I was thinking about Wade Hemsworth today. I was trying to concentrate on something else, from which my mind needed a little break, and old Wade came to the rescue. His music just kind of crept in when I wasn’t expecting it. A lot of… Read More
I’ve known the tune Shady Grove for a long time. It’s well known, and has been recorded a zillion times. On the banjo, this is usually played in Sawmill tuning, or “mountain modal” tuning as it is also called. Here’s a fairly typical approach to… Read More
On the eve of Canada Day I’d like to feature a video I’ve shared before (it’s one of my faves!) – The Old Tyme Fiddler’s Dream by Mac Beattie and his Melodiers, featuring the great Reg Hill on fiddle. Canada has a great fiddle tradition… Read More
Meet Milo. This lad was in need of a home so we’ve created a vacancy. Our house is a big change for Milo but he’s doing well. He’s getting along just fine with the other cats – but so far he’s keeping his distance from… Read More
We are not big rose growers. We don’t know much about them and I confess we are inattentive to their specific needs. However, one rose bush came with the house. Tuffy P cut it right back this year, and it has responded with a small… Read More
I was thinking about the old cowboy song, Diamond Joe so I searched around YouTube and found this performance by Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, in which he talks about how he learned it from a cowboy at a rodeo in Brussels of all places. Jack struggles… Read More
This is me, practicing an Old Time standard known as Lost Indian. There are lots of different versions of this one, and even some very different tunes that use the same title. I’m playing my Bart Reiter Standard banjo in open G tuning, with a… Read More
27th Street 