Wernick has long been known as a pioneer in bluegrass banjo instruction. His beginner book, Bluegrass Banjo, has sold better than 200,000 copies and his many instructional DVDs are also popular items. He was also a member of Hot Rize, a festival phenomenon in the 1990s who still performs reunion shows. Pete performs these days with Flexigrass, and as a duo with his wife, Joan.

His 25th Anniversary Winter Banjo Camps will be held in January 2010 at The Boulder Inn (Best Western).

• January 4-9: Basic Skills Banjo Camp
• January 11-16: Intermediate Banjo Camp
• January 18-23: Advanced Banjo Camp

Full details about these camps, including how skill levels are determined, can be found at www.drbanjo.com.

The video visits Pete at his banjo practice cabin, which he built as a creative hideaway. You can view it online at TimesCall.com.

Pete also tells us that he has a new DVD from Homespun, Make Up Your Own Banjo Solos. Can you guess what it is about?

Full details can be found at DrBanjo.com, where you can also find the newly-announced dates for his 2010 Winter Banjo Camps.

Wernick says that both the new band and their upcoming live CD has a “back to the future” vibe for him…

“I’ve been playing with these guys for over a year now, and it gets more and more fun as it goes along. It’s an unusual band in that two of us are “older” (me and Gene Libbea), and the other three are in their 20s. We’re all very much on the same page about unmistakably tradition-based bluegrass. As with Hot Rize, we all play other kinds of music, but we know what straight bluegrass is, and that’s what the band is about. Here and there a bit of weirdness will sneak in, but that helps keep it interesting without disrupting the bluegrass feel. What we might lack in complexity we make up in intensity. Martin Gilmore, our lead singer, writes some fine songs and is a strong and soulful singer. Justin Hoffenberg is a righteous fiddle player with blazing tone, and Jordan Ramsey is a creative and hot picker, winner of the Rocky Grass mando contest last year. We have a lot of fun when we play. Gene’s attitude and his bass playing kick our butt!

The idea of a live recording is to capture the band’s energy. We use two mics and work them as needed. The site of the recording is the new headquarters of the famous Etown radio show, hosted by my Hot Rize buddy Nick Forster and his wife Helen. It’s a sweet venue in Boulder where Hot Rize recently played. It happens that Justin, fiddler in Long Road Home, is also the overseer of the Hot Rize live archive, with over 200 shows back to 1978, ten years before he was born. That’s kind of cool to me.”

More details about the live shows can be found on Pete’s web site. He also mentioned that he has copies of the newly re-released version of Steve Martin’s The Crow CD on his site. It has been remastered for release on Rounder Records.

Pete performed on two of the tracks, one of which he wrote with Martin.

Pete has been credited with kicking off the concept of these multi-day workshops in bluegrass, which are now held regularly all over the world for the various bluegrass instruments. He has hosted more than 100 himself over these past 25 years.

You can find details about all of his camps on Pete’s web site.

Hochman is among the many adults who have taken up a musical instrument in mid-life, after musing for years about the lost opportunities of youth. Bluegrass music had caught his ear, and the tiny instrument that Bill Monroe used to launch his new sound was what drew David in.

The mandolin looks harmless enough. About the size of a tennis racket, it’s easy to get a clear, golden sound just by brushing your pick across its four sets of double strings. That doesn’t mean I didn’t feel slightly panicky when my wife surprised me with one when I hit the big 4-0. “We support you, sweetie,” Ruth said, speaking for the family. By day seven, she and our four-year-old would quietly slip into another room whenever I took a crack at “Turkey in the Straw.”

Sound like anyone you know?

His piece goes on to discuss his private mandolin lessons and attempts to play with other musicians, finally ending up with a positive experience at Dr. Banjo’s Bluegrass Jam Camp.

Dr. Banjo is Pete Wernick, who’s been running camps around the country for bluegrass greenhorns since the early 1980s. His PhD is in sociology, and he clearly knows something about the wisdom of crowds. Before we even had our instruments out at the camp in Boulder, Colorado, he asked, “Who’s the worst player here?” All 28 of us shot up our hands.

Wernick’s philosophy is that private music instruction often fails, which is why most instruments in America haven’t seen daylight for decades. “The only way to learn to play and keep playing is by playing with other people,” he tells us.

Read the full piece (with a happy ending) on the Reader’s Digest web site.

The site is managed by Greg McGrath, a serious Aussie bluegrass enthusiast who I met last spring when he was visiting in the US. Greg also maintains Gippsland Bluegrass, a blog for pickers and bluegrass fans in his part of Victoria.

During a recent discussion, Greg shared the story of how he came to be involved in blogging, and it demonstrates the sort of missionary zeal that has kept bluegrass music active and growing for so many years – and especially how it manages to extend its reach so far from where it was born sixty years ago.

“I was inspired to do something after my big trip to the USA last year. I wanted a medium to show my pictures and tell the stories of the many wonderful people I had met in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky. I was also taken by the work that Pete Wernick was doing through his Jam Camps; I was invited to attend the one in North Carolina last year and spent four days there in awe of what Pete and Joan were achieving with otherwise ‘closet pickers.’

I got home and explored some web site options, but did not have the immediate technology to take advantage of them. I tried building websites, but as a frustrated perfectionist I was not happy with the results and I could not afford software to build them or the cost to host them. After a several months of frustration I virtually gave up trying to get what I thought were some great stories up on the web.

One of the folks I met during my time in the USA was Ted Lehmann who spends his days traveling to festivals and reporting on them on his blogsite. I did not readily understand what a blog was then, but it was always there in the back of my mind.

More months passed and I happened across Ted’s blogsite once again and spent some time there, trying to understand the mechanics of how he made it work and what might be involved for me.

During this time ‚Äì inspired by Pete Wernick’s work – I started to invite musicians into my home to learn the etiquette of bluegrass jamming and develop their confidence ‚Äì just like Dr. Banjo. My aim was to build up a group of jammers who could help grow interest in bluegrass music in the region. About this time I found a way to create my own blog site (Gippsland Bluegrass) and used it to generally post news of happenings across my region and to give the local jammers and others a reference point for all things bluegrass, especially those who were new to the music.

I had some success with this site. It was being read by many people outside the state who encouraged me to do something similar for the wider Australian scene. I then discovered The Bluegrass Blog and that gave me the final bit of encouragement I needed to tackle a national site – The Australian Bluegrass Blog.

The two sites differ in that I am trying to keep the ABB about Australian bluegrass news and events on a national level, while the Gippsland blog really is more locally focused with some international posts from time to time.

The ABB is is just on 5 months old now (launched in January 2008) and has several contributors from across Australia. I welcome contributions from far and wide. If it’s about bluegrass music and relevant somehow to Australian scene then it’s welcome on the site.”

These shows will air at 1:00 p.m. (EST – 6:00 p.m. local UK time) on December 27 and 28 and feature interviews with several performers, songwriters and instrument builders Niall caught up with in Nashville. Guests include Greg Cahill, Pete Wernick, Barry and Holly Tashian, Steve Huber, Goldheart, Broken Wire, Steve Kaufmann, Keith Sewell and a number of others.

Additional shows to be broadcast in 2008 will be announced shortly after the new year.

RT?â Radio 1 broadcasts over the air at 88-89 FM, and listeners worldwide can tune in online via live audio streaming.

Niall is also hard at work finishing up his latest CD, We Believe In Clean Endings. He says it will feature 13 of his new songs, and a release date for next year should be announced by February.

The scholarship is intended for players who might otherwise not have the resources to attend Pete’s camps, and covers the cost of tuition only. Four have been awarded already, with three going to teen pickers from Utah, Kentucky, and Massachusetts.

Pete hosts a number of banjo camps every year, each oriented towards the needs of players at specific skill levels. The Advanced Camp is geared to motivated players in performing bands, and focuses on execution, performance, and creative approaches within the bluegrass format. Pete says that it’s the only banjo camp of its kind, and class size is limited to 15.

To apply for the sole remaining scholarship spot, contact Pete by email. Accommodations and airport shuttle, if needed, are approximately $400.

Pete provided this overview of how it all went down.

It wasn’t exactly a surprise wedding. It was planned months ahead, but due to Steve’s celebrity, he was concerned about paparazzi disrupting things, and asked that it not be discussed at all in advance, as word about such things tends to travel fast.

In brief, Steve got in touch with me some months ago about providing music for the wedding (at his home in Beverly Hills). I asked if he wanted me to get some musicians from the area, or just “whoever I want.” He said to get whoever I want. When I asked, what would you think of having Hot Rize, he said, “I’d kill for Hot Rize.” Thank goodness that wasn’t necessary. Bryan Sutton, who generally plays guitar with us, was not available, so we got David Grier, who did just fine of course.

Steve and his wife Anne gave a lot of thought to the music they wanted, and they took my suggestion to use Romance Is a Slow Dance, a great song of Tim’s, to begin the ceremony. Then Tim fiddled a beautiful Irish air as the bride and her father came forward. The ceremony, performed by “Reverend” Bob Kerrey (former U.S. Senator), was followed by a rousing banjo tune.

Steve had indicated that if Hot Rize was there, “it would be a sin” not to have us do a mini-set for the guests. He added, “as in, I would go to hell.” So following dinner, Steve introduced us and we did five songs including Blue Night, High on a Mountain, and a song I wrote for Steve and Anne, This is Our Time. For the last two tunes, we were joined by Steve on banjo, and played Steve’s tune The Crow and finished with Foggy Mt. Breakdown. We were very well received, with the guests applauding for solos and many nice comments afterwards. In attendance were such notables as Tom Hanks, Diane Keaton, Carl Reiner, Eugene Levy, and Martin Mull. Steve and Martin both participated in the jamming that went on into the night.

Steve arranged that all guests receive a copy of the band’s So Long of a Journey CD as a party favor. As they filtered out and the party wound down, we continued to play informally, with Steve and Anne asking for one more rendition of Romance Is a Slow Dance.

The next morning we headed for LAX, and I made it all the way to Elkins, WV for Bluegrass Week at the Augusta Heritage program, which is where I’m writing this from!

In closing, I’ll say it is truly an honor for Hot Rize to be appreciated in such a high class way by such a respected figure of American culture as Steve Martin. People ask me what sort of person he is, and I can say in all honesty that he is one fine gentleman, with the wonderful quality of showing interest in other people and making them feel appreciated. Almost impossible to fathom that, given his irreverent style of humor, but it’s true. I also am often asked about whether Steve might do one thing or another for “the bluegrass cause,” and I can only say time will tell. Naturally if he has any desire to do that, I will be glad to facilitate!

When the guests arrived – including film luminaries like Tom Hanks, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy and Carl Reiner – they realized that they were actually to be the guests at Martin’s surprise wedding to Anne Stringfield, his girlfriend of the past three years.

A reunited Hot Rize was on hand to provide the bluegrass music, with original members Tim O’Brien, Pete Wernick and Nick Forster joined by David Grier on guitar. They not only entertained after the wedding dinner, but also provided the music for the ceremony itself.

O’Brien sang his song Romance Is A Slow Dance to start the ceremony, and played the traditional Irish air, Sheebeg and Sheemore on fiddle for the processional. Wernick played a jaunty version of Cripple Creek on the banjo as the newlyweds recessed.

After dinner, Martin introduced Hot Rize for a short set, during which he joined them on stage with his banjo, performing his tune The Crow, and a double banjo version of Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

Congratulations to the happy couple. A marriage consecrated by bluegrass music is bound to take, yes?

What The includes 14 tracks, mixing new Wernick originals with popular classics from both the traditional string music and jazz/swing libraries. They describe their music as “a mix of both traditional and modern elements of American roots music.”

Members of Flexigrass are Greg Harris (vibraphone), Bill Pontarelli (clarinet), Kris Ditson (drums), Roger Johns (bass) and Pete Wernick on banjo. Joan Wernick guests on vocals.

There is one audio track from the CD, and several video clips of the band up at Dr.Banjo.com, Pete’s web site. Samples of all 14 tracks are available at CD Baby.

The first hour features interviews with Dr. Banjo (Pete Wernick), and Jamie Dailey of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. The second hour includes interviews with Tony Williamson, and three members of Carolina Road (Lorraine Jordan, Jerry Butler, and Ben Greene).

The show will air today at 12 Noon, and again several times this week at various times. You can visit BluegrassCountry.org and click on Schedule Changes for a full listing of show times.

Another interview that might be of interest is with the Cherryholmes family. That interview runs during a different show and airs today at 8:05 PM.

The scholarships cover tuition fees only, and are intended for those with limited financial means, to enable them to attend. Like all of Pete’s jam camps, the only qualifications to attend are the ability to tune one’s instrument and change smoothly between G, C, D, and A chords.

Scholarships will be offered for the following camps:

Pete asks that scholarship applicants please contact him by email, including the information requested in the registration form for the camp you hope to attend, along with a short statement of interest in attending, and circumstances.

They describe a typical issue thusly:

Read stories about music makers from all walks of life, learn about the latest medical research into the benefits of making music, discover tips to make you learn better and get the most out of your hobby, and much more.

The March/April 2007 issue has a feature about taking on a musical instrument in retirement, which has its focus Pete Wernick’s jam camps, which provide new pickers the skills and the opportunity to play with other musicians in a controlled environment. They interview a number of Pete’s jam campers about their experiences, both at the camp, and in learning to play later in life.

The article also include some comments from Pete, and a nice overview of why bluegrass music appeals to a growing number of people. It also features a number of photos taken at a jam session held at the home of actor/comedian and banjo picker, Steve Martin. Pete was in attendance, as was Martin’s fellow actor/comedian Martin Mull, who is also an accomplished musician.

Read the article online at the Making Music web site, where you may also request a one year trial subscription, free for the asking.

Pete has also released a number of instructional videos, focusing primarily on helping new players get started and learn to jam with one another.

His newest, Bluegrass Banjo Backup, has just been released from Homespun Video. It is designed for new pickers, and includes footage from his previous Bluegrass Slow Jam and Bluegrass Jamming DVDs. After showing video from an actual jam session, Pete describes the techniques, lick and patterns being employed, which are also found in the included tab booklet.

The new Wernick DVD can be ordered directly from Pete’s web site, or from Homespun, which also features a couple of bits of sample video.

Many of his camps are scheduled in conjunction with major festivals, making it convenient to brush up on your picking or jamming skills, and catch your favorite artists in concert.

The complete schedule of camps can be found on Pete’s web site.

Scruggs’ segment starts off with Rob Ickes leading the band through Foggy Mountain Rock, followed by a version of John Hardy. Nick Forster then interviews Earl about how he came to develop his groundbreaking banjo style, which Earl describes in his typically understated and unassuming manner. He also speaks about the early days performing on the road and on TV with Flatt & Scruggs, and how he came to be associated with The Beverly Hillbillies.

After the discussion, the band returns to play The Ballad Of Jed Clampett and Foggy Mountain Breakdown. The music is fine, of course, but for many Scruggs-o-philes, the interview may be the more enjoyable part of the show.

There is a direct link to the audio on Wernick’s site, or it can accessed directly via the Etown archives. Access to the archives is restricted to registered users on the Etown site, so if you feel that you are “getting over” by using Pete’s direct link, you can register and get the audio from this and other Etown programs.

Speaking of Wernick’s web site and Hot Rize…

Pete now has two bits of sample video up at Dr.Banjo.com taken from the recently released Hot Rize concert DVD, shot in 1987. One is the band performing Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning, and a song from their bus mates, Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers doing One Woman Man.

These are Quicktime files of one entire song each, and may take a few minutes to download or open in your browser.

It features a concert performance at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Lousiville, KY from July of 1987, with the original members of the band – Tim O’Brien, Pete Wernick, Charles Sawtelle and Nick Forster. Interviews with the band are included, and Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers also make an appearance.

The DVD runs just under an hour, and is offered for $20 plus $5 shipping.

Pete says that the DVD will include 19 songs, plus interviews, but no solid release date can be given at this time. It will be sold for $20, and it will surely show up on the Dr. Banjo online store as soon as it is released, which is expected to be soon.

Hot Rize was a very popular act on the bluegrass circuit during the 1980s, playing a hyrbid sort of music that was right at home on older Flatt & Scruggs or Bill Monroe material, and on their own more contemporary music as well. The additional of The Trailblazers to the show, which involved the Hot Rize boys quickly changing clothes mid-set and adopting new characters as a slightly dim, but surely serious honky tonk hillbilly band, was a huge hit as well.

They disbanded in 1990 at the height of their success, having recently been named as IBMA’s first Entertainer Of The Year, when Tim O’Brien left to pursue opportunities outside of Hot Rize. Tim has, of course, remained a fixture in our music, while Pete Wernick continued on teaching and performing, and Nick Forster found a home with etown on on National Public Radio. Sadly, Charles Sawtelle passed away in 1999 after battling leukemia for a number of years.

In addition to four Hot Rize CDs that are still available on Sugar Hill, there is also one from Red Knuckles & The Trailblazers, Shades Of The Past.

He has established an Opinion category as well, where readers can sample, and respond to Pete’s take on a variety of music, bluegrasss, or banjo-related topics.

Pete has just moved the forum to a new location, using different bulletin board software, and existing, archived messages were not able to be transfered.

It’s all new on the Dr. Banjo forum, so banjo students, go ahead and post your questions for the good doctor.