Blue Mafia has announced today that Cody Looper, who had spent the past five years on banjo with the band, is leaving the group to pursue another musical opportunity.
Coming on board in January to play the five will be Indiana native Calib Smith. Hoosier grassers will have seen Calib on guitar with New Balance in recent years, and he reports being eager to get back to driving the banjo again, his first love in bluegrass.
Mandolinist Dara Wary tells us that they are sorry to lose Cody, who learned to play banjo from her husband and Blue Mafia guitarist, Tony Wray, but are equally pumped to start playing with Calib.
“Cody is more than just a band member, he’s family. While we’re sad to see him go, we couldn’t be more proud of him and the opportunities that lay before him. The timing was just right all the way around, and we are very excited to see what kind of music we can create with Calib!”
In addition to Dara, Tony, and Calib, Blue Mafia is Kent Todd on fiddle, and Mike Gregory on bass.
No word yet on where Cody is headed, but an announcement on that front is expected shortly.
