Music Fun Time

Today I’m going to talk about a specific compilation titled, Virginia Traditions: Non-Blues Secular Black Music. This particular compilation contains recordings that would be extremely difficult to locate elsewhere. What this albums contains is non-blues, non-gospel live performances from black artists. My bet is most of the artists if not all of them have long [...]

The 2nd South Carolina String Band play music from the American Civil war era. The founding members, Joe Ewers, Fred Ewers, John Frayler, Dave Goss and Bob Beeman originally formed the group in the summer of 1989. Appropriately enough they met while participating in a civil war reenactment. What makes their meeting particularly appropriate is [...]

Lil’ Rev is a folk musician from Milwaukee Wisconsin. He plays many instruments but for me his ukulele playing is what sets him apart. His blues playing in particular with the uke is fantastic. An instrument that you normally identify with jolly island themes suddenly takes on the soulful mood of a guitar in the [...]

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are an old time band from Durham North Carolina.  Founded in 2005 all three members met at a banjo gathering that took place in the town of Boone of the same state.  The Carolina Chocolate Drops are unique in that they represent a type of musician rarely seen now-a-days, the black [...]

My father used to rent rooms and he’d get all sorts of interesting transients staying with him.  I had only been playing old time fiddle for a couple months when my dad asked me if I’d like to come and play with a traveling guitarist that had been staying with him.  Eager to play with [...]