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!
(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:
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.
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!
On today’s show I speak with Peter Stampfel and Jeannie Scofield. In 2004 Peter Stampfel, founder of The Holy Modal Rounders and early member of the Fugs, began a project to research and record one song from every year of the 20th century. Early on in the project he met singer Jeannie Scofield and they have been working on it together these past 6 years. This amazing project is getting near completion, and we get a sneak preview of it today as they perform live on the show. Peter and Jeannie create a wonderful sound and put their own stamp on a number of great songs drawn from their survey of 20th century American popular music. There’s a lot of great songs back there!
Radio Unnameable Documentary Trailer from Lost Footage Films
Radio Unnamable on WBAI 99.5fm New York is one of my favorite all time radio programs. Its host Bob Fass (probably arguably) invented “free form” radio with the shows inception in 1963, and continues to be its greatest practitioner to this day. Over the years Bob has had an incredible array of guests on his program, everyone from musicians like Bob Dylan, Skip James, Muddy Waters, Rambling Jack Elliot, The Holy Modal Rounders and Sis Cunningham, to Leftist political/cultural figures like Abbie Hoffman, Allen Ginsberg, Ed Sanders, Timothy Leary, Wavy Gravy and so many others. Radio Unnamable was one of the prime focal points in the media for the 1960’s era counter culture both musically and politically. Luckily many episodes of this amazing program were taped and have survived so there is a large archive that is slowly being digitized, a little taste of which is up here on Down Home Radio. This material will only be available for a couple days, I can’t keep it up indefinitely, so check it out now! –> time’s up on the audio, hope you enjoyed it, and keep checking back to DHR since I will be posting up more Radio Unnamable audio in the future.
The folks over at Lost Footage Films are in the middle of making a documentary about this historic radio show, and they need your help. So check out their fund raising website and help them out if you can so they can finish the film.
On today’s show we hear a few selections from the Radio Unnamable archives, courtesy of Lost Footage Films. The first is Jack Elliott and Arlo Guthrie live on the show. This is a pretty stoned out episode from 1967. Jack sings his talking song about truck driving and then Arlo sings a very different version of his hot off the press Alice’s Restaurant song with a totally different “story.” They’re obviously having a very good time! In the 2nd selection from Radio Unnamable on the show today we hear a remarkable recording that Bob Fass made as reporter. In 1968 he traveled to Chicago to cover the protest of the Democratic National Convention which ended in a major over reaction by the first Mayor Daley’s police department. Bob interviews protesters, gets tear gassed and reports on this now historic day. In the 3rd piece of audio we hear Abbie Hoffman calling in to Radio Unnamable to report on his own trial as a defendant in the Chicago 7 case. This was a landmark case were a number of leaders of the ’68 protest were charged with conspiracy to incite riot. The trial became a circus, a piece of political theater where counter cultural figures of every stripe paraded through the court room as witnesses and brought the 60’s counterculture more out in to the open, mass media, etc… on and on. Good stuff. This is a departure for Down Home Radio which usually sticks to folk music, but I just couldn’t sit on this stuff. Hope you enjoy.
As a side note- I will be on Radio Unnamable tonight! with Peter Stampfel and The Dust Busters. Bob Fass is still on the air and Radio Unnamable airs every Thursday night from midnight till 3am or so on WBAI 99.5fm and is is archived on the WBAI website.
Here’s the 2nd installment of our new venture into Down Home TV. That same night after speaking with Mamie Minch, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton stopped by and I was able to film a segment with him. If you’ve heard the interview from a year and a half ago that I did with him (when he was only 19) then you know that he is a truly amazing guitarist, banjoist and stride-piano player as well as an excellent singer. On today’s show Blind Boy plays a few guitar and banjo pieces for us on camera and talks a little bit about his background. For more information, be sure to check out the extended audio interview with him from back in the DHR Archives.
Thanks go once again to filmmaker Chris Low and his crew for shooting and editing this footage.
Down Home Radio has stormed the citadel of visual representation, thanks to the great work of filmmaker Chris Low. On this first installment I talk with the wonderful blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Mamie Minch. We sat down in the room above the Jalopy Theater just before she took the stage at the Brooklyn Folk Festival Preview and Benefit show a couple of weeks ago. Mamie speaks about some of her influences and plays some tunes, live on Down Home Radio (TV)! Many thanks go to Chris for making this possible.
Hey everybody – just wanted to let you know about an event/conference that is happening at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC this week. Its called “The Black Banjo Gathering.” This is the second such gathering, the first happened back in 2005. Its organized by folklorist Cece Conway and is meant to bring attention to the African-American roots of Old Time music. My band The Dust Busters will be performing and doing workshops at this event, along with many many other performers. Its gonna be a really great gathering of people. If you live in North Carolina or can get there, this is definitely worth going to. – Eli From their website:
The 2010 Black Banjo Gathering Reunion at Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina
Dedicated to the memory of musicians Clif Ervin & Mike Seeger
From March 23 to March 28, banjoists, scholars, old time, traditional jazz, and blues musicians will hold a Black Banjo Gathering Reunion at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Concerts, workshops, jams, panel discussions, dancing, lectures and frolics will commemorate the historic 2005 Black Banjo Gathering that gathered hundreds at the same site in April 2005.
The Farthing Auditorium concert will be Wednesday, March 24th at 7:30p.m. (doors open at 6:30). Tickets: $10/$20 in advance (while tickets last) $12/$25 at the door. For tickets call Farthing Auditorium at 1-800-841- 2787, or visit www.farthing.appstate.edu. Fri & Sat Workshops & Legend Tickets TBA. Hotel Information.
The Reunion will feature lectures, workshops, concerts panels, films, outreach sessions to Appalachian State students and to the surrounding communities.
Tentative Schedule for the 2010 Black Banjo Gathering Reunion
