The Glory-Beaming Banjo

You may have voted with your pageviews which posts you liked best over the past year, but a few of my favorites didn't make the cut. Since we looked back at your favorite posts of 2018 last week, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of my pet projects this week. The following are five of my favorite posts to write in 2018:  1. Sounds of Summer: Beach Boys and the Banjo — My Beach Boys obsession seeped into my banjo addiction with this post. At first I found five songs where they used a banjo, but  I have since added two others I discovered after writing this post in July. From 1968 to 1973, the Beach Boys included the banjo on five of six albums. Al Jardine appears to be the only band member to actually play banjo. 2. Mike Seeger's Final Smithsonian Folkways Project  — In May, at the behest of Tennessee-based banjo player Clifton Hicks, I wrote to Smithsonian Folkways regarding an uncompleted documentary that Mike Seeger was working on prior to...

I have good news for those of you who didn't get a copy of Dance All Night — The Highwoods Stringband Story . The new documentary on the band is available again for a limited time. As I mentioned in my recent review , the DVD sold out quickly, and there were some challenges to producing additional copies. However, it looks like those challenges were overcome. Here's a message I got from Walt Koken this morning: Folks, Due to popular demand, we have re-negotiated to produce another run of the Highwoods documentary in time for the holiday season. A great gift idea, we have set it up to go out via first class mail, as the media mail option was extremely slow. We've had a lot of positive comments and excitement about this production. Larry has done a wonderful job of capturing the flavor of the times, over forty years ago, when Highwoods was barnstorming three continents. Approximately 80 minutes long. Visit the Mudthumper Music website for more details about orderi...

This has been quite the year at The Glory-Beaming Banjo. Although things may have slowed down a bit in the last three months, 2018 marks a new high in terms of the number of posts published in a year. That last time we had more than 30 posts was our first year, in 2011 . This one puts us at 40! Aside from the quantity of posts here, I'd like to think there was some quality too. Judging by the views, it seems at least a few items caught your attention this year. That said, here are the Top 5 posts for 2018: 1. Getting Blitzed with Tom Collins : Not just a top post for 2018, but this interview now ranks among our top posts of all time. Collins had just completed his Banjo Blitz series on YouTube. This year he launched Banjo Quest, an even more ambitious instructional video project that is well worth your attention. Check out his YouTube page . 2. Clawhammer Picks and You : A review of five different options for those in need of a pick for downstroke banjo playing. Whether...

Can you believe 2018 is drawing to a close? That means it's time for a heavy dose of navelgazing to see what's built up, what needs work and perhaps what needs to be cleaned out. Back in January, I dubbed this " A Second Year of Ward Jarvis ," building on the previous year's progress . My goals were to learn four Ward Jarvis tunes on fiddle, log 186 hours of practice and play my banjo more often. The tunes on this year's list were culled from my list of common Ohio tunes , as well as one carryover from 2017. Here are the tunes: Three Forks of Reedy Leather Britches Forked Deer Grey Eagle Fourth Quarter Highlights The Good:   "Grey Eagle," while still a work in progress, has come along nicely. I had the opportunity to play with some folks recently, and I gave my newest tune a try for the first time in a group setting. It didn't go half bad. There are still three and a half weeks to go this year, and I think by then it'll be do...

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 results are in from our recent poll. The poll was open for 15 days and received 20 votes, which doesn't really give us a real consensus, but that's OK. This was our first poll , and it was fun to see which players you all enjoy. That's all for today. Stay tuned for a couple posts coming soon. Until then, enjoy some tunes. We'll be back soon.

Greetings Banjo Friends! Election Day in the United States may have been last week, but that doesn't mean you're done voting. I know it's been a while since our last post, as other responsibilities have been eating up my brain space. I have a couple articles in the works, but it may be a couple weeks yet before I can get to those. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to see your top clawhammer banjo players. Below you will find a poll with a bunch of clawhammer players, but certainly not ALL the clawhammer players out there. Pick from the list or choose "Other" at the bottom and write in your candidate. Next week, I'll tabulate the answers and share the results. So, what are you waiting for? Get voting! Favorite Clawhammer Banjo Player Clarence Ashley Riley Baugus Hilarie Burhans Fred Cockerham Tom Collins Kyle Creed Dwight Diller Allison de Groot Dan Gellert Rhiannon Giddens Adam Hurt John Herrmann Mark Olitsk...

Back in July, I went to Music in the Valley, an annual festival at Hale Farm, in Bath, Ohio. It was my first opportunity to play Ward Jarvis tunes with other people who also knew some of the same tunes. There was only one problem: It turns out I learned one tune the wrong way. When I joined the jam circle at the festival , a longtime friend introduced me to local fiddler Paul Kirk and mentioned that I'd been learning Ward Jarvis tunes . I suggested "Icy Mountain" and "Head of the Creek," as I felt most comfortable with those two in particular, and because they were already playing in Cross-A (AEAE). Paul kicked off "Icy Mountain," and I was pleased to find that we were pretty much in sync with our playing. Afterward, he turned to me to start "Head of the Creek," and it was a mess. Everyone seemed confused, and soon I was playing to a baffled audience. At first, I chalked it up to my inexperience and discomfort in leading tunes. But t...

As the third quarter of the year comes to a close, it's time to move on to the next tune on my list for this Second Year of Ward Jarvis . But first, let's reflect on the progress made over the last three months. This quarter included a month off for a family vacation . While I was gone, I missed three great local festivals . And of course, I have fallen a bit behind the pace for my fiddle playing time goal for the year. However, I got to see some traditional Greek folk music at a village festival on the Island of Rhodes. It was difficult to knock off the rust that accumulated in my absence, but I'm back to my routine and making up for lost time. General Highlights Vacation ended my daily playing streak at 89 days on fiddle and 86 days on banjo. As soon as I returned, I launched a new streak that now stands at 27 days on both instruments. I've got my sights set on 100. It was nice to get another opportunity to write another review for the forthcoming issue o...

Yesterday marked 20 days of consecutive playing for me on both banjo and fiddle. That's about how long since I've been back from vacation. That first week was rough in terms of remembering the tunes I know. Little by little, playing has become easier as I've returned each day to try again. Before my monthlong hiatus, I had embarked on a daily streak that lasted almost three months. Now I'm wondering if I can do it again. Some researchers say it takes 21 days (that's today!) to form a new habit, while others argue it takes more like 66 days (that's not today at all). Of course, nothing I've read says anything about getting back into a habit. Regardless of how long it might take, having a lofty benchmark has provided some strong motivation as I seek to re-establish my daily habit. I have my sights set on 90 days and beyond. I'm also trying to catch up to my hourly goal for fiddle playing time this year. As you might expect, taking most of ...

Earlier this month, an old friend re-emerged from the ashes of oblivion. County Sales was once the foremost vendor of old-time and bluegrass music. The Floyd, Virginia-based store was where I purchased most of my CDs when I first latched onto this music. My copies of the Clawhammer Banjo Vols. 1-3 , the Killer Grits' Midnight on the Run, Christian Wig's Gate to Go Through and pretty much the rest of my Mark Olitsky album collection  were all ordered through the County Sales website . Unfortunately, longtime owner David Freeman closed the store in January this year upon his retirement. Freeman started the business in New York City in 1965 and then moved it to Floyd in 1974. He also launched two record labels to provide musicians a broader avenue for releasing their music. His son Mark Freeman now runs County Records (old-time) and Rebel Records (bluegrass) from Charlottesville, Virginia. For nine, sad, long months, old-time and bluegrass fans has to scrounge the depths o...

Look who's back! It is I, your glory-beaming blogger, returned from my travels abroad. I hope you enjoyed the posts that I scheduled for you  during my absence. After almost a full month of vacationing in Rhodes, Greece, it's time to get back to business — and music! As I mentioned last month, I had to leave my fiddle and banjo at home while I was traveling. The closest I got to an instrument was listening to a traditional Greek dance band at a festival in the village of Psinthos, where I ate delicious chickpea and goat stew. The band was comprised of a lyra , bouzouki , guitar and what looked like a cajon that the vocalist played. It was a great time. I had hoped to find a record store so I could provide you with a Greek-flavored " Vinyl Hunter " post, but I struck out. The only time I saw any LPs was at a shop in Old Town that had huge selection of Greek music for sale on CD. Above the floor-to-ceiling shelves, I spied old album covers. But when I asked if t...

We’re nearing the end of the summer movie season, which this year has included blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War , Solo: A Star Wars Story , Incredibles 2 and other movies, including some that weren’t produced by Disney. However, none of these films showcases a banjo in any way. It's not like the banjo hasn't been featured on the silver screen throughout film history. The five-string has starred in numerous movies, sometimes in its proper context as a musical instrument and other times as a comedic prop. Whether making a cameo or starring in the hands of the main character, it's well past time to present my Top 10 Banjo Blockbusters: O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, this movie sucked me into the realm of old-time , bluegrass and country music in general. The banjo is featured in a number of songs on the soundtrack and shows up on screen a few times throughout the movie. Top Banjo Moment: Delmar picks the banjo b...

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...

We're lucky in Northeast Ohio to have a handful of local festivals that feature plenty of old-time performances and open sessions. However, we're unlucky to have these events stacked on top of each other. I've written in the past about how the Raccoon County Music Festival in Burton, Ohio, is my favorite of the local events. Another well-regarded festival is Music Along the River (MATR) in Harpersfield, Ohio. Usually, these two events are a week apart, but this year they occur on the same weekend — i.e., this weekend. Raccoon County is Saturday, Aug. 18, while MATR runs Friday-Sunday, Aug. 17-19. Luckily, circumstances allow for someone to attend both events, if they were so inclined. However, there will no doubt be some people will only have time for one. It's a shame that two great events will likely experience reduced attendance because of this scheduling conflict, as these festivals attract the same crowd. To make matters worse, another strong festival...

While you read this post, I'll be somewhere else in the world on a much-needed vacation. However, dear readers, I have not left you in the lurch. Although I am not on my usual continent nor will I have access to my computer for the time being, you will still receive a weekly dispatch from The Glory-Beaming Banjo. Upcoming is a preview of some local festivals, a plug for my recent freelance writing and a look at the essential films for banjo nuts like all of you. I'll also be sure to have some posts on the GBB Facebook page to keep you entertained in my absence. You see? I'm gone, but you're not forgotten. Consider this a reward for your loyal readership. I truly do appreciate it. It'll be a rough few weeks without being able to play banjo or fiddle. I was on a great roll the past few months, with a playing streak that exceeded 85 days on both instruments and starting to lock in "Forked Deer" for my latest Ward Jarvis tune . Despite the disappo...

When you think of the banjo, you probably don't think of the Beach Boys. However, we're smack dab in the middle of summer, and I can think of precious few things that sound better during the sunny season than the banjo and the Beach Boys. My love for the Beach Boys has snuck in at times on this blog before. In fact, my love for music pretty much started with the Beach Boys. Their songs are among the earliest I can remember falling in love with, as my parents played their records in the house as I was growing up. I remember being excited to get the Cocktail soundtrack in 1988 so I could play " Kokomo " non-stop. It was the only Beach Boys song that became popular in my lifetime. The Beach Boys were also my first concert in 1991, after a baseball game. As grunge music exploded in the early 1990s, and as I started to get into punk and my local music scene  during high school, my Beach Boys fandom lay dormant. However, they slowly started to worm their way back i...