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Cell Perches & HVO

Master of the 5 String: Present and Future

October 14, 2012

The Banjo Rehabilitation Center happily calls Columbia, Missouri, its home town.  Columbia is a vibrant university community that boasts an autumn Blues & Roots & Barbeque Festival and the  springtime True/False Film Festival. Last month, the Del McCoury Band headlined again at the  B&R&BBQ festival where Rob McCoury blazed-away on his 5 sting banjo (see photo).  Also performing at the fest was the rediscovered folk rock artist Rodriquez. The documentary film “Searching for Sugarman” that chronicled Rodriquez`s unimaginable music odyssey was a hit at the 2012 True/False Film Festival (it won the 2013 Academy Award for best documentary).

Shortly after the recent R&B&BBQ festivities, the BRC website tabulated almost 150K search engine hits counted over the preceding year. To celebrate this milestone, our young CEO gave a congratulatory performance (see video) for the shop staff. Tunes included “Happy Birthday, Sam,” and “Old MacDonald/Had a Butterfly,”

The CEO and our BRC Board of Directors extend a heartfelt thanks to all readers who frequent the BRC website.

 

BRC Events

Passing the Torch

September 3, 2012

As Labor Day Weekend  slips through the Heartland on Isaac`s stormy rains, the parched grounds and gardens surrounding the Banjo Rehabilitation Center taste water for the first time in a long dry summer. Although there is a touch of autumn in the Missouri morning air outside our workshop, thoughts turn back to the sunny California beaches where the BRC staff enjoyed a well-deserved holiday only a few short weeks ago. As pictured in the below beach photo, the BRC founder passes the family musical torch to our harmonica-playing CEO thus linking a generational chain that began with the youngster`s great grandfather. In the background, the CEO`s guitar-picking uncle is beach combing with his tiny daughter, our Senior VP of Sales.

Check-out our first BRC banjo autumn offering on eBay from September 3-10 (sold).

Upon receipt, the buyer e-mailed, “Banjo is just what I wanted; Just the sound I was looking for; Beautiful too….Great work!”

 

Bio

End of summer postcard

August 13, 2012

The Banjo Rehabilitation Center was briefly closed for a short mid August vacation. Beneath towering palms on a deserted beach in San Diego at daybreak, the BRC founder leisurely polished-up some rusty mandolin chops, as puzzled seagulls swooped overhead.

Only a few weeks earlier in Chicago, as seen in the below video clip, our Senior Vice-President of Sales danced joyfully to the music of her father and grandfather at our CEO’s birthday party.

Only a few days ago, our Senior VP of Sales celebrated her birthday overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and our CEO watched her blow out the candles.

Refreshed by the holiday, the BRC workshop staff wishes our readers a happy summer season.

 

 

G&F Band

Summer banjo fun

July 29, 2012

At the recent 8th Annual Street Party for benefit of the Children`s Hospital, the BRC founder`s band “Gainor & Friends” gave its yearly performance. As pictured at the kids` festival, the BRC founder gives his “Born to Pick and Grin” T-Shirt to a young and faithful Bluegrass music admirer. Over the last 8 years, the band has donated $11K in gig  tips to the Children`s Miracle Network. Well done pickers. It`s the Bluegrass way.


On the following sunny afternoon, the Banjo Rehabilitation Center`s CEO received a 5-string birthday present from his grandfather`s shop. Maybe, some day our CEO will step-up and replace his ‘Papa’ in Gainor & Friends and play banjo for the benefit of the Children`s Miracle Network. Let`s keep our pickin` fingers crossed.

 

 

P.S. Note our CEO`s right thumb postured in the ready-position over the nylon strings and the pinky finger anchoring the hand on the head. Kids don`t miss a thing- a promising sign.

 

Bio

Quarter Tones in the Desert Sun

July 14, 2012

In Petra, Jordan, the BRC founder listens to an Arabic musician play a spike fiddle called a rabab, rababah, or rbab. This banjo-like instrument is used to accompany poetry recitation and played with a horse hair bow.  The Bedouin version, as seen here, has a rectangular sound chamber covered with a skin and a solitary horse hair string. Although quarter tones of Middle Eastern music are foreign to the Western ear, they are occasionally  heard in the American blues genre when a guitarist “chokes” a string for a whining-crying effect or when a harmonica player “bends” a note.