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Untimely promotion of a banjo podcast

Look, I'm well aware that I haven't been posting much. I feel like I've been stuck in a rut ... a month's long rut. Awhile back I saw a link to a banjo podcast with an interview with Cleveland-base banjo player Mark Olitsky, and I finally got around to listening to it today. And now, I want to make sure you all have a chance to hear it. The interview was posted in September 2024, so this isn't exactly breaking news. But with all the news that's been breaking lately, I think some old news would do us some good. 

I've recommended the podcast Get Up in the Cool before. Host Cameron DeWitt always seems to find some great guests to interview. And last September, he interviewed Olitsky on the subject of "Changing as a Musician." 

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you would know of my appreciation for Olitsky's banjo prowess. I did my own interview with the man I called "The Banjo Wizard of Cleveland" back in 2011. It remains one of my favorite and most read posts on this site. And if I may be so bold, I think DeWitt's interview serves as a nice bookend to my own. 

So, here is DeWhitt's interview: 

You can also go straight to the Get Up in the Cool website to listen at https://getupinthecool.fireside.fm/420. In addition to the wonderful interview, Olitsky and DeWhitt also play the following tunes: 
  • John Brown’s Dream (1:05)
  • Georgia Railroad (19:52)
  • Elk River Blues (38:46)
  • Darling Nellie Gray (59:20)
  • Possum On a Rail (1:16:49)
  • Bonus Track: Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom
While you're at it, check out all the other episodes. DeWhitt has been absolutely prolific and has a ton of interviews posted.

It's funny. This interview was posted on Sept. 11, 2024. Just five days beforehand, I had gone up to art show at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, where Olitsky was performing with fiddler Joe Thrift at an event where banjos built by Kevin Enoch were being displayed. Amusing coincidence aside, I hope you enjoy the interview. 

A little self-promotion

While I'm at it, I wanted to mention that banjo builder Patrick Sawyer reached out to me a couple months ago, asking if he could republish some of my blog posts on the Pisgah Banjos website. He's started a Banjo FAQ blog, and my post about Killers of the Flower Moon is now posted there. The blog features tons of how-to information and other banjo related news. His most recent post discusses how recent tariffs impact his business ... or not. I encourage you to check that out too. 

Buy me a coffee?

If you like what you see at The Glory-Beaming Banjo and want to see more, please consider showing your support by buying me a cup of coffee through my Ko-Fi account. Your donation will provide encouragement and help fund future blog posts. I appreciate your readership!

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Comments

  1. GeoffLBApril 29, 2025 at 8:45 AM

    Not sure why I've never found your blog until today. I've dipped in randomly and found good things already, interviews with the excellent Tom Collins and with my friends Craig frailin Evans and Greg Galbreath of Buckeye to name a couple.
    But it's come at a good time - I'm just about to go away for a three week holiday when I can't take a banjo. I shall start reading this at 2011 and keep going - I think I'll be well inspired to play by the time I get home.

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    Replies
    1. B. KramerApril 29, 2025 at 12:57 PM

      Thank you for the kind words. Hopefully by the time you catch up, I'll have written another post. I hope you enjoy all those old posts.

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    2. AnonymousMay 26, 2025 at 12:22 PM

      3 weeks banjo less now over! But I did have a guitar with me.
      I didn't read everything, but certainly read and enjoyed a lot. One comment - you mention, sometimes rather wistfully, having a lot of periods without playing music. Don't be discouraged, with a young family and work pressures it's bound to happen. Just take heart from the fact that it gets better. I retired 13 years ago and have barely missed a day playing either banjo or guitar. Easily 4000 hours at a guess, without breaking sweat! Stick with it meanwhile, enjoy the time you can spend with music and don't beat yourself up about missed targets.
      Keep the blog going!
      I'm heading back to Tom Collins Banjo Quest now - got to get my clawhammer chops back in shape!

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