The Glory-Beaming Banjo

Greetings, banjo enthusiasts. It seems we're on a monthly rotation here at the Glory-Beaming Banjo, but I plan to step it up a bit in 2012. Nothing says "bring on the New Year" like a good old fashioned resolution. With Christmas on our doorstep, I thought I'd share with you a little old-time gift ... In this video, you have the Striped Pig Stringband of Humboldt County, Calif., playing " Breaking Up Christmas ," a lively dance tune from Southern Appalachia. Not only is this a fine rendition of the tune with some fine banjo picking, the fiddler is Colin Vance , a fine banjo maker. So, have a listen to the video and then click the link to check out some of Vance's great banjos. Happy Holidays, and thanks for reading GBB during this inaugural year.

John Cohen and the Dust Busters delivered a bouquet of old-time gems Sunday night, at an event that was nearly canceled because of a house fire. Road weary and looking tired from a heavy touring schedule this fall, the Dust Busters arrived at the Unity Center in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, after a string of concerts starting Nov. 15 from Hiram, Ohio, to Louisville, Ky., to Knoxville, Tenn., to Newport, Ky., and finally back to Ohio on the 20th. With one last concert before heading home to Brooklyn, N.Y., the band featured Cohen as its special guest at an event that featured a showing of Cohen's recent film " Roscoe Holcomb: From Daisy, Kentucky " and a potluck meal. The concert was sponsored by the non-profit group Roots of American Music  (ROAM). The event started at about 6:45 p.m. with the film, a short documentary about Holcomb and his life in East Kentucky, compiled from the outtakes of Cohen's seminal film " The High Lonesome Sound ." After the f...

Give Me the Banjo , an 82-minute TV documentary resulting from The Banjo Project , will air at 9 p.m. eastern, Friday, Nov. 4 on PBS. The program is narrated by Steve Martin and features a musical score by three-finger player Tony Trischka. Culling its name from the very same Mark Twain passage that this blog takes its title,  Give Me the Banjo  details the history of America's quintessential musical instrument. The film includes commentary from such banjo luminaries as Pete Seeger, Earl Scruggs, Mike Seeger, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ralph Stanley, Abigail Washburn, and many more. Check out the trailer: The Banjo Project is producing a DVD that will include many scenes that were omitted from the PBS program. These extra scenes are also available at the project's website. Glory-Beaming Banjo will have its DVR set to record and report back with a review.  Square Dance Tonight in Euclid, Ohio In other news, Mark Olitsky will be playing for a square d...

Squeezed tightly into the G.A.R. Hall in Peninsula, Ohio, on a Thursday evening, a crowd of more than 140 people sang and swayed along to the music of Jay Ungar and Molly Mason , backed by their family band of Ruthy Ungar Merenda and Mike Merenda (formerly of the Mammals ). The sold out event  on Sept. 29 was billed as "Music of the Civil War and Beyond," and featured a variety of fiddle tunes, stringband music, ballads, marches, folk songs and original music. The quartet kickstarted the evening with a rendition of "Fly Around My Little Miss," with Jay and Ruthy on fiddle, Molly and guitar, and Mike on banjo. The rollicking dance tune got the audience grooving in their seats. If it weren't for all the chairs, an impromptu square dance would have broken out for sure. Jay Ungar and Molly Mason (center), with Mike and Ruthy Merenda at the G.A.R. Hall in Peninsula, Ohio, Sept. 29. After the crowd broke out into song during Stephen Fosters "Hard Time...

The 45th annual Kent State Folk Festival kicks off tonight with a performance by the Carolina Chocolate Drops and will wrap up Sunday with a concert by Peter Yarrow, of the legendary folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. The real fun will be Friday's Folk Alley 'Round Town , with free performances by a variety of musical acts around downtown Kent, Ohio, and the free community workshops Saturday at the KSU Student Center. The 'Round Town and workshops will provide a number of opportunities for enthusiasts of old-time music and the banjo to watch, listen, and play. On Friday, you can participate in the Kent Shindig old-time jam from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Europe Gyro. This is the group your host regularly jams with every first Sunday of the month. They're a welcoming group, so don't be shy. From 7 to 9 p.m., you can swing over to Woodsy's Music to catch Brady's Run, a local string band that includes Lynn Frederick and Sue Goehring. Also of interest are the Mayfie...