Down Home Radio Show

[Paxton and Fairfield perform "Poor Little Bennie."]

Down Home Radio favorites and past guests on the program Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton and Frank Fairfield have recently been featured in the New York Times, following their appearance last Tuesday at the Jalopy Theater.  CLICK HERE to read the NY Times piece by Ben Ratliff.

CLICK HERE for the Down Home Radio interview with Frank Fairfield, and HERE for the interview with Blind Boy Paxton.

Here’s some more footage I shot at the Jalopy show:

The Cangelosi Cards, one of Down Home Radio’s favorite bands, have just completed a three month stint playing nightly at a club over in Shanghai, China.  The Cards are a brilliant old-time jazz, blues, country band local to Brooklyn who have been touring the U.S. for several years and are now starting in on the rest of the world!  Filmmaker and “Down Home TV” producer Chris Low happened to be over in Shanghai on another project and was able to catch up with The Cards to film this segment:

An extended interview with The Cangelosi Cards

And don’t forget to check out the Down Home Radio advert in the Old Time Herald Magazine – www.oldtimeherald.org – lots of great articles, reviews and more!

Today, in honor of the recently completed U.S. Social Forum held in Detroit, I’m posting up a 1955 LP by John Greenway.  Greenway was a Folklore/Anthropology/English professor at the University of Colorado back in the 50’s and 60’s and wrote an excellent book called “American Folksongs of Protest,” published in 1953.  On this LP Greenway, also a good folksinger records a selection of the protest, topical and labor songs he talks about in the book.  Its a cool record and an excellent compilation of material that is hard to find recorded examples of elsewhere.  Greenway’s strong suit is the Woody Guthrie material he covers on here, he does a good Guthrie.

CLICK HERE to download.

Below are the notes, click to enlarge: Read the rest of this entry »

[Radio Jarocho at The 2010 Brooklyn Folk Festival.  Photo E. Smith]

Well, the 2010 Brooklyn Folk Festival has come and gone, and I can tell you that it was a great success!  It sold out every night, the new outdoor stage was a huge success and people had a great time!  The whole thing was professionally recorded by Don Fierro and we look forward to the release of at least one Brooklyn Folk Festival 2010  CD/LP probably over the winter on the brand new Jalopy Records label.  The music that was played at this festival was to put it plainly AMAZING.  I knew it would be good, but didn’t realize just how good.  As the organizer and MC I was very emotionally moved by the whole proceeding!  Truly.  Already planning for next year… well maybe I’ll take a break.  But I’m already excited!

Below are some photos I took at the festival.  All of my photos from the event can be seen at this link. Look out in the reasonably near future for some films from the festival shot by filmmaker Chris Low.  I’ll be posting up a bunch of those plus audio and some videos I took, etc.

[The Calamity Janes.  Photo E. Smith]

[Feral Foster.  Photo E. Smith]

[Rashad Brown performs at the outdoor stage.  Photo Susan Heske]

[Clifton Hicks (R) The Dough Rollers (L)  Photo E. Smith]

[The Tillers. Photo E. Smith]

[John Cohen.  Photo E. Smith]


[John Cohen screens his new film "Roscoe Holcomb From Daisy Kentucky." Photo by E. Smith]

[Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues.  Photo E. Smith]

To see all my photos from the 2010 Brooklyn Folk Festival Click Here. And check back for audio and video from the festival coming soon…

 

 The Dust Busters on Woodsongs (audio): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

While out on tour back in March my old-time string band The Dust Busters appeared on the Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour.  Woodsongs is a radio/TV show filmed weekly at the Kentucky Theater in Lexington (KY).  Thanks to Michael Johnathon and all the folks at Woodsongs for having us, it was a fun show!  Here is our appearance on that program:

And be sure to check us out, Friday May 21st, 10:15pm at the Brooklyn Folk Festival.

 

 Interview with Clifton Hicks: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

On today’s show I speak with Clifton Hicks, a great young banjo player originally from Florida and Georgia who now resides in Boone, NC.  I’ve known and known about Clif for a while now, ever since he sent in his home recordings to Down Home Radio.  I was blown away by his singing and playing and was very happy to finally meet him when I was in Boone at the Black Banjo Gathering in March.  Hicks is a protege of George Gibson and was kind enough to set up an interview for me with George which we heard on the last installment of Down Home Radio.  In this interview Clifton speaks about his family background and introduction to the music, gives some thoughtful notes on his style and technique as a musician and plays a bunch of tunes live on the show.  He also speaks about his experiences as a soldier in Iraq which led him to oppose the war and get involved with IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War).  Clifton Hicks is one of my favorite musicians and it was great to finally get him on the program.  He will be appearing at the Jalopy Theater on Saturday May 22nd as part of the Brooklyn Folk Festival.  Check it out!

Below are some videos: Read the rest of this entry »

 

 Interview with George Gibson: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

(George Gibson [L] with Clifton Hicks [R]. Photo by E. Smith.)

On today’s show I speak with Eastern Kentucky banjo player George Gibson.  I was lucky enough to catch up with George when we were both participating in The Black Banjo Gathering at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC in March.  George hails from Knott County, Kentucky where he learned to play old-time banjo from his neighbors as well as from his father back in the early 1950’s.  One of the local banjo players that George met growing up was “Banjo” Bill Cornett, one of my favorite musicians, so it was a thrill to get to hear a personal account of Banjo Bill.  George Gibson is a wonderful banjo player and singer and is also a noted banjo collector and historian of the music from his region.  He has served as a bridge between the old generation of musicians such as Banjo Bill, who’s music and culture was dying out when George Gibson was growing up and a new crop of young Southern old-time musicians who are coming up today.  George has gathered around him and served as mentor and teacher in an informal sense to a number of very talented young musicians from around the South including Clifton Hicks (Boone, NC), Brett Rattiff (Knott Co, KY), John Haywood (Knott Co. KY), Matt Kinman (Bethel, NC) and Jesse Wells (Knott Co. KY).  Check out the 2008 Interview I did with Brett Ratliff here in the Down Home Radio archives.

And  be sure to check out George’s album, “Last Possum Up the Tree” on the Appalshop label.  Below are some of George Gibson’s excellent notes to that album: Read the rest of this entry »

The Tillers perform 3 songs from their new album, “By the Signs.“  Check it out!  And be sure to check them out on May 23rd, live at the upcoming Brooklyn Folk Festival. I filmed these videos at the Jalopy Theater during the Tillers last swing through NYC when they stopped by for a Wednesday night performance at Roots n Ruckus.  Looking forward to having them back at folk fest!

Cardinal Train – a Tillers original from their new album.

Ezekial Saw the Wheel – this is their version of an old traditional song Woody Guthrie used to do.

George Street Beat- a Tillers original from their new album.

Here is a brief excerpt from the film “Homemade American Music” made by Carrie and Yasha Aginsky in 1980, featuring Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard as they pay a visit to Roscoe Holcomb.   This film follows Mike and Alice as they visit Tommy Jarrell, Lily May Ledford, Roscoe Holcomb and Elizabeth Cotten and recount their own history as musicians and students of the music.

The complete 40 minute film is available for viewing at: http://www.folkstreams.net/film,153

This incredible incredible website features literally dozens of amazing folkloric documentary films, mostly on music but also on other folk art forms.  It is worth it to watch everyone of these films- visit www.FolkStreams.net today!