Hi, it’s Barry from Swallow Hill Music.
Several years ago folks both inside and outside Swallow Hill had coalescing ideas for a banjo fest that mirrored our long-running UkeFest. After several years of tinkering, we launched Swallow Hill BanjoFest in 2024. It was a rousing success, and last year we grew that audience, with people traveling from out of state to join us. These have been magical events that represent the very best of what we do here at Swallow Hill.
On Saturday, November 14th we’ll hold our 3rd Annual BanjoFest. One thing I love about this concept is that each year is going to take on a look and feel of its own, and this year’s lineup of Kaia Kater, Allison de Groot & Nic Gareiss, and Natalie Spears is no different. These artists will not only share their music and banjo playing techniques with us, but they will expand upon what can be done with a banjo as they explore songwriting (Kater), and dance (de Groot & Gareiss), and placing the instrument into a wider musical context (all three).
Shortly after we announced this year’s edition we heard disappointment from some quarters that bluegrass (Scruggs or three-finger style) banjo playing wasn’t as prominent as in previous years. Immediately I’d like to share that Sam Zickefoose-Armstrong, who is one of Colorado’s most talented banjo players and teachers, is leading a workshop called Using Melody to Build Unique Solos that was created with Scruggs Style players particularly in mind.
While it is true that this year’s lineup is different from previous years, I am obviously excited to welcome these artists and their unique styles. I believe their performances and workshops will prove illuminating for all banjo players, regardless of their favored style.
VIDEO: Bluegrass & Clawhammer Banjo – what’s the difference?
One of my favorite things about the banjo is how fluidly its sound moves among different styles and genres. I play clawhammer, but incorporate quite a bit of two and three-finger style into my playing to accent my tunes. A lot of Scruggs Style players, with their fingerpicks and bridge setup, might not play clawhammer, but they might strum the banjo like a guitar when the song calls for it. They might even move into an up-picking style popularized by Pete Seeger from time to time.
I asked Swallow Hill Instructor – and BanjoFest workshop leader – Caleb James Hall about this. He said “I studied both three-finger and clawhammer in lots of different styles (and) genres. What I learned in the three-finger approach has really informed the way that I look at the fretboard. I wonder what takeaways three-finger players might get from a clawhammer approach.”
This is all to say that if banjo music is one musical river as I believe it is, all of these styles are major tributaries that feed into each other to create a wonderful and dynamic musical conversation. I don’t think these styles, clawhammer and Scruggs Style in particular to this conversation, are oppositional in any way. Rather I listen to how they speak to one another and inform each other, and I invite you to view it through that lens.
I’m going to get into the weeds here for a moment, but you might find this interesting. One of my favorite albums of all time is The Original Folkways Recordings of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley 1960-1962, which I first got on CD in the late 1990s. That collection has two versions of the banjo tune “Rambling Hobo.”
The first, by Jack Burchett, is played in a style that is perhaps influenced by (but is not necessarily) bluegrass and sounds like this (article continues after the video):
The second, by Gaither Carlton, is in a more old-time, clawhammer style, and sounds like this (article continues after the video):
Burchett’s version is more hard charging and brighter, like that hobo has gotten into a rollicking misadventure. Carlton’s take is a little more haunted, but just as compelling. I’ve always imagined them being about the same character. Maybe Burchett captures him boldly hopping a freight train with the railroad bulls hot on his heels, while Carlton captures him by the campfire as he drifts off to sleep later that night. Whichever version you might prefer, I view them as part of the same patchwork quilt that tells the greater story of banjo music.
This conversation also reminds me of the great Ralph Stanley of The Stanley Brothers. Ralph was a bridge between the two styles who gifted us his own unique take on banjo playing that inspired countless others to pick up the banjo. This Banjo Hangout thread gives you just a taste of how many styles and sounds Ralph dabbled in.
One of my favorite tracks by The Stanley Brothers is “Little Maggie.” Here Ralph rips out the tune in a straightforward bluegrass style (article continues after the video):
And here he is on “Little Birdie” – and in his introduction, even his brother Carter isn’t quite sure what to call the style. Same player, same band, just a different approach (article continues after the video):
As a musician, Swallow Hiller, and member of the music community at large, I love and respect my role in preserving these great banjo traditions and their offshoots because each one holds vital pieces of a collective cultural heritage. I’d warn against purity tests, though, because once an artform becomes too rigid, it stagnates, and ultimately dies off, or worse, lives on as a cliche.
Ultimately, if you’ve read this far, it’s up to you to get what you want out of BanjoFest. A music festival is going to ebb and flow, and each year will take on a different character that leans into unique aspects of the musicians and audience that bring it to life. I understand if you want to sit this one out, but for those of you who attend – and that includes Scruggs players – I guarantee you’ll have an unforgettable experience and walk away with a greater understanding of the instrument we all hold so dear.
See you at BanjoFest! Barry
