| Swallow Hill BanjoFest, a day-long celebration of banjo workshops, concerts, jams, and community, returns for its second year on Saturday, November 15. This year’s BanjoFest features performances and workshops from Kyle Tuttle, known for his work with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway and Jeff Austin’s band, cosmic folkies The Lowest Pair, everyman Chris Coole of The Lonesome Ace Stringband, and “Dr. Banjo” himself, Pete Wernick, best known for his groundbreaking work with Bluegrass Music Hall of Famers Hot Rize. GET TICKETS AND COMPLETE DETAILS: Swallow Hill BanjoFest on November 15 |
| And while that’s quite a lineup, it wouldn’t be BanjoFest without our banjo community. From the phalanx of banjo-toting attendees who filled our Yale Avenue headquarters at the event’s start, to the pickers who warmed up our Quinlan Cafe with banjo sounds throughout the day, to those who held on for the final note of the evening’s concert, BanjoFest was a unique event for an organization known for unique events. “When (2024 BanjoFest headliner) Tony Trischka told me he’d never taught a workshop for a hundred banjo players at the same time, I knew we’d done something special,” Swallow Hill Marketing team member Barry Osborne, who helped develop BanjoFest, said with a chuckle. The Second Annual BanjoFest seeks to build on that energy. “As a school and venue we have everything under one roof, so our teachers that teach banjo week-to-week are doing their workshops sandwiched between artists from across the country teaching whatever they’re excited about,” School & Outreach Director Ty Breuer said. Workshop offerings include “Mapping the Fretboard” from Kyle Tuttle, “Plays Well with Others: Double Banjo Arrangements” from The Lowest Pair, and “The Pitchfork Stroke for Clawhammer,” by Swallow Hill Instructor Caleb James Hall, who is flying in from Minnesota for the fest. “All topics are different, but work together seamlessly,” Breuer added. |
| Workshops will be open to all banjo players, whether they are beginner, intermediate, or more advanced players. They will cover a wide array of styles and techniques, however, and attendees are encouraged to review the workshop descriptions online for a full understanding of what they will encounter before attending. The popularity and ubiquity of the banjo has ebbed and flowed over the years, perhaps peaking in the 1970s with “Dueling Banjos,” the inescapable theme song from the 1973 movie Deliverance. While that ubiquity elevated the instrument’s pop culture profile, the response to its popularity was also loaded with cultural stereotypes and misunderstandings. In recent decades, new scholarship and gifted musicians with an evangelical zeal to tell a deeper tale about the banjo’s African roots and its role as the people’s instrument have created a wider understanding of its cultural significance. As a nonprofit, ticket purchases to Swallow Hill BanjoFest support the organization’s mission of bringing more music to the Denver metro community through concerts, music classes, and preschool music programs. Complete details are below, thank you for supporting the banjo community and live music with Swallow Hill Music! |
| GET TICKETS AND COMPLETE DETAILS: Swallow Hill BanjoFest on November 15 |