Vinyl Hunter 20: Trio of Old-Time Records Found on Work Trip

Travel interrupted my playing time in May, but at the same time it afforded me a chance to build on my collection of vintage old-time records.

While out of town for my job, I located a nearby record store that turned out to be a bit of an old-time music honey hole. I actually had to put back a couple albums because my wallet wouldn't allow them to come home with me. But I was very happy to snag three awesome records that have been on my want list for a number of years.

Wilson Douglas, The Right Hand Fork of Rush's Creek (1975, Rounder Records): The first album I found in the folk/bluegrass section of Electric Fetus in Minneapolis was this excellent collection of fiddle tunes by Clay County, West Virginia, fiddler Wilson Douglas. He is accompanied by Roy Tolliver on banjo and Douglas Meade on guitar. Douglas came from a musical family, which also had ties to the Carpenter and Morris families in the region. This album is jam packed with 24 tracks, including some brilliant renditions of "Rocky Road to Dublin," "Elzic's Farewell," "Camp Chase," "Brushy Run," "Old Christmas Morning" and other classics.

New Lost City Ramblers, 20th Anniversary Concert (1986, Flying Fish): Marking their 20th year of spreading the joy of old-time music, the trio of Mike Seeger, John Cohen and Tracy Schwarz are joined by special guests Pete Seeger, Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten and the Highwoods String Band in this live performance recorded in 1978 at Carnegie Hall. I'm curious, why wasn't this album released until eight years later? While I'm happy to add to my NLCR collection, I'm even more excited to cross off the second to last Highwoods vinyl release I needed. A couple months ago I grabbed "the red album," so now all I need to find is their 1975 album, Dance All Night.

Chokers & Flies, Old Time Music (1985, Rounder): Finally, I grabbed this split 12-inch album featuring two rip-roaring progressive string bands from the Northeast. The Chicken Chokers from Boston featured a lineup of Chad Crumm on fiddle, Stefan Senders on banjo, Paul Strother on bass, Chip Taylor Smith on guitar, Mark Graham on harmonica and Jim Reidy on banjo-uke and tenor banjo. The band would release one more album on Rounder with 1987’s Shoot Your Radio. There's also a Field Recorders' Collective release from 2008. The Horse Flies (aka the Tomkins County Horseflies) were a little more prolific. The legendary Ithaca, New York, band featured the power house combo of Judy Hyman on fiddle and Richie Stearns on banjo, along with John Hayward on bass and Jeff Claus on guitar. They released several more albums, including Human Fly, which like this album's counterpart was released in 1987 on Rounder.

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The Ultimate Banjo Joke Compendium

This post is dedicated to my friend Joel Specht. Ever since the Olitsky & Moskovitz concert last month, my son has been obsessed with banjo jokes. During one of the MANY tuning breaks, they asked the crowd to fill the time by telling their favorite quips about the old five-string. Joel told many that night. I've been trying to remember them, along with best ones I've heard over the years for when my son asks again, so I thought I'd make this list. Question: What's the difference between a banjo and an onion? Answer: Nobody cries when you cut up a banjo. Question: How do you know if the floor is level? Answer: The banjo player is drooling out of both sides of his mouth. Question: What's the difference between a banjo and trampoline? Answer: You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline. Question: What's the definition of perfect pitch? Answer: When you can throw a banjo into a dumpster without hitting the sides. Question: How do yo

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Clawhammer Picks and You: A Review

Clawhammer picks are a useful tool for increasing volume or to overcome fingernail challenges, such as broken, too short or weak nails. There are all sorts of commercial and homemade solutions available for banjo players, but it can be difficult to decide which options to choose. Thankfully, I've already done some of the work for you. Just to be clear, I prefer my natural fingernail for frailing. However, there was a time when I experimented with regularly using a pick, and there are instances now where I find that a pick is necessary. Today, I'll take you through the five options I've tried. These are all available online at prices ranging from about $1 to $13. Reversed/Reshaped Dunlop Pick ($0.75) This was the most common suggestion before other companies started addressing the gap in the clawhammer pick market. Take a bluegrass pick, flatten it out and wear it backwards. The problem is that it's hard to get the fit right. While Dunlop picks are cheap and r

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Summer Blockbusters: Top 10 Banjo Movies

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

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