Wildwood (Reprise)

Had a go myself on the banjo, it's a bit slower than the mandolin version. It'd be great to try it out together.

Wildwood Flower

Wildwood Fouled

Sent this audio by a crazed mandolin playing speed junkie who, whilst in the throws of an amphetemine binge, decided to murder Maybelle Carter's Wildwood Flower.



Here's Mama Maybelle Carter doing it in her right mind.. rock it moma!

House of the Rising Sun

The Uke of Cornwall and his band sent this audio which was recorded at a recent gig, and a popart portrait of me. Cheers...

heroes - Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara

It's not banjo but it is blues. The way that Adams and Camara meld African and blues music is stunning, and they are great live. Juldeh Camara is a virtuoso who plays a range of gourd based instruments, some of which he plucks, that are not a million miles away from the gourd banjo. Their recent album 'Soul Science' captures the overlaps between blues and African styles and makes something special out of the two. There's a couple of tracks on the juke box at the moment.

12 bar blues drop thumbing

This is a version of the 12 bar blues in G but using drop-thumb.

12 bar drop in G

January Jam

Got together with my brother and a friend to celebrate his new mandolin. Lovely instrument and works well with guitar and banjo. Here's a couple of tunes we recorded this afternoon on my phone.

Camptown Races


Shortnin' bread sorta


Dirty Old Town

Heroes - Otis Taylor Recapturing the Banjo

I saw Otis Taylor and the Black Banjo Project on tour in 2008 at the Sage in Gateshead. I'd already got a banjo but needed something which would bring the idea of the instrument to life. Otis Taylor's project is quite political and wants to reclaim the instrument for black musicians, who might perceive the banjo as symbolising white rural music culture.

His approach is quite inclusive, and is a way of saying that this instrument is more than just the product and domain of white America. The Carolina Chocolate Drops seem to capture this attitude to reinvesting the banjo with its black, slave and African origins, but they do it in a way which highlights the vital, and often fraught, mixing of European and African music which ultimately led to the Blues.

oh susanna and 12 bar blues in G

A couple of tunes recorded with my new microphone - need to adjust the settings.

Oh Susanna


12 bars in G


The 12-bar blues has come out of this Daily Frail Workshop which I found quite handy and am still working on.