Chicagoans, mark your calendars: The Banjo, From Africa to the Suburbs

My banjo instructor David Bragman is presenting and performing a lecture, "The Banjo, From Africa to the Suburbs," this Saturday at the Evanston Public Library.

I've seen some of his props for the event: a number of different banjos including the old gourd-style banjo.

Mark your calendar — it should be fun!

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

See you tonight at Chicago's new jug band jam

Reminder to Chicagoans: Tonight is the Barehand Jugband's first monthly jug band jam.

The jam will be held at 9:00pm on the third Monday of each month at the Grafton Pub (next to the Old Town School of Folk Music Lincoln branch).

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

Virtual age

According to the virtual age calculator I'm younger than I am.

Banjo versus TV week 97: Stinkin' up the jam

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 1/3/2010 through 1/9/2010.

Bad news and good news from Costello's Bluegrass Jam.

Bad: I stunk. I mean, I was really awful. It's like my slacking off of the banjo this last month has caused my skill to regress by a year.

Good: Only three more times until I get my free sandwich.

BTW, I've been ordering their toasted PB&J, which is yummy.

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Also in the last week:

• From the music shop next to Costello's I got a good deal on Hayseed Dixie's A Hillbilly Tribute To Mountain Love.
  
  
• Did you like the stuff I wrote in week 86 about banjo and the recent Sherlock Holmes movie? Then you'll like this interview with composer Hans Zimmer.
• While tracking down details on a story that my brother sent me (about a banjo used as a weapon) I ran across this scene from the 1970 Spaghetti Western Sabata:
  
  
• Caught some nice, simple banjo pickin' on NPR's This Americal Life podcast in the prologue of #233: Starting from Scratch.
• My friend Daryl and I agreed that it was time to let Heroes go. So long, promise-breaker.
  
  
  
  Good luck, Human Target. It's all on you, now.

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

Banjo versus TV week 96: The December rut

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 12/27/2009 through 01/02/2010.

Man, have I been slacking on the banjo these last few weeks. I was doing well until December hit (starting in week 92), but look how much TV I've watched in December compared to my paltry few banjo hours.

This is a seasonal thing that seems to happen every year before Christmas. It's time to shake it off.

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Also in the last week:

• I saw Guy Ritchie's film Sherlock Holmes, which had more banjo than you'd expect. Musical director Hans Zimmer said in an interview that he chose his instruments to give the music a pub-like quality.
• Fans of Bill Monroe take note: There was a blue moon this week, both over Kentucky and around the world.
• Steve Martin's Late For School made it onto Dr. Demento's Funny 25 for 2009.
• Opened some Christmas presents that got here after Christmas, which included a Holy Ghost Tent Revival t-shirt.
  
  
  
  Thanks, Rock Islanders!

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

Chewbacca hates shovelling

Thanks, Bully, for the link.

Chicago's new jug band jam

I just got a note from Jonas Friddle of the Barehand Jugband telling me that the band is sponsoring a monthly Chicago jug band jam.

So bring your favorite jug band instrument to the Grafton Pub (next to the Old Town School of Folk Music) at 9pm on the third Monday of the month and join the fun. Or just come to enjoy the show.

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

A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant

From A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant

The redhead and I just got back from Next Theatre Company's production of A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant. It was really wonderful. If you're in the Chicago area you should go right now and get tickets for tomorrow night's show since it's the last performance of the Next Theatre's run.

A Red Orchid Theatre is also putting on Pageant and they've extended their run until January 17th. The redhead and I have tickets to see that production next week. I look forward to the chance to compare the two.

Banjo versus TV week 95: Christmas

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 12/20/2009 through 12/26/2009.

Banjo-related stuff that I was given for Christmas:

Thanks to all gift-givers. Hope you get as much enjoyment out of what I got you.

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Also in the last week:

• I got a copy of the Country Cooking CD because it's got some good examples of endings.
  
  
• Way more TV time (7h 9m) than banjo time (1h 46m) as we watched Christmas stuff.
• One activity that counted as both banjo and TV (per the rules): the annual watching of the Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas DVD.
  
  

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

Don't Tread On Me

Because sometimes you wake up in a new year and want to Photoshop a Dalek onto a Gadsden flag.

Ending endings month

I've gotten a lot of understanding out of endings month. I haven't had time to blog about everything I've learned as I dedicated this month to a study of endings on the 5-string banjo. Among the things I've learned about but haven't blogged about:

• Shave-and-a-haircut ending. Now, don't tell me that you don't already know exactly what I'm talking about. All right, if you must have an example, here's Jackie Phelps on the banjo as one of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, showing us (at about 2:25 on) what I'm talking about with Roanoke:
  
  
• Amen ending. That's ending with a plagal cadence, which is a IV-to-I cadence. For an example go to church.
• Ending after ending after ending. You'll find no better example than Roy Clark wrapping up the Pickin' and a Grinnin' segment each week on Hee Haw. Roy layered on one ending after another. Start at 1:38.
  
  

But even endings month must come to an end. Thanks for joining me. See you in January for beginnings month.

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

Endings month: Abrupt novelty ending

I can't complete endings month without mentioning one of my favorite novelty endings: The Smothers Brothers singing Hangman, from 0:00 to 0:42 on this video:

That's similar to the ending that Johnny Cash used in 25 Minutes to Go at 2:24.

I'm not sure what musical lesson can be learned from all of this.

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

Banjo versus TV week 94: Update on the little plastic foot

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 12/13/2009 through 12/19/2009.

It's been a slow week so this is a good time to follow up on something.

Remember how, back in September, I put a little plastic foot on my banjo to train my right ring finger to maintain its position? It's been going really well. I can really feel it when my finger slips off of the disk and my right hand foundation has been improving.

I did make one change from my original plan: I got rid of that crescent-shaped plastic foot...

...and replaced it with a circular foot.

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Things I learned at this week's banjo lesson:

• David showed me a bunch of variations on a common ending lick. I'll be posting more about that as endings month continues.
• David recommends Killer Tone, an 80-minute DVD by Steve Huber about banjo setup. I've placed it on my Amazon wish list.
  
  

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

Last week to order Band Geek Hero shirts

According to the banner at tshirthell.com...

...this is the last week to order Band Geek Hero t-shirts, including the Banjo Hero t-shirt (which I just now ordered).

Here's a selection of patterns from the Band Geek Hero line:

If you like one of these you'd better order it by Sunday December 27th at 11:59 PM EST, which their Facebook page says is when the shirts will be gone forever.

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