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Getting really into a song, having it just blasting on your stereo, moving to it, just loosing yourself in it, and then, after it's done, realizing that it's called "The Yee-Haw Factor".
Damn, that's a good song, but what a ridiculous name!
Anybody else like Bela Fleck?
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Noemon -- I also have to admit that when I saw the title of this thread, I thought of the Paladin Formerly Known As Mordecai. That's mortifying!
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Have you heard Natalie Merchant's new old-time album? It is beautiful, and her back-up band includes Richie Stearns(banjo) and Judy Hyman(fiddle) of the Horseflies, who are also amazing. Old time music meets REM.
Port, what style of banjo are you going to play? Pickin' or the rhythm? (the name of the style is escaping me)Flat something.
Edit: Flat-pick. Duh, that was hard.
[ August 29, 2004, 09:31 AM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
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I've seen Bela Fleck and the Flecktones twice live, once on their own and once opening for Dave Matthews.
They are simply astounding.
Bela, as a youth, was accepted to Julliard and when they asked him what instrument he'd like to play, he replied "Jazz Banjo." They thought he was joking. Now, well, he's probably the greatest living player of the instrument.
Victor Wooten, the bass player, is roundly considered the world's best and regularly plays "stereo bass" working two different basslines at the same time, playing each on the same instrument. His rendition of Amazing Grace is breath-taking. His ability to play "Deuling Banjos" on the bass opposite Bela is astounding.
Roy "Futch" Wooten is an innovative percussionist who was tired of sitting behind the band. So he took an old guitar body and mounted the pressure triggers from multiple electronic drum sets on the guitar. You have to see it to believe it and now he can do more than most symphonies' percussion sections all by himself.
They've been joined at times by folks like Pete Coughin, Branford Marsalis, Dave Matthews and other notables. Live is where they are best, but each of their albums is great as well. UFOTOFU being my favorite (which features at least one musical palindrome as a track).
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Banjo styles are typically flat or claw hammer (depending on whether the strings are picked or plucked).
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I'm really not very big into live music, but I neve miss a Bela Fleck performance if I have an opportunity to see him play. I've seen the Flecktones three times, and saw him play with a string quartet once. Every performance has blown me away.
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It's cool that so many people (comparatively) herethese days like him--usually in the past when I've brought him up Slash seemed to be the only other person familiar with him.
A few years back, Sopwith, Slash attended a "bass camp" that was taught by Victor Wooten. How cool is that?
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Bela Fleck is awesome. I saw him live this last Spring at Brown University. The venue wasn't the best, but the music was in-freakin-credible. I only have Live Art and Bela's classical album (Perpetual Motion, I think). Are there others particularly worth getting?
There's lots of Flecktones on archive.org, by the way. I'm downloading this concert at the moment.
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Oh, yeah, Mike, that's just the tip of the iceburg. My two favorite Bela Fleck albums as UFO TOFU, with the Flecktones (my god that's a stunning CD--I'm as mesmerized by it now as I was when I first heard it more than a decade ago), and Tales From the Acoustic Planet, which is absolutely breath taking. Really, though, all of his albums are good, although I can only take so much blue grass in on sitting, so I rarely listen to his stuff that's further over on that end of his musical continuum. There is a 3 disk Flecktone set that is supposed to be incredible that I don't yet have (tried to get it today, actually, but neither place I went had it), but I've got most of the rest of his stuff with the Flecktones, and love every single CD.
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One of the up-and-coming banjo players was Mark Vann, who played for Leftover Salmon. Sadly, he passed away two and a half years ago. He was only in his thirties.
Another band I just love is Old Crow Medicine Show. They are getting more mainstream now.
Mike, while on archive, check out the Horse Flies. Grrr. If I had known, I would have handed you some music, too. Myr took a bunch.
Also, if you like classic old time fiddle tuns, try John Specker. (just donlt say his name out loud too many times) He can play and sing at the same time. Just try that. He is on Archive, too, or should be.
Brown Mountain Lights was another North Carolina band we enjoyed at Shakori.
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Well, I'll be starting out learning Scruggs-style 3-finger picking, which is the most common style now. I've been getting into bluegrass, and am playing bluegrass guitar right now. I've always wanted to learn the banjo, though.
I'm going to buy the materials for the neck and fretboard here soon, and plan on getting that done by Christmas, when I'll buy a banjo pot assembly and other hardware. Then I'll just need to apply the finish and fit the neck to the pot. Then I can start playing!
Right now I'm spending a lot of time figuring out how I want to do the least important part of the banjo -- the inlays.
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Elizabeth, thanks. I will check out your suggestions.
Noemon, I believe you that all their albums are good, but... there's so much good free music out there. And so little time. But I might take a look at Ufotofu.
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Mike, any chance of you guys coming to Rhytm and Roots next weekend? We are going on Sunday only, even though it kills me that Donna the Buffalo will be there all three days. The truth is, my wandering minstrel-listening days are over with my new job. For this year, anyway.
Sunday is a very good line-up.
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Elizabeth, I love Old Crow Medicine Show. Bela Fleck is great, too. *makes note to check sunday schedule*
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I will check out your suggestions.
