Banjo Chat

In this episode of banjo chat I sit down with Hannah Mayree — musician, cultural worker, and founder of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project. Hannah shares the origins of the project, born from a deep need and desire to reconnect Black communities with the banjo’s African roots and reclaim its history, sound, and spirit. We talk about growing a healing community around the banjo, putting instrument...

In this episode, we dive into the making of Wes Corbett’s new album Drift. The inspirations behind the music, the collaborators who brought it to life, and insights into the recording process. We listen to a couple of my favorite tracks from the album! We chat about musical influences like Car Talk, Earl Scruggs, and Béla Fleck, and reflect on his upbringing on the West Coast. He shares the subtle...

I’m super excited to present a special collaboration with Keith Billik from the Picky Fingers Podcast! Enjoy a special live episode of the “Dueling Banjos Podcasts” hosted by Hilary Hawke and Keith Billik at the Ashokan Center in Ashokan, NY! Get the inside scoop on what’s happening in the lives of banjoists Maggie Shar, Scott Hopkins, BB Bowness, Hilary Hawke and Keith Billick. Stick around for t...

This is the Season Finale! And my mind is blown hearing Alison Brown talk about her banjos and what she’s playing on the road.  We chat about her music, making records, producing, re-issuing records and the vision for her band. We nerd out about how we like the piano and banjo combo.  What she likes to convey with her music, and how she goes beyond how the banjo is usually portrayed.  We listen to...

This week on the chat we have Lukas Pool! A fun one where we talk about the ins and outs of the Ozark Banjo Shop, how it all started and when he was was making banjos just to pay the rent!  Apprentices, banjo making, balancing having kids with performing music, horses, and his dad working over at Mountain View Music.  He tells us why he decided to make a living playing music and we get specific ab...

This week on banjo chat! As we prepare for the final two episodes in this season we take a moment to get into some more Listener emails! And these ones are doozies.   Thanks everyone and we return next week with our next guest!   https://www.patreon.com/BanjoChat

This week on the banjo chat!  We have Melissa Carper! We are chatting about being on the road with her band, her debut at the Grand Ole Opry and how she writes songs and stays close to her roots.  We talk about her transformation from being a side person, to how her creativity came alive, and what was stifling her creativity.  Healthy alternatives to drinking and how to get sleep on the road! Also...

This week we have Kyle Tuttle on the banjo chat! Of course we talk about winning the grammy award with Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway for their City of Gold album!  Yessir!  We are also talking about banjo necks, banjo makers and what life is like in Nashville as a banjo player.  How he loves the music festival scene, playing music and being true to yourself, and different recording techniques on...

This week we have Moira Smiley on the banjo chat! We talk about how music gives you a sense of transformation and how what she writes on banjo can have an uplift, a melancholy, as well as a sense of belonging.  She explains what it’s like writing music for choral groups and for other people to sing.  Talking about the ballad tradition in folk music, and relating the Turkish Cumbus to the banjo and...

This week’s episode is with Kristin Scott Benson! It was a great chat with Kristin, all things banjo and beyond.   Listening to her solos and talking about who inspired her to play and special guest barks from Fisher the dog.  Talking about different personalities and how we handle the business side of music, performing and teaching.   Band dynamics and what it’s like being a side person, and bein...

This week on banjo chat podcast, it's me taking listener emails! Great questions from our listeners. We chat about how to seem more confident on stage, what is stage banter?, how to meet people to play with, and crazy gigs.  Also cheers to radio station WSSB 91.7! Thanks for playing the pod! www.patreon/banjochat Instagram: Banjochat

This week’s episode is with Aaron Jonah Lewis and how music and the world as we know it, are changing! We talk about making music in Detroit, and being a traveling musician. Thinking about the bigger picture, building community, finding the people who help you in your life.  What it’s like making vinyl records again. Their Dos Senoritas album.  Connecting to yourself and the people around you. Con...

This week’s episode is with Cathy Fink! We talk about her grammy nominations, collaborations, and how she has been mentoring different artists-in-residence at the Music Center at Strathmore. Her project from China to Appalachian with Marcy Marxer and Chao Tian. We explore how she views creativity and how she’s driven to work on social justice issues. Her thoughts and advice for being a connected a...

Season 2 kicks off with a bang!  We have Lisa Leblanc! Coming straight from her recent Symphony tours of her original music in Canada. Her big picture on connection with the audience, and how to have fun onstage.  How she has developed her style of banjo playing, and getting to jump around and wail on the banjo.  The amazing connection between Acadian, Cajun, songwriting and Chiac music and how sh...

It's the Season Finale of Season 1!  A special live episode taped onstage at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, NY.   At the inaugural Banjo Weekend Nov 15-17th where we were teaching a great community of banjoists. This is a highlight for the banjo chat pod, and there are many pearls of wisdom throughout this chat! Listen to Joe Newberry, Cedric Watson, Tony Trischka, Scott Hopkins talk about fir...

This week’s episode is with Cynthia Sayer! We talk about what it is like being a full-time professional banjoist in the jazz world.  What made her want to learn swing banjo? How she was touring for 20 years before ever working with another woman in jazz. Being in Woody Allen’s jazz band for 10 years and working with him.  We listen to two of her albums; Cynthia Sayer Vol 1., and Joyride.  What it...

This week my guest is BB Bowness!  We chat about what it’s like being a professional bluegrass banjoist.  How she got into banjo in New Zealand and got her first banjo from the United States. How she approaches improvising, and playing with different artists as well as the driving force and focus of her band, Mile Twelve. She chats about how the band started in the beginning and has been going str...

This episode is with Cristina Vane!  She talks about how she got into clawhammer banjo, the bluegrass and old-time scenes in Nashville, Los Angeles, and NYC and what it’s like moving closer to the source of blues, and old-time. How music has been a constant in her life, and honing her voice in the music she makes and honoring all the things that make her musical identity.  We hear her story growin...

In this episode we chat with Allison DeGroot!  Allison talks about her immersion into banjo and how she got into playing in bands. Writing tunes.  The playing of Hobart Smith and Fred Cockerham and recording the album Hurricane Clarice with Tatiana Hargreaves. We listen to Ostrich with Pearls, we talk about weaving in family stories into the music. Her original tune, Wellington and finding the mus...

Hubby talks about how he got into music, how he practices in small spaces, his influences in early folk, old-time, influences from other people besides banjoists (comedians, other types of musicians).  Naming our banjos. He dives deep into some music from Black Banjo Songsters and we listen to the Rufus Casey version of the Cuckoo song. What it was like for him learning that the banjo started as a...

On episode 4 our guest is Adam Hurt! We talk about the importance of teaching in day to day life, and the realities of being a musician, getting stage nerves and energy levels after performing. His Back to the Earth album and working with Ricky Skaggs, Brittany Haas, Paul Kowert and Jordan Tice. What kind of music he listens to and what the ingredients for good music are. Some strategies for learn...

On this episode I chat with banjoist, Kaia Kater! Talking about gear and her music on the last two albums she put out; Grenades and Nine Pine.  The pressures of being a musician, and different recording techniques. How to write for the banjo. How she started banjo and traveling back and forth from Canada to the U.S. Love/hate relationships with different tunings.  Talking about her dream banjo. He...

Brad talks about what’s cooking in Baltimore, MD for old-time music! His role as a community organizer, what his influences are, and what he considers success. We listen to his band Charm City Junction, his solo album, and his band with his dad, Ken Kolodner.  We get into melodic old-time banjo compared to melodic bluegrass banjo, traditions in Old-time music, nerves on stage, adrenalin, Clifftop...

Maggie talks to Hilary about where she learned to play and why she chose banjo.  She tells us about her life and touring with Spirit Family Reunion.  We listen through her newest album, The Dark Was Aglow and talk about how to get inspired, being a musician and a mom!  https://www.maggiecarsonmusic.com/ https://maggiecarson.bandcamp.com/album/the-dark-was-aglow   This episode mixed by Hilary Hawke...