her as a "hillbilly nihilist," to which she responded that she was more like a "hillbilly Thomist."
The album is eponymous – named after the band – and consists of 12 songs featuring instruments including the guitar, washboard, fiddle, banjo, and the bodhrán, an Irish drum. Eleven of the songs are covers of old-timey spirituals like "Poor Wayfaring Stranger," "Amazing Grace," and "St. Anne's Reel." The album also includes an original song, "I am Dog," written by Brother Justin Bolger.
When asked how music corresponds to evangelization, the band emphasized that humans are both spiritual and physical beings, and that their spirits are lifted by beautiful images and sounds, especially when accompanied by Scripture-based lyrics.
"I do think music can enhance evangelization if done right. We're bodily beings, so beautiful images and sounds can be good for us, can help lift our minds to God," said Brother Peter Gaustsch, who plays mandolin, piano, and guitar.
The Dominican order has released several albums of choir music, but the band hopes that this project reaches hearts of its listeners in a different way.
"There are so many great old songs in this tradition that speak of God's love, his mercy, his grace, and our hope in him," said Brother Justin Bolger, who sings and also plays piano, accordion, bass, and guitar.
Among the songs on the album is "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" – an American spiritual which has been covered by artists including Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris.
The wayfarer – or traveler – is an important image in Catholic theology, one of the brothers said, and cited examples from St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine.
"The poor wayfaring stranger is all of us," said Gautsch. "There's a strong theme in the history of Christian spirituality of our lives as a kind of pilgrimage to our heavenly homeland."
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"There's a loveliness and beauty that carries with it the longing for our heavenly home and the trials that can face us as we make our way towards the Lord, hopeful because of the promise of his love and mercy," added Teller.
Gautsch said the song depicts the struggle that is part of carrying our individual cross and learning to rely on the graces Christ provides for the journey.
"Sometimes the way is hard and steep, as the song says – in fact, it inevitably involves the cross – but the path has already been trod by Christ, who goes before us to prepare a place for us."
The album can be ordered online, and is available for download at iTunes and Google Play.
