Cody Looper to Michael Cleveland

Cody LooperWell… now we know why Cody Looper stepped away from Blue Mafia.

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper have announced this morning that Cody will be their new banjo player. He steps in to the spot recently vacated when Gaven Largent left the band to play reso-guitar for Blue Highway. Of course, that position with Blue Highway opened up when Rob Ickes decided it was time for him to take his leave.

It appears that the annual bluegrass post-season rotation is well in hand!

Michael says that he has high hopes for Cody in the band.

“I’ve always been impressed that while coming up with really creative ideas, Cody never loses sight of the traditional side of banjo playing. You can hear a little bit of all the great banjo players in his playing, but even more important, you can hear things that are definitely his own style. I’m looking forward to what he will bring to the Flamekeeper sound.”

And Looper is ready to hit the road with the band.

“I have always been a fan of Michael’s music and especially enjoyed getting to jam with him. I’m super excited to start this new chapter of my career with Flamekeeper.”

Cody is starting right away with Michael when they get back to touring after New Years. You can find the Flamekeeper schedule online.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.