The name Wilson Banjo Co has a dual meaning. It is the name of a band formed by Steve Wilson, who also makes custom banjos. Only he calls the instrument business Wilson Custom Banjos. Confused yet?
But you’ll be clear on what they do when you hear the music.
Wilson Banjo Co has a new album set to drop tomorrow on Bonfire Records, the new Pinecastle imprint. Called Spirits In The Hills, it features 14 new tracks from the band in their driving Carolina sound. In addition to Steve on banjo, the group includes Joey Newton on guitar, Sarah Logan on fiddle, Dylan Armour on reso-guitar, and Rob Walker on bass.
They’ve created this video for one of the songs, the old time favorite, Ain’t No Grave. Sarah takes the lead, and the video nicely conveys the somber nature of the subject.
Look for Spirit In The Hills wherever bluegrass is sold tomorrow (10/27). Radio programmers can download the tracks now at AirPlay Direct.
Last month, Pinecastle Records announced the opening of the label’s own recording studio, known as Bonfire Recording Studio, in their home base of Piedmont, South Carolina. Along with that studio comes a new label imprint known as Bonfire Recording Company, the mission of which is to develop artists of all genres based in and around upstate South Carolina, particularly the Greenville area. The first band signed to the label is Wilson Banjo Co., a traditionally-leaning bluegrass group headed up by banjo player (and builder) Steve Wilson.
Wilson is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to bluegrass music, splitting his time between building custom banjos, performing vintage guitar restoration, working as a recording engineer, assisting his wife Melanie with bluegrass publicity company Wilson Pickins Promotions, and of course, performing with Wilson Banjo Co. Wilson released an EP with several musician friends last year, partially as a way to promote his custom banjos, but ended up organizing a full-fledged band when the EP began to attract radio attention. The group now also consists of Joey Newton (guitar), Sarah Logan (fiddle), Brandon Couch (mandolin), Dylan Armour (dobro), and Rob Walker (bass).
The debut full-length album from Wilson Banjo Co., titled Spirits in the Hills, is due for an October release from Bonfire. In the meantime, those interested in hearing more from the group can check out their website, www.wilsonbanjoco.com, which has live videos and sample tracks posted.
The bluegrass festival season is just getting underway in earnest for 2016, and already the big news is the return of David Parmley to the circuit with his stellar band, Cardinal Tradition. Standing on stage with David on the five is Dale Perry, as he had done for many years before Parmley pulled away from touring a few years ago.
Dale has a long history in bluegrass music including a stint with the original Bluegrass Cardinals, some time with the early Lonesome River Band, and several years with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. His hard-driving banjo playing is well-regarded throughout bluegrass music, as are his skills as a bass singer and a studio engineer.
And now Wilson Banjo in South Carolina has brought Perry on as an endorser. Dale is playing one of Steve Wilson’s Guardian models and says that it suits him just fine.
“The most attention grabbing feature of the Wilson custom banjo was the TONE. Everyone searches for the ‘pre-war’ banjo tone and the Wilson banjo delivers it perfectly! The craftsmanship and style was an immediate fit for me. I love the simplicity of it. The greatest surprise was how lightweight the banjo is and it makes playing shows so much easier with the Wilson than all the heavier models I have played in the past. The banjo provides me with the TOTAL package that I have searched for. I am proud to attest to the beautiful, yet simple features, lightweight feeling and most of all, that ‘pre-war’ tone of the Wilson custom banjo!”
The banjo is a maple model with gold plated parts and a unique inlay pattern of Steve’s design.
Steve Wilson is a life-long grasser and instrument builder who honed his craft as a luthier in the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville. Now retired and living in South Carolina, Steve has dedicated his time to bluegrass, both building these custom banjos, and playing banjo with his band, also called Wilson Banjo Co.
Here’s Dale blowing through Big Country at Bean Blossom on his new Wilson Guardian with David and the boys.
You can find more information about Wilson Banjo, and contact Steve, online.
