How the urban got to be mixed with OT, country and BG: Part I

Campfire songs were very important where I worked for four summers during college: the Lair of the Bear in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. After arriving there my first year, I quickly realized that playing the piano (which I did from music not by ear) was not going to cut it. I decided that I wanted to learn the guitar. My mom encouraged me to seek out the banjo. I did. I worked hardto learn about teachers of various banjo (four string vs five vs six) and playing techniques (plectrum, bluegrass, old time and others). The old time banjo teacher who I stuck with assured me that many of the songs I wanted to sing would be easy to create accompaniment with frailing and learning a few chords.When I first started playing old-time banjo, I mostly focused on what I called campfire songs like Comin' round the Mountain, Mountain Dew, and stuff by performers John Denver, the Kingston Trio and of course Pete Seeger. As I followed the folk boom back to the New Lost City Ramblers, the Weavers and Almanac Singers I got more interested in Woody Guthre, the original Carter Family, Bascom Lamar Lunsford and a whole host of musicians who recorded in the twenties and thirties and with the Lomaxes. The used record stores on Telegraph Avenue were great sources for inexpensive records. The Music Library on campus contained many Folkways records that I could listen to for free.

During this period I became more interested in old-time music and disregarded bluegrass. Most of my bluegrass exposure was limited to discount compilation tapes. Loud, twangy, fast banjo playing and a general feeling of intimidation of the form and its pickers. Fortunately, one of the salespersons at The Fifth String in Berkeley encouraged me to attend the California Bluegrass Association's Father's Day Bluegrass Festival. He assured me that there would be old-time musicians and at least one OT band there.

I laugh at myself when I think about the bluegrass icons that were at the two Father's Day BG festivals in Grass Valley, CA that I attended in the early nineties: Ronnie and Rob McCoury teaching a workshop surrounded by fifty or sixty people, Chubby Wise sitting behind a folding table smiling and laughing, Tony Rice and his brothers deciding where to go for dinner, Alison Kraus inviting a young fiddler to join her on stage, and Rose Maddox belting Philadelphia Lawyer. Where was I? Usually sitting at the back of the seating area with Rick Abrams. Rick was so many different things: a musician, a journalist, a promoter, teacher. I attended his old time banjo workshop with Edwin Lacy by accident. I was looking for some food and hearing the smooth sounds of frailing banjos followed my ear. A new band, Skeeter and Skidmarks, was playing the festival the two times I attended. Based around Galax, VA, Scott, Willard, Edwin and Sandy played music that was a unique blend of traditional instruments played and sung in melodic, driving and highly inventive ways. After meals, Rick encouraged jamming in the area enclosed by his vintage vehicles. I will never forget him shouting "Let's play tunes people know" or the uproar I caused when I suggested the Hop High Ladies was a D tune. (It was as recorded by Tom Paley and Mike Seeger) The musicians around me were so above my head! It was a pleasure to listen and intimidating to even sit in the circle. The big names of the festival were playing their hearts out on stage but our attention was clearly somewhere else.

I stayed in touch with Rick over the next few years of his life. When I recorded albums on cassette tape towards the end of college, I sent them to him. We began exchanging letters. He wrote me encouraging words about my recording efforts and informed me of his battle with cancer. I was very saddened when I found out that Rick had advanced malignant melanoma. He was such a life force and that cancer came after him head on. He pushed and pushed and fought and fought. I still channel his banjo playing and passion for the music when I really want to drive a tune.

Rick is the reason that I came to know the band members of Skeeter and Skidmarks. Little did I know that my friendship with Willard Gayheart and Scott Freeman would continue over the years. When I applied to medical school, I dreamt that may be if I were in New Orleans rather than the northeast, I would play and learn more southern music. My dreams started to become true during my first week in New Orleans. Searching for a public radio station at the left end of the FM dial one Sunday morning, I heard Uncle Dave Macon singing and playing banjo. The DJ's name was Hazel the Delta Rambler. How does this lady play Uncle Dave Macon on the radio? I thought. I called, introduced myself: Tulane Medical School! she said; Yes I replied; A clawhammer banjo player! Yes; Well we have to have you over for a jam. Sure enough a couple of Sundays later, I got the call and drove over to Hazel and and her husband Larry's house.

Consider this Part 1 friends. More to come...

Guitar workshop with Leigh Gibson and Tony Watt

Ever since 1997 when I heard the Gibson Brothers at a bluegrass festival outside of Burlington Vermont, I have been a big fan. Each album has accompanied a different part of my life and re-listening to a song can bring back a whole set of memories, good or bad....mostly good. A couple of years ago, while in Saratoga, NY for a hospice conference, I met Leigh at Saratoga Guitar by chance. He has worked there over the years and I happened to walk on a day that he was standing behind the counter. 

Yesterday, Leigh and Tony Watt gave a guitar workshop at Lilian's which is just a few doors down from the guitar store. After opening up with alternating solos on Gold Rush, there was time for questions from the group of assembled guitar pickers. Tony and Leigh spoke a fair amount about guitar rhythm in a bluegrass setting. We then broke into two groups, intermediate and beginner and they switched off answering individual questions and sharing techniques. One of the highlights of the morning was when they each demonstrated how NOT to accompany a soloist.

Catching the Gibson Brothers is a joy for any lover of bluegrass or traditional country music. The brother duet tradition has a rich tradition and Eric and Leigh are the real thing: song writers, lyricists, performers, harmony singers and gentlemen. Accompanying them are Mike Barber "the third brother" on bass, Clayton Campbell on fiddle with newest member Joe Walsh on mandolin. Next show in the Capital region of New York is at Caffe Lena.  The Gibsons were just added to the Merlefest lineup. Their latest album will be released by Compass Records at the beginning of May 2009.

Prairie Home Companion Contest

I met the fiddler in the Prairie Home Companion (PHC) House band last week when I played at Retrofret. His name is Andy Stein. When he mentioned that PHC was coming back to New York City in April to record shows at The Town Hall, I became really excited. I love live radio. I went to their website and what ho! a national duet contest.
Connecting with the right person or persons to play music is complicated: personality, location, instrument choice, skill, experience, respect for the art, willingness to rehearse and perform all have to align, along with other qualities that I have probably not even thought of.

So this is my version of how the Manhattan Valley Ramblers came to be and how we threw a song the we do into the mix of the PHC duet contest.

The son of oud player and singer Richard Hagopian, Harold Hagopian, is a fantastic musician and record producer (Traditional Crossroads). Some years ago he invited me to hear a band that recorded an album on his label, the Klezmer Mountain Boys. They were (are) amazing. When I decided that I wanted to learn mandolin, I emailed Harold and asked for Barry Mitterhoff's contact information. I had heard Barry playing the night of their performance. I took a couple lessons with Barry and asked him if another band he plays in, the trio Silk City, would consider playing at the reception for my wedding. Barry ended up not making it but two members of Silky City, Danny Weiss, and Larry Cohen did with Bob Greene on fiddle and mandolin. At the end of the wedding reception, I was lamenting the fact that I couldn't find a person on the upper west side to play music with. Danny said, Bill Christophersen. I said what? He said Bill Christophersen. When you come back from your honeymoon, call me and I will put you in touch.
Getting to play with Bill is a great joy. The Manhattan Valley Ramblers' first public performance was in June 2007 for Make Music NY. We get gigs about once per month and have performed at places like the P & W sandwich shoppe, the PostCrypt, WKCR, the Hudson River Museum and a handful of self-hosted house concerts. The album that we are currently recording features about six duets and six banjo fiddle breakdowns. As soon as I heard about the PHC contest, I contacted Jon Gordon. Jon is a fantastic musician whose recording studio is in Chelsea. He helped Bill finish up his last album Hell and High Water and he is helping us to record the current project. Jon cleaned up one track for us over the weekend and emailed me a crisp MP3. I know that performing on PHC is a long shot, but it would be a real thrill.

Picking with Wayne Henderson

I made my first sojourn to Retrofret in Brooklyn this past Thursday night. The event was a House Concert by luthier and award winning guitar picker Wayne Henderson. Wayne is from Rugby, Virginia. I first met Wayne in the mid 90's at his yearly June festival in Mouth of Wilson, VA. It had started raining and I stupidly got under a propped up board with a heavy speaker on top of it. Wayne came under the speaker and suggested I pick a safer place to stay dry. A couple of years later, friend Scott Freeman took me to Wayne's shop. I have been on the waiting list for one of his guitars ever since.
As I have mentioned in previous postings, the Crooked Road musicians have made two trips to the northeast. Wayne is probably the best known of all the musicians but by no means the only musical virtuoso and luthier extraordinaire.
Wayne had asked that I bring along my banjo so that I might jam with him at the beginning of last week. In disbelief I treated myself, patient wife and inducible five month old son to two and half days of Wayne's CDs. I have about five and spent most of my time trying to figure out which songs he would pick. I should not have been so nervous. Wayne picked songs that we all knew: Leather Britches, Soldier's Joy, Mississippi Sawyer, Ragtime Annie. I even sang Eight More Miles to Louisville. It was a real thrill. The subway ride home was also extra special. Two new friends along, one of whom, Allen St John, wrote a book about Wayne.
The next musical project ahead is seeing if I can submit an MP3 of the Manhattan Valley Ramblers' singing for the national duet competition on Prairie Home Companion.

Wayne Henderson is in town and will be giving a House Concert at Retrofret in Brooklyn on Thursday evening. Wayne asked me to bring along my banjo so I might play a couple of tunes with him. Will keep you all posted on how it goes.

Manhattan Valley Ramblers in the studio

I am very happy to say that Bill Christophersen and I (the Manhattan Valley Ramblers) have been in the studio once or twice per month recording since December 2008. We are working with Jon Gordon whose space is on West 27th Street. Playing with Bill is always a pleasure. His muse speaks and sings to him and notes come melliflously out from under his bow and fiddle. We are putting down some early country/bluegrass duets and fiddle banjo breakdowns. I will let you all know when we get closer to a release date. Any suggestions for an album title are welcome.
A couple months after Joe was born, I started teaching old time banjo lessons. It has been really rewarding. Breaking the tune into parts, thinking about what I do and watching a hard working student progress. Not a lot of demand for old time banjo teachers in this area but I am happy to provide the service to an enthusiastic few.

southern Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast

I lived for four years in New Orleans. My medical education came first but my musical education was always close behind and took precedent during vacations from school. During Katrina and now Gustav, I watch from afar with concern and worry how friends and the community are doing. The silver lining of this storm is my friend Hazel recommended I follow the commentary of Bob Breck on his blog. http://bobbreck.com/
As I scan the many news service updates on the internet, it is hard to find a more clear and well backed up summary on the latest status of the hurricane.