The Glory-Beaming Banjo

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 r...

Before I fell in the love with the banjo, I was a book lover. I mean, I still am. But when I was in college, I took so many literature classes for fun that I amassed enough credits to earn a dual degree in English, along with my bachelor's in journalism.  I was raised in a house of reader parents. My mom is the kind of woman who checks out a stack of books at a time from the library. My dad also reads constantly, usually history or mystery, but at a much slower rate. My love of books developed slowly. My appetite for reading was sparked when I began collecting comic books in the early 1990s, then graduated to graphic novels, then my love for Star Wars led me to the Expanded Universe novels, and finally I began to read the almighty ...  LITERATURE!   From high school onward, I have never not been in the middle of some book. Naturally, when I became interested in the banjo, I not only began amassing a large collection of associated music, but I also started compiling a stac...

Sorry for the monthlong gap between this and my previous post. I do have some upcoming stories in the works that should prevent a similar hiatus in the next couple weeks. I've also written some reviews for The Old-Time Herald , which should appear in the next issue. For now, though, I'm here to steer you to a wonderful old-time music podcast I've recently discovered. Get Up in the Cool is a weekly podcast hosted by banjo-player Cameron DeWhitt, who I believe is an Oregon native but now is based in the Washington, D.C., area. That's just what I've gathered from my listening to past episodes. The podcast typically revolves around an interview and jam session between DeWhitt and his guests. Recent participants have included banjo builder Brooks Masten, melodic clawhammer master Ken Perlman, fiddler Chirps Smith and many more. He's also interviewed a few musicians with Ohio ties, which certainly caught my attention, including David Bass , Nikos Pappas, Hilari...

We banjo players and old-time music fans can be a fickle bunch to buy for during the winter holiday season, but fear not! I have compiled this short list of items that are bound to tickle your pickle. If you're struggling to round out your wishlist, just add these items or share this post with your loved ones. Now, let's get to it! Do Not Sell at Any Price By Amanda Petrusich The book's subtitle "The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World's Rarest 78-rpm Records" is cemented when the author learns to scuba dive so she can search the bottom of the Milwaukee River in hopes of digging up castoff 78s from the Paramount factory in Wisconsin. Petrusich not only attempts to hunt down some choice shellac but also the reason why this community of mostly white men become so driven to search thrift stores and flea markets and go door-to-door to collect these out-of-print recordings. A fun read for anyone interested in old music and collecting. Where Will You Be Chri...

County Sales , one of my favorite places to order old-time music, is having a sale on its surplus stock. While supplies last, these extra CDs are $5 each. If you buy seven or more albums, you'll get one of five "collector" items free. How can you lose? After a quick look at the surplus list , I saw a few items that may catch the interest of Glory-Beaming Banjo readers, such as Bad Dog (with Mark Olitsky on banjo), Bob Carlin, the Chicken Chokers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and that's just what popped out. There are a bunch of compilations on the list, which at $5 might be worth a gamble to find a gem or two. The collector items you can get, if you buy seven or more CDs, include albums by Flatt & Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, and Bill Monroe. Happy shopping ...