Banjo versus TV week 125: My second Costello's sandwich card

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 7/18/2010 through 7/24/2010. J.R. has fallen way behind in his banjo blogging and has taken to posting one bottle of catsup for each week he's got to, well, catch up.

I went to the Costello Bluegrass Jam, which is hosted by guitarist Howard Johnson twice each month at Costello Sandwich and Sides in Lincoln Square, Chicago.

I played the banjo a little with the group...

...and got started on my second free sandwich card.

9 more stamps to go!

My attendance at this jam has been spotty. My last 10-stamp card took me 62 weeks to complete at a rate of (approximately) one sandwich stamp per visit to the jam. If I had attended every one of the twice-a-month jams I'd have finished that card in about 20 weeks. Wonder how long it will take me this time?

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Also in the last week:

I heard a good, bawdy, double entendre blues song: I Didn't Like It The First Time, sung by Julie Lee. Here it is on YouTube.

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

Banjo versus TV week 124: Chicago Folk & Roots Festival

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 7/11/2010 through 7/17/2010. J.R. is in catch-up mode. Here's how many weeks he has fallen behind on his blogging:

Deniece and Denephew were still in town this week so we took them to the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival in Welles Park, sponsored by Old Town School of Folk Music.

It's a great music festival for grown-ups but it's also very kid-friendly, with a water-spraying renewable energy booth...

...arts & crafts...

...a musical instrument "petting zoo"...

...Puppet Bike...

...and a musical performance by The Young Stracke All-Stars (some of whom we jammed with last week):

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Also in the last week:

• I finally got around to installing Band-In-A-Box, a software package that I'd purchased some time ago. More on that soon.
• I heard a great Eric Heatherly song: Wrong Five O'Clock. You can find a bunch of performances on YouTube. The group I heard playing it was Freddy and the Screamers.

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

Banjo versus TV week 123: Deniece and Denephew at First Friday

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 7/4/2010 through 7/10/2010. J.R. has fallen way behind in his banjo blogging and has this many weeks to catch up for:

First Friday at the Old Town School of Folk Music is all about community playing, singing and dancing. This week I had a terrific time because I brought along the best thing you can bring to First Friday: kids!

I borrowed Deniece and Denephew for the evening and they played ukuleles that they'd just received a few days prior at Denephew's birthday. Deniece also played the violin that she's been practicing for a few years.

We played along with the Song Circle group through a whole bunch of songs. I helped Denephew out with the chords, but he did all the strumming. When their turn came they got up in front of the group and lead everybody in song. They both did a great job with their solos.

I was so proud of them both. I think this was the first time Deniece had participated in a song circle and she blended in very well. And how cool is it that Denephew played a solo on a ukulele that he'd only had for a few days?

Special thanks to session leaders Jason McInnes and Maria McCullough, who are both so good with kids.

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Also in the last week:

• Worked some more on setting up my silent banjo.
• I needed to change some strings when I set up my silent practice banjo. I haven't been having a lot of luck with the create-an-S style of string winding that Tom Nechville advocates so I went looking for some new guidance. I found a good guide at frets.com and used that approach. I like the way they have you do a single loop-back. It made for some nice, neat winding.

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

I am easily amused: Revenge at 7-11

Slaperone

I've invented a new word.

The word is "slaperone".

It's a portmanteau of slap...

...and chaperone...

It's my word, so if anybody want's to use it, talk to me first about licensing.

Banjo versus TV week 122: Taj Mahal

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 6/27/2010 through 7/3/2010.

Do you recall from the other week that I'd been listening to B.B. King's Bluesville on Sirius radio? Of course you do. Just as you recall that I said there's not a lot of banjo there.

Well, I'm still listening and I've been hearing some great blues banjo from Taj Mahal. Here's a YouTube video of Taj Mahal playing Slow Drag to show you what I'm talking about

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Also in the last week:

• More work on setting up that Silent Banjo System that I keep promising to blog about in greater detail. Soon. Soon.

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

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

Banjo versus TV week 120: Addicted to Love

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 6/13/2010 through 6/19/2010 and is being posted a record 11 weeks late. J.R. has some serious catching up to do.

I heard a Florence + The Machine cover of Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love that made me think the song would make a good bluegrass cover, too.

The chord progression is I-VII-IV-I (repeated) for the verse and rel.minor-IV-I (repeated) for the chorus, so it's pretty bluegrassy right there.

I'm apparently not the first person to think of this, though. Banjoist Tom Hanway and Blue Horizon play Addicted to Love on the album "Tom Hanway & Blue Horizon".

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Also in the last week:

• I heard Patty Loveless singing Pretty Little Miss, her update to the old standby Shady Grove.
  
  
• Spent a chunk of time installing the Silent Banjo System. More on that soon.

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

Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue

Sorry to the folks whose comments have been languishing in waiting-to-be-moderated limbo. I didn't realize that Blogger had automatically switched me to moderate mode a while back.

I've just approved several comments for publication and have denied about 5 times that many comments because they were from spambots. Why, oh why, do spambots never have anything interesting to say?

Banjo versus TV week 119: Getting Sirius

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 6/6/2010 through 6/12/2010.

After letting it sit on a shelf for some time I've gotten back to listening to my Sirius radio.

I've got an older model Sportster Replay (with car kit) and a Sirius Replay Boombox.



The Replay can pause during playback, which is a great feature for playing along.

My favorite channels:

• 13  Elvis Radio
• 22  1st Wave
• 38  Area
• 65  Bluegrass Junction
• 74  B.B. King's Bluesville
• 77  On Broadway
• 100 Howard 100

I'm finding myself listening mostly to B.B. King's Bluesville. There's not much banjo there but I did hear a gem from Catherine Russell. She covered Howlin’ Wolf’s Spoonful, arranging it for banjo, drums and tuba. It's got a jazzy sort of sound but, to my ear, the banjo player is finger picking a la bluegrass rather than strumming like a 4-string jazz banjo player.

This song is on Catherine Russell's album Inside This Heart of Mine...



...which is reviewed here and which is now going on my Amazon wish list.




 

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Also in the last week:

Check out this handy pencil holder that Deniece uses on her music stand.



Wish I knew where she got it.

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