Banjo versus TV week 121: Banjoversary

A check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s ongoing plan to spend more time on his banjo than on TV. This post covers 6/20/2010 through 6/26/2010. He's still 11 weeks behind in blogging, but at least he's not losing ground.

I've already mentioned the big news from this week: my 3rd banjoversary and the Irish tenor banjo that the redhead gave me.

Thanks again, the redhead!

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Also in the last week:

• I poked through Frank Nordberg's Irish Banjo site. It's been a while since it's been updated and some of the graphics don't display but there's a lot of interesting stuff there, even if you're not learning the Irish tenor banjo. He's got stuff for guitar, plectrum banjo, mandolin-banjo, five-string banjo and other instruments. His site map is a good place to start.
• As a banjoversary treat, I dedicated some time to setting up the Silent Banjo System. I know I keep saying this every time I mention this project, but I'm still not done with it yet and I promise to post details when I've completed it.
• I saw Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur perform at the Old Town School, with opening The Barehand Jug Band. What a great show!
  
  The evening's MC was Todd Kwait, the writer and director of Chasin' Gus' Ghost.
  
  The Olympus WS-311M that I use to take notes is acting up so I'm not 100% sure of this list, but here are my notes about the set list:
  
  Bare Hand Jug Band's set:
  1. Tear It Down
  2. Charlie Stone
  3. Cluck Old Hen
  4. You Know It Don't Belong to You
  5. Hotel Yorba
  6. My Rifle, My Pony and Me
  7. Wipe It Off


Kweskin Muldaur's set:
1. Blues In The Bottle
2. Jelly Roll (by Long John someone)
3. Morning Blues
4. Sweet to Mama (from the Texas Sheiks album)
5. Morning Blues
6. (some song by Rogers and Hart)
7. Morning Blues
8. going fishing too
9. Morning Blues
10. "can you tell that's Mary" Mary
11. Morning Blues
12. Mistreated Blues
13. Morning Blues
14. Frankie (Mississippi John Hurt)
15. Morning Blues
16. instrumental while Kweskin tunes banjo
17. Morning Blues
18. Down on Penny's Farm
19. Morning Blues
20. Chicken


Because I could get the artists to autograph my purchases I went a little nuts at the vendor table, purchasing Kwait's DVD Chasin' Gus' Ghost, instructional DVD Learn to Fingerpick with Jim Kweskin, Kweskin's CD Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) and Geoff Muldaur's CD Shiver Me Timbers!.

Cross-posted at J.R.'s Banjo Hangout blog

Happy 3rd banjoversary to me!

It's my third banjoversary! Three years since the redhead gave me a banjo for my birthday on that fateful day.

And how did she honor my banjoversary this year? Why, she gathered my family at that very same vegetarian diner (Try the Dagwood!) and gave me another banjo!!!

This one's a Gold Tone CC-IT, which stands for Cripple Creek Irish Tenor. It's tuned to G d a e', which is just like my recently-acquired (and not yet learned-to-play) mandolin-banjo's tuning of g d' a' e'', just one octave lower.

But my banjoversary is about more than receiving banjos. Although, don't get me wrong, that really helps the festive tone of the day.

My banjoversary is also about my annual introspective/retrospective look at my banjo skills, where I've been and what I plan to do.

So, like last year and the year before, I'll be spending the next few days (weeks?) looking backward, inward and forward. Stay tuned for some posts under the 3rd banjoversary label.

Cross-posted at J.R.'s Banjo Hangout blog