Thursday, November 25, 2010

Banjo Feast #2

Happy Thanskgiving!  or Happy Thursday, as the case may be.  The Banjo Feast continues, & there are two wonderful songs for you today, both featuring banjo & foodie themes: the Carolina Chocolate Drops, with Rhiannon Giddens playing clawhammer-style banjo, give us a sweet version of “Corn Bread & Butter Beans.”  Ms Giddens is joined by bandmates Dom Flemons on jug & bones & Justin Robinson on fiddle & vocal.  I had the pleasure of seeing the Carolina Chocolate Drops in Chico, CA this autumn, & let me tell you: if you ever get a chance to see them perform, don't miss it.

The second song is Marcy Marxer & Cathy Fink's take on the old-time standard “Kitchen Girl.”  The latter song features Marxer on an instrument she helped design, Gold Tone’s cello banjo—also a dream instrument of mine!  Ms Marxer & Ms Fink have been performing together for 30 years & they are truly a delight, whether they're playing old-time tunes, children's songs or any of their wonderful experiments betwixt & between!  Marxer & Fink are also successful producers who have worked in the studio with artists such as Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger, Patsy Montana & many others.  & while I always think of them first in terms of the banjo, they're not instrumental monomaniacs—they also perform with various guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, percussion instruments & more.

If you’re not familiar with either the Carolina Chocolate Drops (see pic leading off the post) or Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, please take some time to check out their homepages & get to know these extremely talented musicians.  In the meantime, enjoy your day & a couple of banjo tunes!



4 comments:

  1. Another great start to my morning! And corn bread and butterbeans are coming my way today; well, okay, corn-crab pudding and green beans, but that's close enough, right? Heh, heh!

    Have a great Thanksgiving, John!

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  2. Oh, fabulous, both! The first I know well from the album (sadly missed the band when they played London a week or two back), but the second was a real treat. Many thanks, John.

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  3. Thanks for the Thanksgiving tunes. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  4. Hi Roy, Dick & Caroline

    Roy: Sounds good, tho actual cornbread & butterbeans are hard to beat! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, & thanks for stopping by.

    Dick: I think that London show sold out pretty quickly from what I read--the show I went to in Chico was sold-out--they are deservedly a hot ticket. Yes, I love Marxer & Fink doing "The Kitchen Girl"--isn't that cello banjo something? They also make a 5-string version. Thanks!

    Caroline: Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours & thanks for stopping by!

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