The Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast Lukas Pool is widely known as a clawhammer player who is not only firmly rooted in the traditions of the banjo and old time music, but is also able to inject his own virtuosity and creativity into the mix. Lukas makes his living building high quality custom banjos (with his wife Eden) as the Ozark Banjo Company! So, whether he is playing them or building them, Lukas is...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast Ron is a living banjo legend and, through his award-winning banjo & fiddle playing, has been an important piece in defining the sound of modern bluegrass. He is best known as a sideman in such groups as the Lynn Morris Band, JD Crowe & the New South, The Dan Tyminski Band, the Boxcars, and currently records and performs with the legendary Seldom Scene! That, of course...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast Tyler Jackson is renowned as one of the world's top tenor banjoists - His banjo playing can be heard on his solo recordings; on collaborations with David Grisman, his wife and flautist extraordinaire Kristin Jackson, fiddler Dale Morris Jr; and most recently, on the soundtrack to the new Matthew McConaughey and Kurt Russell feature film "The Rivals of Amziah King." He...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast Daniel Grindstaff started his professional career when he was just a teenager and quickly gained experience with legends such as Jim & Jesse & the Osborne Brothers! Since that time, you can hear Daniel's amazing tone, taste, and timing on his solo records, and on performances and recordings with his current project: Daniel Grindstaff & the Uptown Troubadours- a band wh...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   It's a freshly picked episode! Today we're listening to "Fit For a Dog," the debut solo album from Frank Evans (formerly of the Slocan Ramblers and current touring banjoist for Bronwyn). Frank is one of the finest banjo players, singers, composers, and curators of cool songs that Nashville has to offer! He is joined on the album by an amazing cast of musical characte...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast Today's episode features Joe Larson, of the band TopHouse! TopHouse one of the hardest working bands out there today: they tour coast-to-coast, write and record original music, and make entertaining internet content for their fans. TopHouse incorporates banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and more, they are more in the pop-folk realm rather than bluegrass- known...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast Hubby Jenkins is a captivating performer of traditional American roots music, bringing a strong vocal style and multi-instrumental skills - including, of course, plenty of banjo - to every performance. Hubby is best known as a former member of the award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, and continues his musical journey touring the country as a solo performer. Sponsore...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   Barry Abernathy is one of the most respected banjoists of his generation! He is best known for his performances and recordings with such legendary award-winning bands like Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Mountain Heart, and Appalachian Road Show. One thing is clear: wherever Barry goes, hard-driving banjo playing and great singing follows, and all of this is on top of ov...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast Bruce Molsky is one of the top traditional musicians of his generation! A captivating performer as a vocalist, fiddler, guitarist, and of course: the banjo! Although he is best known for his recordings and performances in the Old Time style, his interests and playing skills really transcend those boundaries- as proven by his regular collaborations with musicians in the...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast Richard Bailey is best known as the long time banjoist and founding member of the amazing Grammy- and IBMA- award-winning band The SteelDrivers! But Richard's history as a Nashville banjo icon has led him to record and perform with some great bluegrass artists such as The Tennessee Gentlemen, Roland White, Rhonda Vincent, Jim Lauderdale, Vassar Clements, and other supe...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   In tribute to Gabe Hirshfeld, who we lost in December 2025. Gabe will always be remembered for his amazing sense of humour, his kind and generous nature, and of course his myriad contributions to the banjo community as a talented player, setup technician, and all-around awesome nerdy guru.    Consider a donation to the Gabe Hirshfeld Memorial Fund , administered by t...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   It's a Freshly-Picked episode, talking to Picky Fingers alum Wes Corbett (of the Sam Bush Band) about his new album of original music titled "Drift" - available now on Adhyaropa Records! Drift has everything you want from a modern banjo album: creative compositions, interesting arrangements, and virtuosic playing from Wes and his all-star cast of studio musicians. He...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast This episode features Daithi Melia, banjoist for JigJam, the phenomenal Irish-American bluegrass band that has been seemingly everywhere recently, from the Grand Ole Opry to Grey Fox, and everywhere in between. Daithi is an incredible player, with a mastery of traditional bluegrass idioms, modern progressive banjo sensibilities, and of course a heavy dose of the Irish...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   It's a Freshly Picked episode, featuring a banjo-centric deep dive into the brand new album from East Nash Grass, titled "All God's Children" - featuring an interview with intrepid banjoist Cory Walker! ENG is one of those bands that seems almost impossible NOT to like: they have that elusive knack for sounding both classic and traditional and fresh and new all at th...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   In this special episode, podcast hosts Keith Billik (of The Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast) and Hilary Hawke (of Banjo Chat) square off by interviewing an entire panel of banjo instructors... and each other! This episode was recorded at a fun live event during the 2024 Ashokan Banjo Weekend at the Ashokan Center in upstate NY and features Keith Billik, BB Bowness, Hilar...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   Colton Crawford is the rare quadruple threat of 5-string banjo players: He plays banjo in the 2-finger, 3-finger, clawhammer, and flatpicked styles! He is best known for being an original member, performing, and recording as banjoist with The Dead South, a highly acclaimed band with whom Colton has toured the world. Although Colton's playing is rooted in traditional...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   Cynthia is a modern virtuoso of the 4-string plectrum banjo! She is celebrated not only for her talents in the traditional jazz/plectrum repertoire, but also for her original pieces and creative interpretations of different musical genres from around the world. Her accolades include the 2023 Steve Martin Banjo Prize and an inductee into the American Banjo Hall Of Fam...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   It's a Freshly Picked episode! This time, we're taking an in-depth look and listen to "Daggomit!" - the new solo project by banjoist Max Wareham. Max is best known as the longtime banjoist for bluegrass legend Peter Rowan, and as the author of the definitive book on Rudy Lyle. In addition to his sweet banjo skills, "Daggomit!" also showcases Max's arranging, singing,...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   Marc Horowitz (aka the "Banjo Whisperer") is a fantastic player in both 3-finger and clawhammer styles: he came up in the  '60's folk scene in NYC, and became an in-demand sideman and session player, playing on commercials, movie soundtracks, and folk and pop music records, and many more. He's a teacher, and lists a guy named Bela Fleck among his former students. He'...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   This is a re-mix of an interview from 2018 that was originally released as a 2-part episode. Ryan Cavanaugh is best known for his innovative approach to playing jazz on the 5-string banjo, his tenure with legendary saxophonist Bill Evans's band Soulgrass, and his genre-defying solo recordings. Through his mastery and creativity, he has truly pushed the boundaries of...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   Graham Sharp is a prolific, award-winning banjo player, singer, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the Steep Canyon Rangers, as well as several of his own solo records. One constant of the Rangers' sound through the years is the presence of Graham's expert banjo picking, whether that means hot licks on a fast bluegrass tune, tasteful support of a down...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   It's a Re-mixed episode! The new-and-improved version of this classic interview with the great Mike Munford. Mike is best known for his recordings and performances with Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, as a banjo setup guru, and an afficionado of prewar Gibson flathead banjos. His thrilling style of playing earned him the 2013 IBMA Banjo Player of the year award. Spons...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   Bob Carlin is among the world's top innovators and prolific performers of clawhammer banjo, and is best known for his solo recordings, collaborations with artists such as Bruce Molsky, Cheick Hamala Diabate, John Hartford, Erynn Marshall, and as a longtime member of the legendary Hartford String Band. He also enriches the banjo world through his substantial work as a...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast   This episode features Tim Ellis, a wonderful bluegrass banjoist best known for his years performing & recording with Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys. He has also worked as a sideman for various other professional groups and recording sessions, and released an album under his own name titled "Banjo Serenade."   Sponsored by Elderly Instruments , Peghead Nation , Blu...

www.patreon.com/banjopodcast Today we have a follow-up episode to #152, which featured the engineers behind the innovative ToneDexter product, by Audio Sprockets. In this one, host Keith Billik demonstrates what ToneDexter can do, by programming wavemaps using every combination of 3 different banjo pickups (by K&K, Schatten, and EMG) and 5 different microphones (by Rode, Behringer, Shure, Audio Te...