The Glory-Beaming Banjo

Five years ago Mumford & Sons was probably the biggest name in banjo music. They appeared on stage with Bob Dylan . They had a bunch of catchy songs that were all over the radio. They won a couple of Grammys . The head guy was in a really good Coen Brothers movie . And people were excited because they played acoustic instruments, particularly the banjo. Then, they decided to get moody. They took a hiatus after their worldwide tour in 2013, and two years later they released an album that ditched their signature sound . They went ... electric . Maybe they thought they could emulate Dylan's career path. It seemed to me like a manufactured publicity stunt. During the band's hiatus, banjo player Winston Marshall gave an interview where he said Mumford & Sons were done for good. And then, he dropped some serious shade on the banjo. When asked if Mumford & Sons had "killed" the banjo, Marshall told Vulture , "I think 'killed' is an under

These past three months have been a bit of a roller coaster when it comes to my world of fiddle, banjo and blogging. Work and family duties, as well as a general sense of ennui, led me to get way behind my goal progress. However, I managed to catch up at the last possible moment. As for blogging, this is only my fourth post since my First Quarter 2019 report . As has become customary , here is a review of my old-time music activities for the Second Quarter 2019, warts and all. My blogger version of a corporate earnings report shows I logged 52.5 hours on fiddle, 11.5 hours on banjo and attended two old-times sessions. I did not attend any festivals this quarter. However, I did turn 40. One of my main goals for the year was to try to get out and play more with others. In that respect, I did OK by attending two local jams, one in May and the other in June. At the most recent session, I attempted to lead "Leather Britches"  on fiddle, which I learned from the playing of