“Get It While You Can”

Happy Banjo Friday, one & all! We’ve sure been focused on both classical music played on the banjo & the “classical style” of banjo playing here of late, & I admit I’m really quite fascinated these days by both of these types of performances. But I also don’t want Robert Frost’s Banjo to turn into Robert Frost’s Baroque, & since I’m also posting music on Sundays these days—& that may involve baroque & early music for a bit—I thought I’d do something a little different on Fridays this month.

Truth is, November has always been a hard month for me. I have unpleasant associations with the Thanksgiving holiday that are very long-standing, & the diminishing light can make me blue. So what a perfect time to mention one of my favorite Charles Schulz cartoons (as pictured), & also to feature a performer who may illustrate Linus’ point better than anyone I’ve ever watched & listened to—Danny Barnes.

I’ve written about Danny Barnes before on Banjo Friday, both as a feature post & also in a post highlighting his wonderful song (& album) “Pizza Box,” but as I was surfing all manner of banjo videos on YouTube & feeling very dissatisfied with what I was hearing, I came back to Danny Barnes, & I realized he was the answer for this month! Yes, I'll be featuring Danny Barnes on Banjo Friday for the rest of November.

Although Danny Barnes often performs with extensive use of looped sound (which he handles beautifully—I had a chance to see him live, which I also wrote up here), this video features just his banjo & his voice & his fantastic songwriting.  “Get It While You Can” is from his 2004 release, Dirt on the Angel.

One thing about music: it gives us the capacity for joy in a way that few activities can. & anyone who has seen or heard Danny Barnes knows that to be true!



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