The band Shanti Groove was playing music in Boulder, Colo., for years before the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" and its soundtrack made bluegrass cool. But finding work suddenly has become much easier for bluegrass musicians.

"Bluegrass is pretty much hot across the country right now," says Jason Scroggins, guitarist and lead vocalist for Shanti Groove, in a phone interview from Boulder.

Shanti Groove is just beginning an eight-concert tour that will take them to shows in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

The second stop on the tour will be Saturday's Shawnee Grass Festival at Shawnee Saltpeter Cave south of Murphysboro, Ill. Shanti Groove will be part of a bill that includes the more regional bands Broken Grass, Ol' Fishskin's and Green Mountain Grass.

Other Shanti Groove shows are scheduled at Ciceros in St. Louis and the Calvin Theatre in Washington, Mo.

Shanti Groove plays music that melds bluegrass, jazz, funk and rock. You know this isn't an ordinary bluegrass band right off because it has a drummer, Larry Novissimo. He plays hand drums instead of a trap set.

The other members are mandolin player John Heiland, bassist Yuri Freeman, and banjo player Jason Flornow, who is the only Southerner in the band. All are in their mid-20s and live together.

They picked their name from the Sanskrit word for "peace" and an English word that means you probably won't want to be seated while listening.

"We are not a sit-down band," Scroggins says.

The Alton, Ill., native was attracted to Boulder because of its vibrant music scene. Boulder bands like the String Cheese Incident and Leftover Salmon were meeting national success. The members of Shanti Groove live down the road from Leftover Salmon, a band that melds Cajun, rock and bluegrass sounds.

"We see a lot of bands making it out here," Scroggins says.

The band was born out of jam session that is still hosted in Boulder. Some of its tunes are extended jams, others are originals about everyday life. The band also plays traditional bluegrass songs, but most of the festivals they book are untraditional.

The mandolinist, for instance, sometimes goes electric, a sound that would make traditional bluegrass bands faint.

Shanti Groove's self-titled CD was recorded in November.

Selections of their songs can be heard at www.shantigroove.com.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182