The Glory-Beaming Banjo

You remember how I botched that calf skin head installation last year? Well, I finally replaced it. Because I currently lack the funds and patience to install another natural hide head, I decided to reinstall the Fiberskyn head that came with my banjo way back when.  It's been a good decade since I've had a synthetic head on my banjo. There was a part of me that just couldn't deal with the bland look of the Fiberskyn, so I decided to try staining it with coffee to give it an aged and mottled aesthetic.  I took a small glass of water and mixed in two giant spoonfuls of Maxwell instant coffee and applied two coats with a paintbrush, allowing the head to dry between applications. If you want a more scientific measurement, I'd guess it was four ounces of water and three heaping tablespoons of coffee.  I'd recommend applying a minimum of two coats. I was considering a third coat, but I liked how it looked with two. Keep in mind, the coffee smell stays pretty strong for...

My head had a hole in it. I replaced it in July. Now, it has an even bigger hole in it. And it's nobody's fault but my own. I had replaced the Fiberskyn head that came with my banjo in the summer of 2011. I installed a thin goat skin from Mid-East Mfg. (now EnSoul Music ), which served me well for eight years. This time, I wanted to try calf skin to see if I noticed a difference. Let me tell you how I screwed up a new banjo head. There was a little spot on my old head where my thumb wore through to the tone ring. It still sounded good, so no big deal. The bigger problem was that the tension hoop had bottomed out, and I could tighten the head no further. I ordered a calf skin head from Elderly Instruments and let it sit around for a couple weeks. Finally, my six-year-old son urged me to get on with it, promising to help with the replacement. That lasted all of five minutes, and so I was left to finish the job on my own. I have to admit I wasn't in the mood to ...

Mike Seeger’s legacy in the banjo community is already secured. The late founding member of the influential New Lost City Ramblers was a tireless promoter of the five-string. Through his music, instructional videos and field recording projects, the banjo’s place in American folk music is secure. However, there is one project that remains unreleased. For now. Earlier this month, Tennessee-based banjo player Clifton Hicks pleaded that Banjo Hangout forum members and his YouTube followers write to Smithsonian Folkways to inquire about Mike Seeger’s final project for Smithsonian Folkways. As Hicks believed, the project was to be released as a documentary and music album.  “When he [Seeger] died, he left behind him an unfinished, masterpiece, maybe?” Hicks says in his YouTube video. “Unfinished piece of work, a film called, well, the working title was Mike Seeger’s Banjo Tales or Banjo Tales with Mike Seeger .” Hicks says he was recorded as part of the film in 2008, alo...