The Glory-Beaming Banjo

Three "Vinyl Hunter" posts in a row, are you tired of these yet? I hope not. I've had a good stretch of picking up some excellent old-time albums on vinyl, and I'm expecting another one soon. For today, however, I received this package from a certain old-time master that contained the 1986 album by Robert Sykes and the Surry County Boys, Black-Eyed Susan .  Released on Heritage Records, the record was still in the shrink wrap. Despite a bit of wear on the corners, the vinyl is in pristine condition. I always find it exciting to break the seal on records that have been sitting around unopened for years. As I mentioned above, this record came from a a well-known old-time musician who has been mentioned on this blog before . I was watching a live broadcast of Paul Brown and Terri McMurray on Facebook  awhile back, and he mentioned having copies of the Sykes LP available. So, after the broadcast, I messaged him and inquired how I could get one. A quick PayPal trans...

The Highwoods Stringband have been revived in a brilliant new documentary film produced by Larry Edelman. Featuring narration from Paul Brown, extensive interviews and plenty of archival footage of the Highwoods in action, Dance All Night — The Highwoods Stringband Story gives a straightforward account of the band's history and their influence on the old-time scene then and now. In addition to interviews with bandmembers Walt Koken, Bob Potts, Mac Benford, Jenny Cleland and Doug Dorchug, the film includes commentary from a number of other notable musicians, such as John Cohen, Richie Stearns, Sammy Lind and others. The film chronicles how the Highwoods got together, their extensive festival performances, their discography and diverts into amusing tales from the road, such as the time one member hitched a ride with the New Jersey State Highway Police after being left behind at a rest stop. Produced by Piggysnout Productions and Mudthumper Music , the idea for the documentary ...

The next issue of The Old-Time Herald will be on its way soon. As you may recall, I recently  started writing reviews for the magazine. My latest effort features the Paul Brown CD/DVD set released by The Old-Time Tiki Parlour earlier this year. The set features Brown on banjo and fiddle, presenting 16 songs and tunes that were culled from a wide variety of sources and influences. Brown learned at the foot of the most revered masters of old-time music and has become a master in his own right. This set is similar to the Dan Gellert set I wrote about a few years ago. The DVD provides video of the tunes that appear on the CD, allowing you to see how Brown is getting the notes. The booklet provides source and tuning information. To get my full opinion on this set, make sure you subscribe to The Old-Time Herald . You can also get updates from the magazine on Twitter by following @OldTimeHerald . Meanwhile, The Old-Time Tiki Parlour has released another album that features B...

Summer weather is here, and there's nothing better than cruising down the road with the windows wide open and the stereo cranking your favorite tunes. Whether you're headed to the beach or on your way to your favorite festival, it's a good time to pick up some hot new music. Right now, the Old-Time Tiki Parlour is holding a sale on its music and video catalog. I'm not sure how long these deals will last, but it's borderline theft to pay $19.99 for the CD/DVD sets of Dan Gellert , Bruce Molsky, Spencer and Rains, the Stuart Brothers , Paul Brown and others. From my experience, these releases are well-packaged, immaculately recorded and provide a close-up glimpse of how these masters get the sounds they get. The liner notes provide valuable information on the sources and tunings used by the players. These packages usually go for $25. Also available is the Spencer and Rains "The Skeleton Keys" book and CD for $29.99. The package includes 17 tunes...