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In Case of Rapture

Some Christians believe the Rapture will come tomorrow, and some people think that's a perfect occasion to bust out the banjos and play some old-time music. John Walkenbach, banjo player and author of The J-Walk Blog, posted this entry about the "Rapture Jam":
"wormpicker came up with the idea of a rapture old-time jam, to be held on Saturday, May 21. That's the day of the scheduled Rapture. It will probably be in a park, so we can watch people float up to heaven while we play music accompanied by an earthquake.
"If you're anywhere near Tucson, and would like to join in, let me know and I'll provide details. That means, you, 12-stringer.
"Please dress appropriately, and wear hipster glasses if you have 'em."
It would be spectacular if more of these Rapture Jams took place around the country. However, there's already an opportunity to hear and play some old-time in Northeast Ohio this weekend.

Hessler Street Fair
Saturday and Sunday will be the Hessler Street Fair, adjacent to the Case Western Reserve University campus in Cleveland. The event brings together art, music, food and other fun stuff. Sunday will feature some old-time in the form of the Waxwings Stringband at noon and a square dance at 2 p.m., called by Louise Haas Keller, with a band featuring Pete McDonald (of the Waxwings) and friends. Hopefully, the rain won't wash out the fun.

Additionally, there is usually an old-time jam that takes place on the porch of the first house on the left, coming from Euclid Avenue. However, the porch only holds a few people so usually there's a rotating cast of jammers, according to David Badagnani.

Frailin's Tour
Craig "Frailin" Evans is traveling the eastern half of North America, interviewing banjo builders, musicians and retailers about our glorious instrument. He recently passed through Peninsula, Ohio, to interview Doug Unger and has since made his way south, where he visited the mecca of banjo stores, Zepp Country Music, in Wendell, N.C. While there, he recorded this great duet with proprietor Donald Zepp:



Evans will continue his tour next year with the western half of the continent. When he's done with his tour, he plans to produce a documentary about these amazing builders and this "golden age" of the instrument. We'll be getting a copy to review when a DVD is available.

Lo Gordon Update
Finally, this week, Lo Gordon (a subject of Evans's project) sent me a photo to go along with the post we produced on April 29. That post has been updated with this great photo of him playing one of his Cedar Mountain Banjos.


Thanks, Lo. Doesn't he make playing the banjo look fun? That's because it is!

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