The Glory-Beaming Banjo

Greetings Banjo Newsletter readers! Check out some excerpts from my interview with Riley Baugus that didn't make it into the article in the April issue of BNL. * * *  If you're reading this site, chances are you're already obsessed with the banjo. In commiseration with our affliction, our good friend Craig "Frailin" Evans wrote a piece for the Huffington Post, appropriately titled "Obsessed: The Banjo." Evans is busy wrapping up the second volume of his banjo builder documentary, which we wrote about back in June 2011. Since then, he has finished the first volume, Banjo Builders East of the Mississippi, which is now available from the project website, Conversations with North American Banjo Builders , as well as through the Banjo Hangout . You can also watch each 20-minute episode online on a pay-per-view basis. Soon, both volumes will be available through Smithsonian Folkways . The second volume will feature Banjo Builders West of the Mississipp...

Earlier this summer Craig "Frailin" Evans embarked on a tour of the eastern portion of North America to interview banjo builders as part of a project to document this "golden era" of artisans. He also spoke to a number of musicians and retailers to gain their perspective about our favorite instrument and these craftsmen. Next year, Evans will tour the western part of the continent. The result will be The North American Banjo Builder Series , which he plans to make available by DVD and as pay-per-view online episodes. He recently established a website for the project at www.northamericanbanjobuilders.com . The seeds of the banjo builder project can be seen in a  series of webinars  Evans conducted and posted at the Banjo Hangout . To get a glimpse of how the banjo builder series will look, he produced a video about Minnesota mandolin and guitar builder  Lloyd LaPlant . You can also check out this introductory video where Frailin explains why he's doing this ...