The Glory-Beaming Banjo

Running a bit late on this quarterly report. September closed out a rollercoaster of a Q3 on a high note. The Happy Hollow Old-Time Music Gathering was a particular highlight of the the last three months, and perhaps the most fulfilling musical event I've experienced this year. After writing a preview about the event last time, I embraced an opportunity to drive three hours south to Nelsonville, Ohio, to camp and play tunes for a delightful weekend to end the month.  From Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 24-27, I attended several workshops and jams. Two of workshops I attended focused on Ohio tunes, presented by Whitt Mead, one for fiddle and the other for banjo. Coincidentally, two of the tunes taught appear on my " Ohio Dozen " list that I compiled in 2023, and another I included on my list of common tunes from Buckeye State fiddlers .  Two of the workshops I attended were hosted by fiddler Rhys Jones, one on bowing fundamentals and another on old-time fiddle standar...

Grab those banjos and head for the hills of Southeast Ohio. The  Happy Hollow Old-Time Music Gathering will provide a weekend full of jamming and workshops, Sept. 24-27, at Snow Fork Event Center in Nelsonville, Ohio. Formerly known as the Happy Hollow Hootenanny, the event is entering its fourth year, and the organizers have pulled out all the stops to provide programming led by some of the top old-time musicians in the country.  For banjo players, there are several workshop options for musicians of all levels. There are beginning workshops by Janie Rothfield and Hilarie Burhans, an intermediate program by Whitt Mead, and an advanced course on crooked tunes led by Mark Olitsky . Plus, there are daily open jam sessions where banjos are always welcome.  As a proponent of Ohio old-time traditions , there's a workshop on Ohio Fiddle Tunes conducted by Mead, who will also be teaching Ohio tunes in the banjo workshop mentioned above.  Vibe check Happy Hollow is a relaxe...

C hange is the only constant. This past weekend was the  Music in the Valley Folk & Wine Festival , a local folk music festival dating back to the 1970s that was paired with a wine tasting event a little over a decade ago. For whatever reason, the festival has undergone some head-scratching changes over the past few years, which have directly impacted the folk music aspect of Music in the Valley. However, the tradition endures.  Last year was the 50th anniversary of Music in the Valley, which is free for musicians entering with an instrument. Located at Hale Farm and Village in Bath, Ohio, the event is typically held on the second weekend in July. Saturday is usually the busiest day, but I went on Sunday last year. Sadly, nobody I recognized was there and no one was playing old-time music. I walked through the grounds and right back to my car. What a bust. However, what stands out from that milestone year was how the Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS), which operat...

June coming to an end brings a close to the second quarter of the 2026. As mentioned in March, I decided to bring back my quarterly reports to stay accountable to my yearly playing goal progress and ruminate on whatever banjo-y things I did over the last three months.  April was a bit of a struggle. I came down with an illness and wasn't able to play for more than a week, and I had already gotten out of the strong groove I was in during Q1 . To make matters worse, I ended up not playing at all in May, the second straight year that the fifth month has ended with double zeroes. I finally got back on the horse in early June. However, I'm sad tot say I didn't make it down to the Banjos & Bigfoot festival on June 6. One of these years!  Vinyl Hunter 24.5 One banjo-related highlight from Q2 was picking up the My Soul Is Lost compilation from Jalopy Records on Record Store Day in April. However, I neglected to share four other banjo records I had picked up earlier this year....