Banjo Player
October 8, 2007 | by brett | Permalink
I’m writing about banjo players because they are the definition of what pursuing a passion is all about. They are risk takers. They understand that they are making lifestyle sacrifices to pursue their dream. And they love what they do more than anyone.
I’ve met more banjo players in the last five days than I have met in my whole twenty-three years of existence. In fact, as I write this at the kitchen table of Emilee Warner, who is our delightful Nashville host and voice of CMT radio, there is a banjo resting on the floor to the right of me.
One of the banjo players I met graduated from Dartmouth, which is a private, four-year liberal arts institution that has been at the forefront of American higher education since 1769. Graduates from Dartmouth become investment bankers, not banjo players. But this guy who I met, Chris, went against the grain and moved to Nashville to play in a bluegrass band.
Two years after making the decision to play professionally, Chris and his group of Infamous Stringdusters took home three IBMA awards (the Grammy’s of Bluegrass) this week, one for emerging artist, two for best song, and third for best album. Chris’s story is full of sacrifice, risk, and going against expectations, and is one interview that we hope to get today during our final day in Nashville.
Yesterday Zach and I found ourselves eating breakfast with two girls who play the banjo. One does it for fun, the other professionally. The professional, Grace, had driven down from Asheville, NC with a caravan of other bluegrass musicians for the festive IBMA week. Contrary to Chris, who rose to unexpected stardom in two years, Grace had been at the banjo with her bluegrass band for a little longer, supporting herself by serving “yuppies cappuccino” in addition to taking paying gigs on the side.
Then there is Todd, a convivial, bearded Dobro player who didn’t start playing the instrument until he was twenty-five. Now thirty-three, he has found a host that is willing to put him with a free room while he plays music gigs all over the country, like the one he did this weekend in San Francisco.
Nashville is a melting pot of ambitious, open minded people who are passionate about music. It’s heartbeat is the upright bass. And it’s the best place to be if you play the banjo.
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THERE IS ONE RESPONSE TO THIS INTERVIEW
Kelly G Says:
October 9th, 2007
What a great experience to be saturated with banjo music! There is something so pure about it. You can’t be in a bad mood listening to that type of music! It is so up-beat! Glad you guys enjoyed it so much!
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