"We are a bluegrass band..."

The phrase, "We are a bluegrass band", has come in handy so often on this trip. When asking for directions to a bank, restaurant or gas station, I'll preface my question with, "Hi, yeah, we are in a bluegrass band and we are down here on tour. I was wondering if you could tell me where....". Almost always, the person I am asking cracks a grin and starts pointing and drawing me maps. People just generally want to help a bluegrass band get to where they are going. If we played heavy metal or hardcore rap, I doubt the response would be so positive. "Hi, yeah we in a death metal band and we are on tour. I was wondering if you could tell me where the nearest pet store is? We need to buy some live snakes and a lab mice for our show tonight". But in our case, the folks look at our aging Winnebago and immediately take pity. This is not to say that we actually ARE a bluegrass band. The truth is, we play very little "real" bluegrass. But explaining the historical developments of country music and our place that continuum tends to muddy up the conversation so I try to avoid it whenever possible. It's all a matter of labeling and brand identity. People see a fiddle and a banjo and they think "bluegrass" and that's ok with me. Rarely does somebody ask you to hand them an adjustable wrench, a can of non-stick cooking spray or a sterile adhesive bandage and I'm sure the folks that make Crescent wrenches, Pam and Band Aids are really happy about that. So, to the folks we encounter, I say, "we are a bluegrass band..." and the doors open.