There is an embarrassment of riches this Friday (5/15) for folks who can tune in to online radio and TV during business hours. We’ll highlight each of several special programs featuring bluegrass artists in the next few postings.

First up is Carol Beaugard’s Lonesome Pine RFD which airs on WFDU in the New York City metro market. The show airs from 9:00 a.m until noon (EDT) and Carol will speak with both Tony Trischka and Claire Lynch about their plans for the rest of ‘09.

Tony will be on the line at 9:15 to talk about the Tony Trischka School of Banjo, a new online instructional site which will launch this summer. Carol also plans to ask him about his work on Steve Martin’s recent banjo CD, The Crow.

Then at 11:00, Claire Lynch will join Carol to break the news about a new Rounder project she expects to have this fall.

Catch Carol et al. on Lonesome Pine RFD at 89.1 FM in the NYC area, and streamed live online at WFDU.fm.

The promoters of the Gathering Of The Vibes festival have come up with a clever way to get you to tune in for their live webcast tonight (4/2) when they announce this year’s lineup.

After the announcements, they will run a video of a live performance at The Gathering in 2004 by The Masters Of Bluegrass: Bryn Bright, Sam Bush, Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan, Gordon Stone, and Tony Trischka.

The webcast begins at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) on the festival website.

The 2009 fest runs July 23-26 in Bridgeport, CT.

Tony Trischka was recently awarded for his CD, territory. The CD won the award for Best Americana Album at the territory was released in 2008 on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The CD contains 21 tracks including both 3-finger style and clawhammer style banjo playing. Many of the tracks are performed solely by Trischka, while others consist of fiddle/banjo duets or other duel banjo numbers with a variety of accompanying instruments.

Guests include Pete Seeger, Bruce Molsky, Bill Keith, Paula Bradley, Mike Seeger, and Bill Evans.

The CD contains extensive liner notes by Bob Carlin covering Trischka’s background and bio (titled: Tony Trischka Territory), and A Short History of the Banjo. Also included are Trischka’s notes on each of the 21 tracks. His notes detail the many alternate tunings represented on the recording, give background info on each song’s history, and stories of the collaborative efforts with his guests.

One highlighted quote from the liner notes is Tony’s explanation of why he plays the banjo.

It’s like the banjo chose me…

I didn’t really have a say in the matter.

territory is available from Smithsonian Folkways Records as a physical product or a download. The notes are provided as a free PDF download on the same page, along with audio samples of each track.

Mel Bay Publications has released a new book/CD package from Tony Trischka, called Master Collection of Fiddle Tunes for Banjo.

Dozens of tunes most commonly played on the fiddle are arranged for 3 finger banjo, encompassing music from the American and British Isles fiddle traditions. Bluegrass, Celtic and old time tunes are included, presented in tablature, and played on the two accompanying audio CDs.

Trischka is well known for his many recordings of banjo music, but perhaps less so as an outstanding instructor of the instrument. He has authored a number of popular banjo books and DVDs, targeted at banjo players and students from rank beginners to serious practitioners.

This new Mel Bay title contains pieces that will be comfortable for new pickers, and others that would challenge long-time players.

Master Collection of Fiddle Tunes for Banjo should be available now wherever banjo instructional books are sold. The book runs 256 pages (spiral bound) and sells for $34.95.

Rounder Records subtitles banjo man Tony Trischka’s newly-reissued 1985 album Hill Country as The Tony Trischka Bluegrass Album.

That reference doesn’t seem especially startling to modern eyes, following Tony’s success in 2007 with his Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular project, but when Hill Country was initially released on LP in ‘85, it smacked of heresy.

Tony explains why…

“After spending ten years putting out primarily progressive, left of center albums for Rounder, I decided I wanted to do a project that reflected my deep love for traditional bluegrass. I contacted the label and they were all for it.

My goal was to compose all of the music, in various categories……..blues tune, Scruggs/Keith tuner tune, gospel song, Stanleyesque tune, etc. I succeeded in doing that, and added in a traditional fiddle tune, to have a duet.”

In the mid-1980s, the sort of experimental string music we hear regularly now was far more controversial, and for many bluegrass purists the mere notion of one of “those pickers” crossing over to the traditional realm was beyond the pale. Artists like David Grisman, whose own variant on traditional string music was emerging at the time, had gone the opposite way - working initially in bluegrass and moving into what would soon be labeled as Dawg Music after doing his time as a grasser.

Trischka had not only started and stayed in the progressive camp until this time, but his music was more challenging harmonically to the ears of bluegrass fans of that day.

To further break the mold, Tony selected a different set of musicians for these sessions. Up to this point, he had primarily recorded with fellow string music progressives from the northeastern US like Russ Barenberg, Andy Statman, John Miller, Matt Glazer and Evan Stover.

“The majority of the tunes for Hill Country were recorded with the Nashville A team….Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, Mark O’Connor, with Mark Hembree (Monroe’s bassist around that time) and Sonny Osborne twinning with me on a tune we co-wrote. Two other sessions featured the Johnson Mountain Boys and Del McCoury. (more…)

Rounder will be reissuing Tony Trischka’s terrific 1985 banjo album, Hill Country as a remastered CD on October 21.

Tony is viewed as a mainstream guy these days, thanks in no small part to his blockbuster Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular project which hit in early 2007. In the mid-1980s, however, he was noted mostly for his daring, adventurous original banjo music - which was highly experimental and often eschewed by bluegrass purists.

When Hill Country was initially released as an LP, both sides of that argument were left scratching their heads as the music was decidedly bluegrass, both in composition and instrumentation. Tony had chosen both The Johnson Mountain Boys and The Del McCoury Band as his primary rhythm sections, with guest performances from Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Mark O’Connor and Béla Fleck.

The tunes still showcased Trischka’s quirky compositional sense, and he seemed energized by the musicians with him in the studio. He had expressed to me at the time how much he had enjoyed the sessions, and the time he spent writing and arranging the material.

This is lively and exciting music, showcasing a number of today’s most notable bluegrass artists before they reached such lofty status as they enjoy now. By all means, make a point to pick this up when it hits in October.

A bonus track is also included, with extensive new liner notes.

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.