In an earlier post, Casey Henry mentioned what a kick she got from knowing that she and Steve Martin played the same kind of banjo, referring to her recent signature model Kel Kroydon banjo.

I asked KK owner Tom Mirisola to tell us a bit more about the Steve Martin connection…

This all came about through Tony Ellis, who is a good friend of Steve’s, and an owner of a Kel Kroydon KK-11. One day Tony and I were talking about the Cryo Strings for a Cause charity and he mentioned he had a very good friend who wanted to talk to me about my banjos. When Tony told me it was Steve Martin I really didn’t know what to think. Tony asked if he could forward my contact information to Steve and we could talk banjos.

Well, of course I said OK. A few weeks later I was contacted by a production company who told me Steve would be in Boston filming the movie Pink Panther II and that he would like to get together with me during his stay. One afternoon in October 2007 we met Steve on set with my wife Karen and my granddaughter Casey.

I brought 5 Kel Kroydons with me for Steve to try out. Steve and I sat and picked, talked all about Kel Kroydon specifications and his 27 Florentine banjo. In between pickin’ and talking, Steve took all of us on set to watch the his new film being made. This was a thrill for all of us. Steve took the time to explain to Casey how the film was made, which she still talks about today. Casey can’t wait till the movie comes out.

Later that afternoon we left it if Steve was interested in a Kel Kroydon banjo we could build one to his specifications for him. Steve said he liked the Kel Kroydons and wanted to think about the banjo specifications he wanted to build. Steve said he would contact me after the movie was completed.

A few weeks later I received a phone call from Steve wanting to discuss his desired banjo specifications. He liked the ebony fingerboard, mahogany wood, and gold engraved plating, basically our Charlie Cushman model. Steve and I pulled up the American Made Banjo web site while we were on the phone, and he said, “That’s the banjo. It is beautiful.”

From there Robin Smith, Steve Gill and Charlie Cushman did their usual magic. The banjo was built and delivered to Steve just before the holidays. So far, he says the banjo looks and sounds great and the last I spoke with him he had taken the banjo with him on vacation. I’m sure in the future when Steve pops up out of nowhere to play at a venue, and you see him playing a banjo with an ebony fingerboard and “mother of toilet seat” peghead that sounds great, you will know exactly what he is playing.

Here are a couple more photos of Steve with his custom Kel Kroydon, and meeting with Tom’s family on the set.

We got a note this morning from Ned Luberecki, banjo player extraordinaire, and one of the hosts of the Sirius Satellite Radio Bluegrass channel.

Ned had been out with Tony Trischka this past week, supplying the second banjo for a string of dates in support of Tony’s Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular CD, and told us that they had a surprise guest for Thursday’s show at The Cutting Room in New York City, in the person of Steve Martin.

“Tony told me earlier in the day that he had emailed Steve about the gig, not even knowing if Steve was in New York. We didn’t actually know that he was going to be there until just before show time. We had just a few minutes to rehearse before they opened the doors to the club, so we went over the triple banjo version of ‘The Crow’ with Steve playing the melody, Tony on the second and me on the third part. Then Tony asked if Steve would like to play anything else on the show.

Steve started playing a tune and asked if we wanted to figure it out. The song was ‘Pitkin County Turnaround’ which Steve had recorded on his ‘Steve Martin Brothers’ album. After Steve played through it once, I took a solo. Steve seemed surprised that I knew it. Afterward he asked me how I learned it so fast. I told him that I learned it from his record… 25 or 30 years ago!

For the record, I got my first banjo, and two Steve Martin records for Christmas the same year. If you were to look at those albums, you’d probably see the grooves worn clean on the parts where he played the banjo.

All joking aside, Steve was my original inspiration for starting to play the banjo. The first song I learned from a record (without tab) was his version of ‘8 More Miles To Louisville’ (which was part of his ‘You can’t play a sad song on the banjo’ bit). And believe it or not, I learned ‘Sally Goodin’ from the flip side of the 45 of ‘King Tut’ even before learning it from the Earl Scruggs book.”

Take that all you people who insist that Steve Martin had no impact as a banjo player!

Ned also passed along this photo from a show he did with Tony back in October where they were joined by Bela Fleck for another Triple Banjo Bluegrass Extravaganza.

He also mentioned that there are a number of video clips from the recent Trischka dates up on YouTube.

Today’s (12/2) edition of The Washington Post contains a lengthy feature on comedian, actor, author Steve Martin - who we all know is also a man who is passionate about the banjo and banjo playing

From his earliest days in stand-up through his recent participation in Tony Trischka’s Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectatcular CD, Martin has always remained faithful to his banjo roots.

The article, written by Post TV writer Tom Shales, mixes biographical background with a current interview. Towards the end of the interview, Shales asks about what’s left for him to accomplish.

Do you worry about “things not done” that you wish you had?

I don’t think about that. But I do want to do something with the banjo. I don’t know what yet — make a record or something. Might play a couple of songs and then just present the banjo on a record the way I like to hear it. I’ve been playing it for 40 years and I like it, I really like it. I find it exhilarating and actually melancholy, too.

Now that is something to look forward to!

Read the full piece at washingtonpost.com (free registration required).

Steve Martin is one of five renowned artists to receive an Honour to mark the 30th Annual Kennedy Center Gala which takes place on Sunday, December 2, 2007. The actual awards will be bestowed the night before the gala on Saturday, December 1, at a State Department dinner, hosted by the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have announced the selection of the individuals who will receive the Kennedy Center Honours of 2007. The recipients to be honoured at the 30th annual national celebration of the arts are: banjo player, comedian, actor and writer (not necessarily in that order, of course) Steve Martin, pianist Leon Fleisher, singer Diana Ross, film director Martin Scorsese, and songwriter Brian Wilson.

Steve Martin is famous for his appearance in such films as Three Amigos (1986), Planes, Trains And Automobiles (1987), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), Parenthood (1989), Father Of The Bride (1991) and The Pink Panther (2006), along with countless others, and a string of TV programmes going back to 1967.

Martin initiated an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman in September 2005 in which he was joined by fellow banjo players Earl Scruggs, Peter Wernick, Tony Ellis and Charles Wood for a banjo extravaganza Men With Banjos (Who Know How To Use Them) originally organised for the New Yorker Festival 2005.

Also, Martin has appeared this year on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Late Show with David Letterman playing the banjo with Tony Trischka on a tune, The Crow, that he wrote for Trischka’s recently released CD Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular (Rounder 0548), an album on which Martin is featured.

Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman said of Martin, “Steve Martin is a Renaissance comic whose talents wipe out the boundaries between artistic disciplines.”

CBS will broadcast a recording of The Gala on Wednesday, December 26 at 9pm (EST)

We posted yesterday afternoon about Hot Rize performing during and after Steve Martin’s “surprise” wedding ceremony at his home in Los Angeles on July 28. As we might have suspected, Pete Wernick (Dr. Banjo) was in the thick of the preparations, owing to his friendship and banjo connection with Martin.

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 Hollywood stars and friends of comedian (and banjo player) Steve Martin accepted his invitation to a dinner party at his Los Angeles home on July 28, no one was expecting anything other than some good music, and good times together.

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?

As we could have predicted, a video capture of the recent triple banjo performance on The Late Show with David Letterman has made its way to YouTube. The clip is taken from Wednesday’s program (4/26) and features Steve Martin, Tony Trischka and Bela Fleck playing Martin’s The Crow, one of 14 double banjo pieces on Trischka’s latest release, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectatcular.

The clip also features Michael Daves on guitar, Brittany Haas on fiddle and Skip Ward on bass.

You can watch the Letterman video on YouTube, where you can also find a clip of Steve and Tony performing this same song on The Ellen DeGeneres show.

If you want more, there is an hour long video shot in January 2007 on the Kennedy Center site featuring Tony and Noam Pikelny on banjos with the same supporting cast (guitar, fiddle, bass) as the Letterman and Ellen shows.

We have written a good bit this year about Tony Trischka’s latest CD, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. Each of the project’s 14 tracks feature Tony performing in duet (with a full band) along with other prominent banjo pickers, including such luminaries as Earl Scruggs, Scott Vestal, Tom Adams and Bill Emerson.

Tony will be appearing this week on The Late Show with David Letterman with two of his other banjo co-conspirators from the CD, Béla Fleck and comedian/musician Steve Martin. They will perform The Crow, a tune written by Martin for Tony’s new release, on the Thursday, April 26 program, broadcast on CBS.

Trischka has also taken his double banjo show on the road, adding a variety of “second banjo” guests as may be available. The bulk of the dates feature either Crooked Still banjo man Greg Liszt, or Noam Pikelny, of Chris Thile’s Tensions Mountain Boys.

See the full tour schedule on Tony’s web site.

Making Music Magazine is a glossy, bi-monthly print publication dedicated to the amateur musician and the pursuit of their musical goals. Now in their third year, the magazine means to provide stories of inspiration as well as tips to assist folks whose primary career is outside of music - and help them have fun learning to play.

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.

CMT.com has a piece up that features an interview with banjo picker Tony Trischka. It is focused on his recent release, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, which includes Tony and a host of celebrated banjoists in twin banjo arrangements. Earl Scruggs, Tom Adams, Béla Fleck, Scott Vestal, Noam Pikelny and many more share the banjo duties with Trischka on this project.

The CMT piece focuses on Tony’s collaboration with actor/comedian/banjo player Steve Martin, who also appears on the new CD, and getting the opportunity to perform with Martin on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Tony also shares his feelings about working with Earl Scruggs.

“When we were recording the album, I was sitting knee to knee with him while we were rehearsing the tunes,” he says. “The thing that really hit me is how powerful his playing still is. And I saw him in New York four or five months ago. Just the very first hit of ‘Salty Dog,’ there was just that sound. The tone is the thing with Earl. It’s just so deep and so right and so perfect and so there, you can’t even really explain what it is about it, but it takes your head off.”

Read the full interview at CMT.com.

Speaking of Trischka, Martin and television… The two will be appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman on April 26, so mark your calendars and set your TiVo.

As one would have expected, someone has posted the video from Tony Trischka and Steve Martin’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last Thursday up on YouTube.

They were on to promote Tony’s Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular CD, and played one of Steve’s compositions from the project, The Crow.

The clip features both the tune (with twin banjos) and a brief discussion between Ellen and the banjo boys.

Tony Trischka is in Los Angeles today to tape an appearance for The Ellen DeGeneres Show with banjo picking comedian/actor Steve Martin. This show is set to air on Thursday, February 8. Times vary from one market to another.

They will perform their double banjo version of Martin’s tune, The Crow, from Trischka’s new CD, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular.

Tony has been on something of a whirlwind tour to promote the new project, and flew out to the west coast on Monday with his band, Michael Daves (guitar, vocals), Brittany Haas (fiddle) and Skip Ward (bass).

I couldn’t resist, and asked Tony the inevitable Ellen question.

“Steve emailed me yesterday to suggest that we should work up one more tune in case Ellen does want to dance. I, however, won’t be dancing!”

Sounds like an instant YouTube hit - Steve Martin and Ellen DeGeneres dancing to a rip roaring banjo tune!

The Ellen show is widely syndicated in larger markets all over the United States. Find a list of stations and airtimes on the show’s web site.

We posted last week about the upcoming project from Tony Trischka, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, which will feature Tony in duets with Earl Scruggs, Béla Fleck, Steve Martin, Alison Brown, Tom Adams, Bill Emerson, Kenny Ingram, Scott Vestal and Noam Pikelny. It is due for a January 23, 2007 release on Rounder.

At the time, we noted that no audio samples were available online, but Rounder now has snippets from all 14 tracks on their site, in both RealAudio and Windows Media formats.

I had a chance to discuss this new CD recently with Tony, and was especially interested in how he decided on a twin banjo project.

“After doing two electric band albums, I’d approached Rounder about doing a bluegrass album, a la my Hill Country record from the early ’80s. Ken Irwin thought it might be more fun, and have more of a commercial hook if I turned it into a double banjo album. And that’s what it became.

All the duets were recorded live except for the one with Scott Vestal. I was going to have JD on one cut and at the last minute something came up and he wasn’t able to make it, so I cut the track by myself as part of the Sam Bush sessions. After a week or so I decided to have Scott add the double part. He did it at his home studio and when he emailed it back to me, I flipped. His playing is ridiculously amazing.”

Tony told me that the project was exciting, both putting it together, and recording with so many of his favorite players, but that it took a long time to complete, given the difficulty of scheduling nine different banjo players. Still, he says the whole thing was a thrill, and well worth the trouble in the end.

“The biggest treat was getting to record with Earl. It was a huge honor and more than that, a gift. Sitting across from him while running it down I was impressed with the power of his right hand. I’ve heard him live on various occasions, but hearing him from three feet away is another story.”

Another highlight for Tony was working with Steve Martin. (more…)

Rounder Records has announced January 23, 2007 as the release date for a new recording that will surely be of interest to our readers. Innovative banjoist Tony Trischka has a new project, based on a banjo duet format, and appropriately titled, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular.

Trischka solicits double banjo assistance from such luminaries as three finger godfathers Earl Scruggs and Béla Fleck, plus banjo player turned comedian Steve Martin for this 14 track romp. The remaining banjo duets feature Alison Brown, Tom Adams, Bill Emerson, Kenny Ingram, Scott Vestal and Noam Pikelny.

Other contributors include Chris Thile, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Ron Stewart, Dudley Connell, Tim Stafford, David Grier, Barry Bales and Jerry Douglas, and the music is said to range from traditional bluegrass to the vanguard of new acoustic explorations.

On a Tony Trischka CD? Surely not.

One anticipates that a double banjo CD will be mostly focused on instrumental music, but a number of vocals are said to be featured as well - including a version of Fox On The Run.

I, for one, will be eagerly awaiting a copy of Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, and will be on the lookout for audio samples, which have not yet appeared on the Rounder Records site. When they do, I’ll be sure to post an update.

Tony will soon be doing a holiday tour in December throughout the northeast, performing Christmas music from his 1995 Glory Shone Around CD. You can find the dates for these shows on his web site.

UPDATE 11/24: Rounder now has audio samples available for Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular available online.

CBS has made a video clip available on their web site of the recent appearance with Earl Scruggs, Steve Martin, Pete Wernick, Charles Wood and Tony Ellis. It is in Real Player format and can be accessed here.

As is often the case with online video, the quality is such that the images don’t always synch perfectly with the audio, but it is still fun to watch.

Pete Wernick, aka Dr. Banjo, has posted a delightful piece on his web site about his recent television appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. The performance on September 21 was a five banjo extravaganza, put together and championed by Steve Martin, including Martin and Wernick along with Earl Scruggs, Tony Ellis and Charles Wood.

Pete’s web article reads like a personal diary, and gives a glimpse not only into the nuts-and-bolts operation of a major television program like this from a featured performer’s perspective, but also into the insecurities and uncertainties that even seasoned pros experience going before a national audience of this size.

Now we’re watching the beginning of the show on the monitors in the small rooms in the backstage area. Steve indicated he was nervous, and it surprised me a bit, with his huge amount of successful stage work. I asked, wasn’t the standup comedy he’d done for so many years at least as stressful? No, he said, that came much more naturally to him. Bravo to Steve for building his picking skills to a high level and braving on to this challenging spot, despite music stage inexperience. He pulled it off, too! But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

Read the whole Wernick piece here.

You can see more info about the genesis of the group, Men With Banjos - Who Know How To Use Them in our earlier post.

Don’t forget that Steve Martin will be a featured guest on The Late Show featuring David Letterman tonight (9/21), with a number of prominent banjo pickers in tow for a special performance. Earl Scruggs, Tony Ellis, Pete Wernick and Charles Wood will all be with Martin on the program. The Bluegrass Blog reported on this a few days ago, and you can see more details here.

The Late Show is broadcast on CBS. Consult your local listings, as the saying goes.

Pete Wernick informs us that he has been invited to be a part of a unique banjo event in New York later this month, including a performance at the New Yorker Magazine’s New Yorker Festival 2005 on September 24, and an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman on September 21.

This event was speaheaded by Steve Martin, long known for his devotion to the five string banjo in addition to his professional work as an actor, writer and comedian. Martin put together a show entitled Men With Banjos (Who Know How To Use Them) for the New Yorker Festival, featuring Martin and special guests Earl Scruggs, Tony Ellis, Charles Wood and the emminent Dr. Banjo, Pete Wernick.

This same group of pickers (including Joan and Will Wernick among the accompanists) will also be featured on the Letterman show on Wednesday, September 21.

Hats off to Steve Martin for his continuing efforts to promote the popularity of the banjo and bluegrass music!