embedded Old Man Luedecke

Old Man Luedecke plays The Rear Guard in Toronto a couple of nights ago:

So if that didn’t work, here’s the YouTube video:

I took this with my little PowerShot SD790 balanced on a sugar bowl. Cropped and recoded in Avidemux2, it’s not bad. To get the embedded video above, I used ffmpeg2theora (thanks, Daring Fireball!).

Whatever you do, don’t – on your first try of recording live video – try using a setting you’ve never investigated. For the second set, I used CHDK‘s default video. It looks like an attack of mosaic tiles. Oh well.

just in case it gets deleted again …

sorry, reeling from an edit fight:

Billy Faier

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Billy Faier is an American banjo player. Born in Brooklyn, New York on December 21 1930[1], his family moved to Woodstock, NY in 1945[2], and now resides in Marathon, Texas. He, along with Pete Seeger, was one of the early proponents of the banjo during the mid-20th century American folk music revival.

Active in the Washington Square Park folk scene in Greenwich Village from the late 1940s, he recorded two albums for Riverside Records, The Art of the Five-String Banjo (1957) and Travelin’ Man (1958)[3]. In 1973, he recorded Banjo for John Fahey‘s Takoma label.

[edit] Selected Discography

In 2009, Faier decided to make much of his out of print and unreleased material available on his website.

  • The Art of the Five-String Banjo (1957 – with Frank Hamilton)
  • Travelin’ Man (1958)
  • The Beast of Billy Faier (1964 – with John Sebastian)
  • Banjo (1973)
  • Banjos, Birdsong And Mother Earth (1987 – with John Sebastian and Gilles Malkine)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

source:


'''Billy Faier''' is an American banjo player. Born in Brooklyn, New York on December 21 1930<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20071111171835/http://www.billyfaier.com/
|accessdate=2009-12-19
|title=Billy Faier - The Five String Banjo
|date=2006-08-07
|description=Billy Faier. Born in Brooklyn, New York on Dec. 21, l930.  Moved to Woodstock, New York in l945 with family. Started playing banjo, guitar, and singing folk songs at seventeen, in 1947. Recorded for Riverside Records, Elektra Records, Tradition Records, and many other labels over the years.
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|keywords=billy faier, billie faier, banjo billy, five string banjo, the beast of billy faier, banjo, bille faier banjo, billy faier musician, Folk Music, Guitar; Woodstock, New York folk music, Newport Folk Festival, Berkeley Folk Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, billy fair, famous billy the banjo player, billie fair, www.billyfaier.com, banjo billy faier
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}}</ref>, his family moved to Woodstock, NY in 1945<ref>{{cite web|url=http://billyfaier.com/
|accessdate=2009-12-19
|title=Billy Faier - The Five String Banjo
|date=2009-12-10
|description=Billy Faier. Born in Brooklyn, New York on Dec. 21, l930.  Moved to Woodstock, New York in l945 with family. Started playing banjo, guitar, and singing folk songs at seventeen, in 1947. Recorded for Riverside Records, Elektra Records, Tradition Records, and many other labels over the years.
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|keywords=billy faier, billie faier, banjo billy, five string banjo, the beast of billy faier, banjo, billy faier banjo, billy faier musician, Folk Music, Guitar; Woodstock, New York folk music, Newport Folk Festival, Berkeley Folk Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, billy fair, famous billy the banjo player, billie fair, www.billyfaier.com, banjo billy faier
|rating=General
|robots=All
}}</ref>, and now resides in Marathon, Texas. He, along with [[Pete Seeger]], was one of the early proponents of the banjo during the mid-20th century [[American folk music revival]].

Active in the [[Washington Square Park]] folk scene in [[Greenwich Village]] from the late 1940s, he recorded two albums for [[Riverside Records]], ''The Art of the Five-String Banjo'' (1957) and ''Travelin' Man'' (1958)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wirz.de/music/faierfrm.htm
|title=Billy Faier Discography
|accessdate=2009-12-19
|date=2004-01-31
|ROBOTS=NOINDEX
}}</ref>. In 1973, he recorded ''Banjo'' for [[John Fahey (musician)|John Fahey]]'s [[Takoma Records|Takoma]] label.

== Selected Discography ==

In 2009, Faier decided to make much of his out of print and unreleased material available on his [http://billyfaier.com/ website].

* ''The Art of the Five-String Banjo'' (1957 - with [[Frank Hamilton (musician)|Frank Hamilton]])
* ''Travelin' Man'' (1958)
* ''The Beast of Billy Faier'' (1964 - with [[John Sebastian]])
* ''Banjo'' (1973)
* ''Banjos, Birdsong And Mother Earth'' (1987 - with John Sebastian and [[Gilles Malkine]])

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://billyfaier.com/ Billy Faier's website]
* [http://www.wirz.de/music/faierfrm.htm Billy Faier discography] (with some errors and omissions).
* [http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=102378 Billy Faier] at the Internet Broadway Database.
* [http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/f/Faier,Billy.html Billy Faier Collection] at The Southern Folklife Collection, [[University of North Carolina]] libraries.
* [http://archives.nodepression.com/author/billy-faier/ Articles by Billy Faier] in [[No Depression (magazine)]].
* [http://thebanjoman.com/know-featured-archive.htm Feature on Billy Faier on The Banjo Man]

<!--- Categories --->
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faier, Billy}}
[[Category:American folk musicians]]
[[Category:American folk singers]]
[[Category:American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American banjoists]]
[[Category:People from New York City]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Riverside Records artists]]

banjo apostrophe catastrophe

Oh dear, Gold Tone – you should really learn about apostrophes:

gold tone ad with no apostrophesI hereby provide all the missing punctuation, just to prove that banjo players aren’t all a bunch of snaggle-toothed illiterates:

””””””””’

banjer banjer banjer

Music in the Wood

I trekked out to Music In The Wood, the music shop in Rockwood that’s just been opened by Hugh, Wendi and Mac Hunter. It’s a nice drive out there, certainly once you’re past the 407/401 mess. Norval, Georgetown and Acton still have some small-town charm amidst the stripmalls.

It seems I had a lucky escape, as Bill Rickard was to be bringing in some of his much discussed Dobson banjo kits. Had he been there, I would have bought one on the spot. The price is fantastic, and y’know, I really need a fretless …

All of Hugh’s banjos were sold, but he had five of Bill’s in the store. Two of them were the gorgeous spun-over rim types, a kind which hasn’t been made properly in the last century or so, until Bill started last year.

Bill Rickard banjosBill Rickard spun-over Dobson banjosThe grand opening of the shop isn’t until next Saturday. I can’t make it, alas.

hartford, arr. coole

wish_we_had_our_ptarmiganI keep mishearing Chris Coole‘s version of John Hartford‘s Wish We Had Our Time Again as Wish We Had Our Ptarmigan

Despite this mondegreen, Chris’s new solo album is a stormer. The title track Old Dog has already been covered by Bill Evans and Megan Lynch, but I think it’s the one that will get Chris the widespread recognition he deserves. The Bottle Got the Best of Me is a good old country drinkin’ and cryin’ duet that really should have had Porter and Dolly sing it. Six Days on the Road is the way the Dave Dudley truckin’ hit should have been – on fretless banjo.

(image File:Lagopus mutus.jpg by Wojsyl)

chris coole at the local

Chris Coole – The Local, Toronto – 7 December 02008:
Chris Coole at The Local

First Set

  1. Sail Away Ladies – medley
  2. John Henry Blues
  3. Hey Porter
  4. John Hartford intro
  5. Let Him Go On Mama, Don’t Put Him Down For It Now
  6. Chilly Wind Blues
  7. beautician’s school – cold guitar tuning
  8. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
  9. I Know What I Know
  10. The Bandit Cole Younger
  11. Walking Boss intro – gourd tuning
  12. Walking Boss
  13. Little Sadie Intro – more tuning
  14. Little Sadie
  15. There’ll Be Hell To Pay intro
  16. There’ll Be Hell To Pay
  17. one more tune – tip jar – Slurf Song intro
  18. Slurf Song

Second Set

  1. Bonaparte’s Retreat
  2. re-intro
  3. Big Steel Rail
  4. John Hartford – batman cape anecdote
  5. Wish We Had Our Time Again
  6. recyclable banjo tuning
  7. Six Days On The Road
  8. Civil War Medley
  9. Introduction to Townes van Zandt
  10. Pancho & Lefty
  11. Railroad Blues
  12. Shelter from the Storm
  13. Old Dog
  14. Medley intro
  15. Turkey in the Straw, Soldier’s Joy
  16. tip jar – Uncloudy Day intro
  17. The Uncloudy Day
  18. tuning
  19. Lonesome Whistle
  20. thanks – and buy banjo CDs
  21. Cannonball Blues

oliver postgate’s world

Sad to hear that Oliver Postgate passed away. Bagpuss was my series; it started just as I started school, and I caught the first episodes. I spent the whole evening learning the theme on the mandolin, and watched a couple of episodes, half-teary. Was it really nearly 35 years ago?

The music and sounds are what stuck with me. I didn’t know it at the time – but did as soon as I picked one up – that the Bagpuss waking up magic sound is a slow upwards glissando on an autoharp. Similarly, the falling asleep sound is an autoharp strummed slowly downwards. Gabriel’s instrument confused me for years – I now see it has a 5 string banjo neck, but no fifth string (like someone else I could name). To add further confusion, it’s really a mandolin that’s Gabriel’s sound.

i was the sound man (kinda)

I went to hear Chris Coole yesterday at The Local, and got pressed into the not-very-arduous duty of looking after the levels. With only voice and instrument, it’s not that hard, and I only once managed to produce an ear-splitting blast of feedback. There was a slight ring if Chris leaned forward and his guitar started to feed back a couple of times.

I also ran my first soundboard-audience matrix recording rig, with the PMD620 recording off the board, and my old minidisc recording from my table. The Local’s not short of ambient noise, so it’s nice to control it. The board gives a clean but rather dead mono recording, while the audience mics pick up lots of colour (and dropped plates, door chimes, …)

I haven’t put the full matrix together yet, but tried it on one excerpted song. Once you know what you’re doing, aligning tracks in Audacity is pretty simple – just find a clear note or beat in each track, get the tracks roughly aligned with the Time Shift tool, then zoom in as close as you can to refine the match. I suppose I should have delayed the audience track by about 0.01s to mimic the distance from the stage, but that’s a bit nerdy. Limiting the audience to 25% of the final mix, I get a great warm sound, but one that’s unfortunately almost entirely monaural.

a brief note on Julian Koster’s banjo playing style

Having had a chance to watch Julian play at close range, he plays a regular five string with the fifth removed. It sounds like he tunes DGBD, but I could be wrong.

His strum style is almost like a jazz banjo rhythm, but done without a pick. The one song he played used a familiar progression: first and fourth strings fretted at the 5th, then both down to 4th, to 2nd, then up to 3rd. Try it – it’s fun!

Music Tapes Caroling … at our house!

Julian Koster played at our house last night as part of his Music Tapes Caroling tour. We had one other guest, Dan Farrar from Dunnville. It was a great night. Julian played some Music Tapes classics (he played Freeing Song by Reindeer, my favourite ‘Tapes song so far), while Badger Saw played some carols. A fun night.

Julian plays Freeing Saw by Reindeer, while Badger Saw and Rudolph the dog look on
Julian plays Freeing Saw by Reindeer, while Badger Saw and Rudolph the dog look on
Badger Saw sings to us, while Julian supports
Badger Saw sings to us, while Julian supports
My banjo now has Julian Koster power
My banjo now has Julian Koster power

Recording is here: Julian Koster – Music Tapes Caroling, our house – 1 Dec 2008:

  1. Introducing Badger Saw
  2. O Tannenbaum
  3. Introduction to a song flown by a little blind girl
  4. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
  5. Introducing the Emergency Banjo
  6. Takeshi & Elisha
  7. Introduction to Freeing Song by Reindeer
  8. Freeing Song by Reindeer
  9. well suited to a throat …
  10. Introduction to The Silly Old Man
  11. The Silly Old Man said “My Hat is a Cow!”
  12. Introduction to The First Noël
  13. The First Noël

what are Mandolin Brothers smoking?

This from their website, and many more similarly strange blurbs lurk there too:

VINTAGE NEWS – OPEN BACK FIVE-STRING BANJOS
THE FEAGLE – OLD TIMEY ICON – FISHIE FROM THE PAST
A visitor to our Website (www.mandoweb.com) writes: “What is that critter engraved on the headstock of some A. C. Fairbanks and Vega banjos — the guy with an eagle’s head and the body of a snailfish? I thought it was a griffon (or gryphon) but the dictionary says that’s an eagle-lion crossbreed. – Bob Stepno, University of North Carolina. Bob wondered if this should be called a “Seagle” instead, for sea creature & eagle, but felt it sounded too much like “seagull”. We replied: It’s a “feagle” for fishie-eagle. We know this because we have obtained a bit of Albert Conant Fairbanks’ DNA (from when he had scraped himself on a bracket nut) and cloned him and have already set him up (a crude system but he remains upright and it works) in an old frame factory building in Boston, staffed with people who come to work every day in Victorian clothing. We tell him “The fire never happened. You still own the company.” Clones’ll believe anything. In his day feagles were prevalent. There were millions of ’em. They could swim and/or fly. They could eat plankton or small woodland animals. Unfortunately, in those days feagles were themselves eaten by banjo players and driven extinct. They tasted like soft-shell crab (this was in the days before soft-shell crab was eaten, because tartar sauce hadn’t been invented yet). Anybody with more information on feagles is welcome to send in (or email) what they know. For instance, we know that feagles wore tiny plaid sports jackets yet A. C. Fairbanks chose to depict them naked. What was he thinking?

bic for better banjo bowlines

If you use Nylgut strings, you’ll likely be tying a lot of bowlines. My first attempts at this were very poor.

I’ve found that if you slip a pen (preferably one with an integrated cap and clip, like a Bic) through the main loop of the knot, you can get some consistency in your knots – no more random clutter around your tailpiece. The pen clip can be slipped over the loop so that the string supports the pen so you can have both hands free.

(Incidentally, Jeff Menzies sells Aquila Nylgut strings – he’s the only dealer in Canada.)