Keaton’s Drawing of #150
My son Keaton loves to draw. At Kim’s suggestion, I commission him to draw the banjo for the cover of my upcoming release, While I Have Being. He labored for days on the project and ultimately produced the stunning work above. Regretfully, I made the mistake of helping with the coloring. He was just completely drained from days of laboring on the drawing (which he took with his typical seriousness and intensity), and I wanted to free him of the burden. When we were done, I could tell...
Read MoreAlbum Status — Almost Ready!
I’ve spent the last months diligently working to complete my first album production: While I Have Being. I’m happy to report that the project is almost complete and the album is sounding and looking great. While I Have Being features eleven solo, original banjo compositions. I tracked the pieces both here at CedarSmith studio, and in Salem, Oregon at Spring Hollow Sanctuary, a lovely, peaceful location where I was able to spend a week of uninterrupted tracking. Mixing and editing...
Read MoreThe World’s Most Beautiful Banjo — #150
The New Banjo I promised an update when the new banjo arrived. Well, here it is. These were the words I sent Pat upon inspecting it the day it arrived: Pat, Despite our many detailed discussions, despite my seeing and playing the prototypes for #150, and despite my already seeing the unbelievably beautiful pot, nothing could have prepared me for the intense beauty and artistic mastery of #150. Literally every angle, every proportion, every curve is perfect. I can’t take my...
Read MoreNW Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibit
Patrick Huff of Doc’s Banjos has asked me to perform a selection of my work onstage at the upcoming NW Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibit near Portland, Oregon. I am honored and excited! If you find yourself in the Portland area Saturday April 30th, swing by Marylhurst University and catch my performance at 1:45. Be sure to visit Doc’s exhibit and see the many other craftsman instrument builders. I can’t wait to see all those beautiful...
Read MoreSolo Banjo Recording Project Update
Well, I’m thrilled to report that in the last few days I’ve written two new tunes. Both are in an A tuning, which is new to me. I love new tunings for sparking creative ideas. I’ve decided not to post any more tunes until the record is complete because I want it to have some freshness and surprise for listeners. I intend to include eleven tunes; the most recent two are numbers six and seven. I’ve also spent considerable effort in the studio working out the engineering...
Read MoreDocsBanjos.com
Over the last few months I have had the pleasure of working with Patrick “Doc” Huff on a complete redesign of his website at www.DocsBanjos.com. It was a fairly massive project that involved many, many hours on both our parts. Pat built a light box and spent weeks of trial and error learning how to photograph banjos and accessories. He also had to communicate his story to me and share his vision for all aspects of his craft. I collected, edited, and data architected all this...
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