June coming to an end brings a close to the second quarter of the 2026. As mentioned in March, I decided to bring back my quarterly reports to stay accountable to my yearly playing goal progress and ruminate on whatever banjo-y things I did over the last three months.
April was a bit of a struggle. I came down with an illness and wasn't able to play for more than a week, and I had already gotten out of the strong groove I was in during Q1. To make matters worse, I ended up not playing at all in May, the second straight year that the fifth month has ended with double zeroes. I finally got back on the horse in early June. However, I'm sad tot say I didn't make it down to the Banjos & Bigfoot festival on June 6. One of these years!
Vinyl Hunter 24.5
One banjo-related highlight from Q2 was picking up the My Soul Is Lost compilation from Jalopy Records on Record Store Day in April. However, I neglected to share four other banjo records I had picked up earlier this year.
While out roaming Northeast Ohio record stories and thrift shops, I found a nice little collection of albums that feature the banjo in a variety of settings. They are as follows:
Cathy Fink and Friends, Grandma Slid Down the Mountain: This is a children's record released by Rounder Records in 1984 that includes a variety of old-time tunes and folk songs. Fink is a widely respected banjo player and instructor, which you probably already know, and I've had the opportunity to interview her a couple times for this blog. This album includes an activity booklet that was edited by Judy Sacks, who also has appeared on this blog before.
R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders, Number Two: Released in 1976 on Blue Goose Records, the album features legendary cartoonist Robert Crumb on banjo and vocals; fellow underground comix creator Robert Armstrong on guitar, resonator guitar, accordion, banjo, saw and vocals; Armstrong's friend and musician Allan Dodge on mandolin, fiddle, ukulele and vocals; along with filmmaker and Crumb documentarian Terry Zwigoff on cello. This album makes a brief cameo in Zwigoff's 2001 movie Ghost World, where Enid (Thora Birch) finds the record at a garage sale and asks Seymour (Steve Buscemi) if it's any good, and he says, "Nah, that one's not so great."
The Banjokers: I feel like the reason I got this album is pretty self-evident. Perfect band name. Perfect cover art. No notes. However, there was one more piece of information that absolutely sealed the deal: The album was recorded in Akron, Ohio, headquarters of this very blog. This 1973 album by the Cleveland-based, all-female bluegrass band features renditions of popular numbers like "Wabash Cannonball," "Dueling Banjos," "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," "Take Me Home Country Roads" and more. I couldn't pass it up.
Banjo and 'Bones in Hi-Fi: This one was strictly for the cover. You might think as I first did that the "'Bones" of the title might refer to the percussive instrument that people like Dom Flemons and David Holt play, but instead this "Salute to 'Uncle' Henry J. Fillmore" is referring to trombones. Fillmore was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was a noted trombonist and composer of marches. Released circa 1957 on Epic Records, this collection features novelty tunes written by Fillmore and played by the Uptown Firehouse Brigade, conducted by Mac Pollack and Allen Roth.
The stats
As I already mentioned, this was a down quarter in terms of my playing time. However, I did achieve a decent milestone.
Banjo: April's total was one whole hour, although it meant reaching 1,550 hours lifetime of playing the five-string, an average of 86 hours per year since 2008, which means I should hit 10,000 hours sometime in the year 2125. So close! I didn't play at all in May. With a week left in June, I'm about halfway to my monthly quota but nine hours shy of my benchmark for the year.
Fiddle: Just like with the banjo, a measly one hour in April and nothing in May. Speaking of 1,550 hours, I neglected to mention last time that I hit the same milestone on fiddle in February, showing how much extra time I put into the fiddle when I first started in 2013, averaging 119 hours per year. I continue to focus on learning to sight read music, using a beginner's instruction book. I'm a little less than halfway to my monthly quota for June but 10.5 hours shy of my benchmark.
Jams: My plans for attending a jam this quarter fell through. There are two opportunities coming at the end of this month, but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it.
Festivals: As I already mentioned, I didn't make it down to the Banjos & Bigfoot festival. Coming up next is Music in the Valley at Hale Farm, in Bath, Ohio.
Overview: This was kind of a bummer of a quarter when it comes to playing music. However, I'm pleased with how June has progressed. I'm hoping I can find my groove and get back on track with my goals for the year in Q3. One other random highlight from the last few months was finding a decent ukulele at the thrift store. It's a Lanikai concert uke, which seems to retail for around $100 and sells for around $50 on eBay. I paid $8. I have a friend who plays old-time on ukulele and has offered to teach me some tricks of the trade, and I also found a Beach Boys songbook for uke that has caught my eye.
That's it for me this time around. How has your playing been going this year? What are you working on? Let me know in the comments!
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!
Comments
Post a Comment