Tony Trischka will be appearing tomorrow on the popular, syndicated morning talk show, Live with Regis and Kelly. Tony is only two weeks away from the release of his latest CD, Territory, and it is safe to presume that he will perform something from this new project on Live.

The show airs in most markets at 9:00 a.m. local time, and a searchable listing of show times can be found on the Regis and Kelly web site.

We had a chance to discuss Territory with Tony recently, and he shared a few details about the new CD, due 3/25 from Smithsonian Folkways.

“Territory is a departure for me in that most of it is not full band. I do a little clawhammer, turn of the century and bluegrass - it’s a pretty wide range. There are 12 solo tunes on the album…mostly original tunes.”

The CD features 21 tracks, including a few with the twin banjo theme of Tony’s prior release, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, which was released last year on Rounder.

“The move to Smithsonian is just this ‘one-off.’ I’m still with Rounder and have a new project planned with them after Territory comes out. When Territory was first set in motion I was doing a lot of solo gigs and wanted to have something updated (Solo Banjo Works with Bela being over 10 years old at the time). That was the immediate impetus for this project.

There are five songs we recorded for the Double Banjo project that we decided weren’t bluegrass enough. (more…)

Tony Trischka will be the featured guest on tomorrow’s (2/15) edition of Lonesome Pine RFD on WFDU-FM, broadcast in the New York City metro area.

He will join host Carol Beaugard for a discussion about his upcoming CD release, Territory, and perform tunes live in the studio. Carol also plans to ask Tony about the success he enjoyed in 2007 with his Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular which involved Tony performing banjo duets with some of the most celebrated five stringers on earth.

Banjo players and bluegrass history buffs should be especially interested in this interview as Carol and Tony will place a phone call to Judy Thompson to talk about her late husband, banjo legend Bobby Thompson. She will discuss Bobby’s career with Tony and share details about the two posthumously released CDs of his music which Judy has produced.

The show is broadcast live on 89.1 FM in the NYC area, and streamed live online at WFDU.fm. The Trischka interview segment begins at 10:00 a.m. (EST).

Fresh off the success of his 2007 release, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular - up for a Grammy Award this weekend - Tony Trischka has another ambitious recording due for release in March.

Despite all the hoopla he generated with the Double Banjo project, this time out Trischka is following a more minimalist approach. There are several cuts on Territory that feature twin banjos, but the bulk of the 21 cuts feature Tony with his band, and a dozen are performed as solo banjo tracks. Other than a few traditional fiddle pieces played in medleys, and a couple of bluegrass standards, the tunes are all Trischka originals.

It’s the stylistic variety that may be the most appealing aspect of this CD, however. Tony has mastered the 5 string banjo as a musical instrument, not purely as a bluegrass picker. He does include a version of Bill Monroe’s Molly and Tennbrooks with his band (Michael Daves, Brittany Haas, Skip Ward), but the album also features him on music that is drawn from Celtic, folk, blues, and old time roots - blended into Trischka’s unique and highly individual style.

Most of the banjo playing is done in 3 finger style, though without picks on one, and in the clawhammer style on another. A number of non-standard tunings are used, indicated in the song notes throughout. Fellow banjoist Bob Carlin contributes both a Short History of the Banjo, and extensive liner notes.

Territory is scheduled for a March 25 release from Smithsonian Folkways. Special guests include Pete Seeger, Bruce Molsky, Bill Evans and Mike Seeger.

Here’s a late Christmas present from Sirius Bluegrass…

Later this morning, they will present a live, in-studio performance of the music from Tony Trischka’s award-winning recording, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. The CD features Tony in duet with some of the most prominent pickers ever to set three picks to five strings: Earl Scruggs, Béla Fleck, Bill Emerson, Alison Brown and several others.

Tony has called on a number of fine banjoists to accompany him for touring in support of the CD, including Sirius Bluegrass co-host Ned Luberecki, and it is Nedski himself who plays second banjo with Trischka for this program.

The show will air at 11:00 a.m. (EST) on Sirius Bluegrass (Channel 65), rebroadcast on 12/28 at 5:00 p.m., 12/29 at 8:00 p.m. and on 12/30 at 4:00 p.m.

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.

More than 60 banjo players will converge in the small town of Cumberland Furance, TN this weekend for the 7th Annual NashCamp Banjo Retreat. Hosted by Sonny Osborne and Bill Evans, this year’s camp also features multi-IBMA award winner Tony Trischka, Alan Munde, Ned Luberecki, Kristin Scott-Benson and Frank Neat. Camp director is Cindy Sinclair, who co-directed this year’s IBMA Awards Show.

The setting for the Banjo Retreat is the stunning 1865 Drouillard House and its surrounding grounds and The Mad Platter, an acclaimed Nashville restaurant, caters the event.

“While we try to get the best teachers and players we can each year, the Drouillard House and the food are probably what keep people coming back. I’ve taught at most banjo camps across the country, and I’ll proudly admit that I think the comfort level of our camp is second to none. And that creates a relaxing atmosphere for folks to have a great weekend.

We’re also excited about Kristin Scott-Benson being with us. She’s one of our favorite players and people and her playing and teaching are going to bowl people over!”

Small group classes, faculty concerts, jamming and a wide choice of electives highlight this year’s class offerings, with a special emphasis this year on double banjo playing, in honor of Tony’s CD, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular.

Folks do seem to come back year after year - this year’s camp sold out in early June. As a special added feature for 2007, Munde, Evans and Luberecki will perform at the Station Inn on Thursday night, October 18th at 8 p.m., backed by guitarist Tim May, fiddler Megan Lynch, mandolin player Roland White and bassist Jon Weisberger.

If you want to get in on the NashCamp experience, reservations will be accepted for the 2008 event on January 2, 2008.

It’s Monday night at IBMA and John and I are sitting in the main ball room. We just finished a very fine dinner accompanied by some great conversation with Alan O’Bryant, our friends from Bristol Rhythm & Roots, and a couple of the guys from The Infamous Stringdusters.

Right now we’re listening to Tony Trischka deliver his Keynote Address. Tony is nominated for a couple awards this year for his CD Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. Tony’s speech has been a lesson in bluegrass history to this point, with some great stories and funny moments.

Tony is turning the speech toward the future of bluegrass as I type. He’s talking about drawing on the great historical markers of the past to inspire the creation of something fresh. A lesson he has applied in his own life and playing.

Here are a couple photos John snapped while Tony was talking.

    

Tomorrow morning from 10-11 AM EST you can hear Tony Trischka live on WFDU-FM. Tony will join hosts Carol Beaugard and Steve Lutke on their show Lonesome Pine RFD.

Tony will be performing live in the studio, discussing his three IBMA nominations, cunducting a three minute mini-music lesson, and talking about his personal favorite recordings.

Listeners in the New York City metro area can tune in on their radio dials at 89.1 FM. For the rest of us, the show will be streamed live from the station’s website at wfdu.fm.

Tony Trischka will be the guest on tonight’s (7/8) Banjo Talk program. The show is hosted by Dave Pericone, and is an online call in show, much like what you hear on the radio, which runs each Sunday evening from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. (eastern).

Dave and Tony will “talk banjo,” and field calls from listeners - who will have the opportunity to win autographed copies of Tony’s latest CD, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, and other banjo prizes.

Visit banjotalk.com to access the live stream and listen to the show with Tony Trischka on Sunday, July 8 at 8:00 p.m.

Last year the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival held it’s first annual instructional camp for the three days prior to the festival. The camp was successful and they have organized it again this year. The camp and the festival are both held at the Grand Targhee Resort located within the Caribou/Targhee National Forest in Wyoming.

Having lived in Wyoming for three years I can attest to the beauty and splendor of the setting for this event.

The camp is scheduled for August 7-10, 2007 and boasts an impressive line up of instructors.

• Ben Winship - Mandolin & Camp Director
• Mike Marshall - Mandolin
• Scott Nygaard - Guitar
• Tony Trischka - Banjo
• Brian Wicklund - Fiddle
• Eric Thorin - Bass
• John Lowell - Songwriting

Using bluegrass music as the common language, the camp focus is on teaching individual instrumental skills, group playing and jamming. Each day features morning and afternoon classes on your chosen instrument, elective workshops, jam sessions (both structured and unstructured) and evening performances making this Targhee Institute event extraordinary.

Registration for the camp includes 3 days of meals and lodging. Registration fees range from $700 to just over $900 depending on your willingness to share a room with another student.

For information about the festival and the camp, visit them online at the Grand Targhee Resort website.

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.

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.

We were just alerted that Tony Trischka was recently in the studio of WFUV in New York to record an in-studio performance and interview that will be airing tomorrow morning, Sunday February 11th, on the City Folk Sunday Breakfast show.

You can listen live online at the station’s website. Some, but not all, of their shows do get archived so you can listen later. We’re not sure at this time if the Trischka piece will be archived or not.

The airing precedes Trischka’s double banjo performance tomorrow night in New York at the Makor.

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.

Tony Trischka picked up a couple of great reviews from major city papers over the weekend for his new CD, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. They appeared in Sunday’s Charlotte News & Observer, and The Washington Post as well (scroll down).

The CD features Tony in banjo duets with such stellar names as Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck, Steve Martin and many others.

Audio samples for all 14 tracks can be found on the Rounder Records site, and in the iTunes Music Store, where the 15th bonus track can also be sampled.

We posted last month about a week of club dates in New York for Bill Evans’ Soulgrass. This is Bill Evans the jazz sax man who has been recording and performing an interesting jazz/bluegrass fusion, not our friend Bill Evans the bluegrass banjo player and instructor.

The shows will be at the fabled Blue Note starting tonight (1/23-28), and will feature Tony Trischka and Sam Bush along with the other members of Soulgrass.

Craig Havighurst, who blogs at String Theory Media, wrote a piece for today’s Wall Street Journal as a preview for the Evans shows this week. In addition to his overview of the Soulgrass sound, and comments from Evans and Trischka, Craig discusses some of the reasons why bluegrass and jazz aren’t such distant cousins as they may seem at first glance.

In fact, bluegrass and jazz, particularly bebop, are musical contemporaries and cousins—progressive departures from the dominant sounds of their day, forged during World War II. Both drew a line between the traditional and the modern in their respective forms. Even musically there were similarities, beginning with common roots in the blues. Both were inclined toward blazing tempos, rhythmic intricacies and intense, even competitive improvisation, suggesting that these schools, despite coming from cultures as distant and disparate as 1940s New York and 1940s Nashville, might one day meet and mingle to good effect.

The Journal site can not be accessed without a subscription, but the entire piece can be found on Craig’s site.

The Tony Trischka piece on NPR’s Weekend Edition which Brance mentioned on Saturday can now be heard online. It ran earlier today on most NPR radio affiliates.

Tony appeared along with Steve Martin and Bela Fleck to discuss his new Rounder CD, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular.

Hear the segment on the Weekend Edition site.

This Sunday NPR’s Weekend Edition will feature Tony Trischka in an interview and performance segment. The segment will air at 9:40 AM ET on Sunday January 21, 2007. It will be repeated at 11:40 AM and 1:40 PM the same day. I’m told the segment may also include Steve Martin and Bela Fleck.

We told you about Tony’s new CD, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, back in November of last year, both here and here.

The album will be released this coming Tuesday, January 23, 2007.