Mike Willner

Bluegrass BKLYN

Music EN ↓ 106 episodes

Check out the vibrant bluegrass music scene here in Brooklyn, NYC - and beyond. Join your hosts Mike Willner and Liz Wolfe to meet the musicians and teachers, explore the venues and events, and share the stories and community in the Bluegrass Borough. We’ll talk classic bluegrass, bluegrass-adjacent music, vendors, instruments, jam camps, current events, gear ... you know, all the good stuff! So give a listen, we’ll have a fine old time.

Author

Mike Willner

Episodes

S1E8: Bluegrass Charlotte NC! 26.03.2025 49:17

From Bay Ridge to Blue Ridge! Mike ventures down to Charlotte, North Carolina and encounters a vibrant and welcoming bluegrass music community. Join us as he meets the incredible fiddle maker Brad Robinson and talks fiddles, life, and dogs. We join a jam circle, chat with jammers, and find out about the Charlotte Folk Society. We drop by The Violin Shoppe and spend time with Glen Alexander, co-own...

S1E7: Vickie Vaughn! 20.03.2025 45:47

Your hosts Liz and Mike speak with some of the most amazing women in bluegrass today. We'll get their perspective on jamming etiquette, the increasing visibility of women in our music, leading a band, and where to get the best pizza in NYC (in one woman's opinion!). Enjoy this fascinating episode. Some mentions and music heard (in order of appearance) in this episode: Vickie Vaughn: @wickiewaughn...

S1E6: Sam Dallas! 13.03.2025 35:17

What a milestone! Bluegrass BKLYN podcast reaches Episode 6! Join your hosts Mike Willner and Liz Wolfe as they explore the theme of "Home Grown & Locally Known", highlighting local members of the bluegrass community. You'll meet Sam Dallas and hear her thoughts on jamming, performing, and ... why play the bass?!? Ron and Liz recount how they built their sprawling Jampire uptown and beyond. I...

S1E5: Pete Wernick 06.03.2025 40:00

Join your hosts Mike Willner and Liz Wolfe as we explore all aspects of the music we love. In this episode, Liz sits with the Bluegrass giant, Pete Wernick - banjo legend, member of the band Hot Rize, and creator of the Wernick Method ( https://wernickmethod.org/ ). They cover all aspects of Pete's music career, philosophy of teaching, and more. We get key insights into Pete's approach and vision...

S1E4: Sheriff Bob! 27.02.2025 26:09

Watch out, the Sheriff's in town ... and he's makin' sure everyone is jammin' and havin' a good time! In Episode 4 we have an in-depth discussion with the Sheriff of Good Times, Bob Saidenberg, a fixture in country and bluegrass music for many decades. He shares his perspective on the music scene in NYC from the 50's to the 90's, on hosting and participating on jams .... and on saxophone playing!...

S1E3: JamVal Recap! 20.02.2025 45:32

Special Edition! Our host Mike Willner and our new co-host Liz Wolfe adventure up to JamVal 2025 in Framingham Mass. for 2 days of jamming, workshops, interesting conversations and fun. We talk with guitar virtuoso and instructor Tony Watt, bass legend Mike Bub, and East Nash Grass' Maddie Denton and Harry Clark! We meet some the the attendees, get to hear some of the live jam music, and catch up...