California bluegrass banjo player Bill Evans has teamed with the legendary old-time and bluegrass musician Jody Stecher to present an all-banjo duo show that they call The Secret Life of Banjos. For these shows, the pair play on a dozen vintage and reproduction instruments in styles that range from bluegrass to old-time, including bits of classic, minstrel and more.
“Playing with Jody is one of most exciting things I’ve ever experienced in my entire career. Jody has influenced several generations of players, from Pete Wernick to Laurie Lewis and I consider myself lucky to count myself as another musician under his sphere of influence. His knowledge of the banjo, as well as the history of old-time and bluegrass music is simply astounding.”
You can hear Jody and Bill in conversation and making music online this coming Saturday, January 7 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. (PST) on Peter Thompson’s celebrated Bluegrass Signal radio show. This show can be heard locally in the San Francisco Bay Area on KALW 91.7 FM or streamed live on the web. The show is also re-streamed several times each week on bluegrasscountry.org.
You can learn more about The Secret Life of Banjos and hear concert excerpts on their web site. They plan to perform their show at festivals and concerts all over the world, mixing entertainment and something of a mini-banjo education in for good measure.
