J. D. Crowe and Charlie Cushman join Sonny Osborne, Alan Munde, Ned Luberecki, Bill Evans and Frank Neat to round out the teaching staff for the 8th Annual NashCamp Banjo Retreat, October 17-19th at the Hachland Hills Vineyard in Joelton, Tennessee - about 15 miles north of Nashville.

This event is hosted by noted banjo players Sonny Osborne and Bill Evans, along with Cindy Sinclair. They welcome beginning through advanced bluegrass banjo players for a weekend of small group instruction, jamming for all ability levels, a faculty concert and much more.

Evans shares a few thoughts about NashCamp…

“While folks come to learn banjo, the emphasis is also on making friends, hanging out with your banjo heros, having fun and eating lots of great food. We’ve had young and old attend each year, men and women - people from all parts of the United States and even Japan. I’m especially proud of the fact that we have a great group of women who attend each year - and that number grows with each camp. Sonny has been our guiding light with this event - his positive energy and enthusiasm along with his interest to stay involved with others who love the banjo inspires everyone around him. This camp has a great spirit. This is the camp to attend if you’d like comfortable surroundings, great food and tremendous fellowship in the company of some of the best banjo players and teachers in the world.

And with Sonny and J. D. in one place, who knows what will happen?”

Students are grouped according to ability level - from beginners with one year of playing experience to the most advanced players. Small group instruction is mixed with full group interactive sessions and the Friday night jam features some of the best Nashville musicians sitting in with students. Saturday’s highlight is a faculty concert that features all of the teachers playing in different combinations. Banjo builder extraordinaire Frank Neat will be on hand for the entire weekend, helping students with banjo setup and getting everyone’s banjo sounding its best.

“Folks often talk themselves out of attending a camp like this because they think that they might not be good enough players but that’s a big mistake! It’s important to remember if you’re feeling insecure about your playing, then everyone else is feeling that way about themselves too. At NashCamp, we do our best to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable playing with others.”

J. D. Crowe will be attending camp on Friday and Saturday; Charlie Cushman on Sunday. All of the other teachers will be at camp for all three days. The camp begins with Friday lunch and ends on Sunday around 3:30 p.m. All meals are provided. This event has sold out in advance the last two years, so advance registration is recommended.

Full tuition and registration details can be found at NashCamp.com.