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Cell Perches & HVO

Cell Perches & HVO

Of Mandolins…..

September 7, 2013

The little  guitar? The mighty mandolin is a powerhouse Bluegrass staple valued for its `bark` and pulsing off-beat chop. In comparison, a Bluegrass resonator banjo has a `pop`, and the open back 5 string has a `tubby` sound coveted in the old timey genre. A flattop guitar is called a boomer or a cannon if it is a `banjo killer`. Describing the tonal qualities of a BRC banjo on eBay is a seller`s challenge in descriptors: resonance, sustain, bright, twangy, plunky? This handsome hybrid banjo, recently auctioned online, had a `mid-range` tone because of its uncommon open back and arch top design

Although the text of a melody can be described onto scaled paper, only the sonic actuality of its performance on an instrument can translate the unique character of the music and the instrument. A few years ago, an e-mailer from New Zealand queried us about the sheet music for a You Tube mandolin solo picked by the BRC founder (see below link) at a coffee house gig for the Children`s Hospital. Our polite response: what is sheet  music? The knack to play music by ear, however, is a fanciful myth. It is best described as being a bard who does not know the alphabet. Listen to the BRC founder`s mandolin solo (at 1:48 mins) on “Glendale Train” per the below link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4tLaA7ZZdY&list=PLBADC586625A34D06)The

Check-out the below link for a neighborly thread about the Banjo Rehabilitation Center as offered by our brethren at the Mandolin Cafe. The BRC founder has long hoped to author a mandolin-friendly book entitled `Why Banjos Matter` but has been unable to set pen to paper. Is this a description of writer`s block?

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?73475-Funny-Banjo-Repair-Site

P.S. See the new Hall of Fame member- a mandolinist!

Cell Perches & HVO

Conservation and Bluegrass- a natural partnership

June 25, 2013

The wondrous and deeply philosopical nature book “Where Pelicans Fly” is a love letter to the environment and an almost prayerful plea to the reader to protect and preserve its beauties (see photo cover below).  Author Paul Sinrud Johnson , a US Forest Service retiree, presents his thesis in a breathtaking photo essay depicting the flora, fauna, and vistas in and around the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area in central Missouri.

In this recently published treatise, the author`s photographic eye misses no small detail in the rich biologic tapestry of our precious Earthly home. Only at the very end of this coffee table-designed publication do we see a picture of human faces- the only specie that can safeguard the treasures of our biosphere. In a candid snapshot of the BRC founder`s band, Gainor & Friends are seen picking in a jam session at a country pub overlooking Eagle Bluffs.

We musicians are humbled and honored to be the final footnote at the conclusion of this magnificently illustrated and compelling book.

P.S. Scratch a Bluegrass musician and you will probably find an environmentalist underneath. Listen to us:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqfcMhkM-2c

From the BRC:  Safeguard our world.

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.

 

Cell Perches & HVO

A Banjo Man All Four Seasons

June 16, 2012

In the late 1950’s, a young trumpet player in a Dixieland jazz band also performed on tenor banjo during gigs in the northeastern college circuit. He and his band were featured in a 1958 magazine article about a NYC jazz fest (see him in clipping).

With the dawn of the folk music revival, this multi-talented musician became interested in the bluegrass 5 string cousin of the tenor banjo. He rigged a 5th string on his tenor instrument to adapt it to either style on the bandstand, as he had visions of bursting into the middle of an up-tempo Dixieland jazz tune with an explosive solo from a Scruggs style banjo. His dreams of merging these two disparate genres lapsed when he became preoccupied with medical school studies.

His visionary aspirations came to realization, however, more than half a century later when Del McCoury and his bluegrass band released an album jointly recorded with New Orleans` world famous Preservation Hall Jazz Band. To this day, the trumpet player (pictured wearing a BRC T-shirt) remains an inveterate fan of banjos, jazz, and fine wine.

Cell Perches & HVO

Banjo or Song or Dance…..

May 26, 2012

The workshop staff at the Banjo Rehabilitation Center are all encouraged to study performance on stringed instruments, so we will understand the challenges of customers who purchase BRC banjos. Our Senior Vice-President of Sales has elected, however, to explore music studies in voice. In the attached training clip, she skillfully demonstrates the rigors of daily warm-up and singing exercises. We welcome and admire her role-modeling of pioneer spirit in this chosen field which brings new artistry to the BRC workplace. Is this tomorrow`s high lonesome sound? She`s got the pipes…

Despite a busy schedule also serving as tour guide for the BRC Museum, our senior VP of Sales finds time to experiment with interpretive dance as pulsed by the music of her father and grandfather. Is this tomorrow`s contra dancer? She`s got the footwork….

We hope someday our young VP of Sales will grow-up and sing mezzo soprano for the BRC founder`s jam band when they intone “Sittin` Alone in the Moonlight” as heard on the below video clip. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM6zuYM-3w0