Deering Live

Mark Johnson is the creator of the Clawgrass style of playing clawhammer banjo which allows him to play in the clawhammer style in other genres than old time, such as bluegrass and more. In this episode, Mark will play some tunes and discuss incorporating triplets and other licks in double tunings such as double C, D, and E. Be sure to tune in!

Ketch Secor is a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Old Crow Medicine Show. Ketch is a multi-instrumentalist whose first instrument was a banjo but is also a fantastic fiddler, harmonica player, and more! He has a deep understanding of American folk, country, and old-time music and is a dynamic entertainer. Among his many accomplishments, he might be best known for co-writing the hit song...

International Banjo Champion Kyle Tuttle is shredding his way through the jamgrass scene. Since moving to Nashville in 2012 Kyle has shared the stage with many epic performers, most notably as a member of the Jeff Austin Band for 3 years. Kyle has also worked closely with Jamgrass legends Larry Keel, Travelin’ McCourys, Leftover Salmon, Greensky Bluegrass, Billy Strings, and Railroad Earth. In add...

Evie Ladin’s polyrhythmic clawhammer banjo style, resonant voice, and percussive dance have been heard from A Prairie Home Companion to Celtic Connections, Lincoln Center to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Known as a driving force behind San Francisco’s Stairwell Sisters, Evie has four solo CDs that feature her banjo playing and songwriting. Raised on fiddlers’ conventions and square dances, Evie’s pla...

We are happy to have songwriter, singer, 5-string banjo player, and banjo uke player Valerie June back on Deering Live. Valerie recently wrote a children's book that is published by Third Man Books called "Somebody To Love: The Story Of Valerie June's Sweet Little Baby Banjolele". Valerie will play some tunes on her banjolele, read some from the book, and talk about it's creation. Joining her on D...

We're happy to welcome Catherine BB Bowness, from the band Mile Twelve, back to Deering Live to give where she is going teach us about "Movable Harmonic Shapes" on the 5-string banjo. These are shapes such as chord positions or intervals that you can move all the way up the neck of the banjo, thus opening up the entire fingerboard for you. We will also talk about Mile Twelve's new upcoming release...

Michael Miles is back on Deering Live to demonstrate and teach us about how rhythmically versatile the clawhammer style of playing the 5-string banjo can be and how this style can be utilized to play many different genres of music. Michael is a master clawhammer player and well-versed in many musical styles so be sure to tune in and learn. During the conversation, Micheal discusses Latin rhythms a...

Jake Blount is an award-winning musician and scholar. He is a recipient of the prestigious Steve Martin Banjo Prize, and a two-time winner of the Appalachian String Band Music Festival (better known as Clifftop). He is a specialist in the early folk music of Black Americans, and his latest record, The New Faith, was released on September 23, 2022 as part of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings' African...

On this episode of Deering Live we will dig into the life and music of 5-string bluegrass banjoist Rudy Lyle. Rudy Lyle played banjo with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys and made major contributions to bluegrass banjo but has largely been forgotten. Banjoist and member of Peter Rowan's Bluegrass Band, Max Wareham decided to help change this and wrote a book that talks about Rudy's career and banjo st...

Deering Live is honored to host the Steve Martin Banjo Prize 2022! Jamie and David from Deering Live will be joined by special guest Alison Brown as we reveal the 2022 Steve Martin Banjo Prize winners. This episode of Deering Live is presented by the Freshgrass Foundation and Compass Records.

Larry Bellorín hails from Monagas, Venezuela, and is a legend of Llanera music. Meanwhile, North Carolina-based Joe Troop is a GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and old-time musician. Currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders. As a duo, they perform a fusion of Venezuelan and Appal...

Mark is most well known for being one of the most in-demand bass players in bluegrass but he is also an outstanding clawhammer banjoist! In 2021 Mark put out a fantastic new recording with fellow old-time musician Bryan McDowell entitled GRIT & POLISH. Listen to Mark and Bryan play and talk about working together, the differences between old time music and bluegrass, and more.

Enda Scahill is the primary banjo player with We Banjo 3. He is a fantastic Irish tenor banjo player and highly respected teacher of the tenor banjo. Enda offers a wonderful series of lessons on playing the Irish tenor banjo on his Patreon page, which we encourage you to check out.

Colton Crawford is the banjo player from Canadian roots music four-piece, The Dead South - A rock band without a drummer, a bluegrass band without a fiddler. Their sound, built on a taut configuration of cello, mandolin, banjo, and guitar, speeds like a train past polite definitions of acoustic music into the grittier, rowdier spaces of the bluegrass world. Colton is a Deering Artist who plays bot...

Making her long-awaited debut on Deering Live, Mean Mary James joins us to talk about her new album 'Portrait of a Woman (Part 1)' Mary has a truly fascinating story and as well as being a fantastic banjo player also boasts guitar and fiddle in her resume and is equally skilled on all three. This promises to be a truly entertaining episode!

We welcome back the 2018 Steve Martin Banjo Award winner, banjo player for the Grammy-nominated Grascals, our good friend Kristin Scott-Benson! Kristin will be talking about what she looks for in a bluegrass banjo and the journey of tone that she considers when playing different banjos. And we will have a special announcement at the top of the show!

Jake Sawicki is the banjo player for the self-described thrash grass band, The Native Howl who hail from Leonard, MI. Their 2016 release of "Thrash Grass" unleashed the newly-coined genre of the same name, combining the aggressiveness and intensity of thrash metal with the melodicism and precision of bluegrass. Jake is here to talk about pushing the boundaries of how a banjo can be used, appearing...

We're very excited to feature the longtime banjoist for Alison Kraus & Union Station, Ron Block, on Deering Live. When it comes to bluegrass banjo, Ron is simply one of the best in the business. His feel, tone, and timing drive the music that is rooted deeply in tradition but continues to push it into the future. Ron has a new album coming out July 1st with Irish tenor banjo master Damien O'Ka...

British clawhammer virtuoso Dan Walsh joins us on Deering Live to talk about his unique take on clawhammer playing, and whether clawhammer should be regarded as a technique or a genre. Dan is a long-time Deering artist and if you are not familiar with him, he has a fascinating approach to playing banjo. This episode will be well worth tuning in for!

Trajan "Tray" Wellington joins us on Deering Live on the eve of his greatly anticipated solo effort, "Black Banjo". In this episode, Tray talks to us about the inspiration behind "Black Banjo", and discusses his own experiences as a black banjo player in bluegrass music.

Michael J Miles is a composer and musician who grew up in the heart of urban Chicago and teaches at the infamous Old Town School of Music. His inner jukebox spins with 500 years of pop songs on late night radio, infused with conversations about poetry, politics, and singing around the piano with his Irish family. These songs turn into setlists, and compositions and as they say, the rest is history...

Deemed a "banjo virtuoso" by the Washington Post, Adam Hurt has fused several traditional old-time idioms to create his own elegantly innovative clawhammer banjo style, having been introduced to the instrument at age eleven in his native Minnesota. A respected performer and teacher of traditional music, Adam has played at the Kennedy Center, conducted banjo and fiddle workshops at many venues arou...

Max Allard is a gifted young 5-string banjoist in the 3 fingerstyle. He has been the winner of the 2018 RockyGrass Banjo Competition and the 2019 FreshGrass Banjo Award. He performs as a solo artist, in a duo with his brother Otto Allard, and has toured the midwest with the Minneapolis-based progressive bluegrass band Barbaro. Max has a new album out called "Odes / Codes" that was produced by banj...

Our good friend Hank Smith returns to Deering Live this week, where we will discuss composing non-bluegrass music on 5 string banjo and tonality. Hank is a Deering artist and plays a Deering Maple Blossom. He also puts the "Hank" into 'Hank, Patty & the Current', who are one of our favorite bands!

Detroit Brooks is one of New Orleans' top session and touring guitar and banjo players on the scene. He has toured around the world and recorded or played musicians such as Dr. John, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Donald Harrison, Charmaine Neville, and many more. Detroit is deeply concerned with keeping the traditional music of New Orleans alive. He created the Danny Barker Festival which celebrates the music...