banjo

The DC Bluegrass Union is a strong and growing organization dedicated to promoting bluegrass music in the Washington, DC area, which includes the heavily populated Northern Virginia and Southern Maryland regions. They are hosting their first festival on March 27

Versatile old-time musician Matt Brown has a new CD due for release March 18 from 5-String Productions. My Native Home features Brown on fiddle, banjo, guitar and vocals, assisted by Tim O'Brien on guitar and harmony vocals, Brittany Haas on

Bluegrass Unlimited just published a nice article about the 50th anniversary of Chuck Ogsbury's entrance into the world of banjo building. The article chronicles the story of Ogsbury's early forays into instrument construction and business ownership. He started Ode Banjos

Recording King has announced a new addition to their bluegrass banjo line. The Madison RK-R35 is offered as a low cost student adaptation of the classic Mastertone-style banjo design. It utilizes a steam-bent 3 ply rim, bell-brass tone ring, one piece

The Deering Banjo Company has introduced acoustic/electric versions for two of their most popular models. Both their wildly successful beginner banjo, the Goodtime, and the Sierra, their lowest cost pro model, are now available outfitted with a Kavanjo banjo pickup installed.

A recent release from Homespun Video, Jens Kruger's Banjo Method For Beginners, subtitled An Easy and Joyful Way to Start Picking, is available on DVD for all regions. Kruger is a Swiss banjo virtuoso who has gained a considerable amount of

One of the most defining aspects of the bluegrass sound is the addition made by the 5-string banjo. It is the most "American" of all the instruments comprising a bluegrass band.  There is a lot of lore, and misinformation, about

Stop me if you've heard this story before... A talented young bluegrass picker makes a name for themself with regional groups, gets a shot at touring with some bigger acts, and moves to Nashville. Bigger things start to happen musically, but

Playing jazz on the five string banjo is a daunting task. The instrument is not laid out well for the sort of long, linear passages common in jazz, and not many banjo players have done the homework necessary to really

For those interested in the process of recording bluegrass music, mic choice  and placement is an important key. Grammy Award winning producer and IBMA winning dobro player, Randy Kohrs recently recorded a short how-to video for Royer Labs on this