The Homegrown String Band

Fifteen Years of Family String Band Music

2012-01-04T17:24:00.002-05:00

I guess the roots of our family band can be traced back to the late 1980s when I used to sing the kids to sleep, or maybe to 1994 when Erica and I led the middle school orchestra in a rousing version of Rosin the Bow. That same year our father/daughter duo entertained a group of seniors at a pancake breakfast with some old-time fiddle tunes. 1994 was also the year I surprised Georgianne by giving her a mountain dulcimer for our fifteenth wedding anniversary. But the first public performance of "The Family That Plays Together," AKA The Homegrown String Band, was at a Long Island Traditional Music Association member's concert on January 10, 1997. Fifteen years ago this month.

Our first performance of 2012, our sixteenth year of performing together as a family, will be right down the road at the Longwood Library in Middle Island, NY on January 15th at 2 pm.

Longwood Public Library

800 Middle Country Road

Middle Island, NY 11953

(631) 924-6400

Homegrown String Band on Fios 1 News TV

2011-12-06T12:07:00.002-05:00

On October 23, 2011, The Homegrown String Band performed in the auditorium of the Commack Public Library. The show was covered by Fios News video journalist Eric Alfredo. To view the five minute interview/concert footage as it appeared on Fios "Push Pause" on December 5, 2011, click on the link below or on the screen shot to the right. I wasn't able to embed the video, so you will be taken to the Fios 1 News website.

A Family That Plays Together on Fios 1 Push Pause

Ramblin Rooster Rick

2011-11-25T19:07:00.007-05:00

I was ramblin' through some old Mp3 files on my computer and found this solo banjo piece from our first CD Blind Dog Thumpin' on the Porch (2000). It's called Ramblin' Hobo. I learned it from the playing of Doc Watson and his father-in-law Gaither Carlton. This "little ditty" is a cool tune in an odd F tuning (fCFCD). It's easy to get into this tuning from double C, just drop the two G strings down to F.

Ramblin' Hobo, to me, personifies the unique (and sometimes strange) percussive, melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic qualities of old time banjo. Playing the banjo can be a grand adventure in self expression and artistic freedom. This song lends itself perfectly to the type of individual interpretation that makes playing the banjo so much fun. It's like a puzzle whose pieces can be rearranged to form different pictures. . . There I go ramblin' again.

Ramblin' Hobo by Rooster Rick

The Banjo Lesson

Piece of Banjo History

Banjos, Murder, & Moonshine

Take Banjo Lessons on Long Island

A Thanksgiving Prayer - Thank You Song

2011-11-20T16:36:00.003-05:00

We had a great time playing out in Montauk last night. I'd like to thank everyone for coming out to see us and we sure hope to see y'all again real soon.

Here's a little Thanksgiving prayer I wrote sometime around 1990. This was a totally unrehearsed moment captured on "tape" by Larry Moser. We included it in our 2004 CD release "Rock Hollow."

Thank You Song by Rooster Rick

Happy Thanksgiving from The Homegrown String Band!

The End is Near!

2011-11-17T12:19:00.001-05:00

As we near the end of our 15th year performing professionally as a family we will be heading out to the historic town of Montauk, near the end of our 110-mile-long Long Island. The Homegrown String Band (full Quadrupelo) will be performing at The Montauk Library from 7:30 - 9 pm on Saturday, November 19th. Come on out and have a relaxing evening with Long Island's "First Family of Folk" before all the holiday hub bub begins.

The Montauk Library is located on Montauk Hwy. (Route 27) just east of the village of Montauk, on the north side of the highway, as indicated on the map below. 631-668-3377

Pretty Polly

2011-11-01T19:36:00.007-04:00

Here's a creepy murder ballad I played the day before Halloween at The Bayport-Blue Point Library in Bayport, NY. Before I sang the song I told the tale of Willy, The Cruel Ship's Carpenter, and the ghost of Pretty Polly who's undead spirit sought justice for herself and her unborn child. Freddy Krueger had nothin' on this murderous 18th century villain.

Our next show is 3:00 pm Sunday November 6, 2011 at The Newburgh Free Library

Newburgh Free Library
124 Grand Street

Newburgh, NY 12550
845-563-3601

Sonny Terry Forever!

2011-10-24T00:00:00.012-04:00

Country blues harmonica legend Sonny Terry would have been 100 years old today. Sonny Terry (Terrell Saunders) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, on October 24, 1911. His early musical training consisted of listening to his father play hoedowns and square dance tunes on the harmonica. Though he played in various string bands around the Shelby, NC area, Sonny had no intention of becoming a professional musician until two separate accidents, at the ages of eleven and sixteen, left him virtually blind in both eyes. Farming was no longer an option. After losing his sight, Terry took to the streets and medicine show circuit where his skilled harmonica playing drew large crowds. Sonny developed a strong rhythmic style that included lots of chugs, whoops, wails, and hollers. He used his hands, harmonica, and voice to create trademark sound effects, from baying hounds to lonesome whistles and driving locomotives. When Sonny was about eighteen years old he got his first taste of the blues and taught himself how to play his harmonica in the cross harp blues style. Sometime in 1937, while out busking on the streets, Terry met his future musical partner – guitarist Blind Boy Fuller. The pair formed a strong musical bond and played together for the next four years, until Fuller passed away in February of 1941 at the unripe not old age of thirty three years. Soon after Fuller's death guitarist Brownie McGhee was asked to accompany Terry on a trip to Washington DC, and so the seminal acoustic blues harmonica/guitar duo of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee was formed. The pair moved to New York in 1942 and became hugely successful in the New York City folk and blues scene of the 40s and 50s. Sonny's solo playing had already been a big hit in New York since he performed in John Hammond's famous "Spirituals to Swing" concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938. In the 1940s, Terry's unique style landed him a part in the Broadway play "Finian's Rainbow", the show ran for five years. In the next decade Terry and McGhee appeared as a duo on Broadway in a three year run of Tennessee Williams "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

By the time I saw Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee perform together in the 1970s, they were still making great music together, but a rift that had been developing for some time was beginning to take its toll on the dynamic duo. They often argued offstage and by the 1980s they were no longer performing as a duo. Sonny spent his later years living on Long Island and passed away in Mineola, NY, on March 11, 1986. Thankfully, he left behind hundreds of recordings in the pre-blues and early Piedmont blues harmonica styles, as well as a legion of young players, including Phil Wiggins and our good friend Ken "The Rocket" Korb, who have been inspired to carry on the country blues harmonica tradition. Terrell Saunders was a true giant in the history of American music.

Sonny Terry CD: The Folkways Years, 1944-1963

Sonny Terry DVD: Whoopin' The Blues 1958-1974

Little Toby and the Rocket 2011 Reunion on The Long Island Blues Warehouse Show

John Cephas and Phil Wiggins perform at the White House July 1999

Song Sprouts Artist of the Day

2011-10-13T17:06:00.000-04:00

On Friday, October 14th, 2011, The Homegrown String Band will be the Featured Artist of the Day on the independent music site SongSprouts.com. Song Sprouts is a very cool site where music fans can listen and download music that has been posted free of charge by 915 independent artists. If you go to our fan page you can listen to three songs (Praying for Spring, Don't Let Your Deal Go Down, and A minor Catastrophe) from our Ragged but Right CD. If you create a fan account you can download Mp3s of the three songs absolutely FREE! Song Sprouts is a great way to discover new music. Check out the music posted by The Homegrown String Band and about 914 other independent bands and solo artists.

Our local Long Island fans can also get some free live music this weekend as the full band will be doing a free show as part of the West Hempstead Library's Sunday at Two Series. You probably guessed that the show is on Sunday at 2pm. If you did, you would be correct!

West Hempstead Public Library

500 Hempstead Ave

West Hempstead, NY 11552

2:00 pm

Sunday October 16th, 2011

Garlic Time!

2011-09-21T13:21:00.000-04:00

It's harvest season in New York! Over the past couple weeks we have played the Tomatoes and Tunes Festival in East Meridith, NY, and the Apple Festival in Setauket, NY. This weekend The Homegrown String Band returns to the world famous Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties, NY. The HVGF is the biggest food festival on the east coast. Besides great food, fresh produce, cooking demonstrations, and lectures there will also be hundreds of craft vendors and 5 stages featuring 10 musical acts. We will be sharing the East Marketplace stage with the Barefoot Boys, a great traditional duo from the Catskill region. Also appearing will be: The Mojo Myles Band, Annie and the Hedonists, Captain Squeeze & the Zydeco Moshers, Mark Rust, One World Puppetry, and The Arm of the Sea Theater. Garlic growers and garlic lovers from around the country make the annual pilgrimage to Saugerties to sample the gourmet cuisine and to stock up on fresh organically grown garlic from around the region. Come join us in this festival that celebrates the wonders of "The Stinking Rose."

What's a Connetquot?

2011-08-07T20:59:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday, August 10, 2011, at 7:00 pm the Homegrown String Band will be presenting a free concert at the Connetquot Library in Bohemia, NY. The word Connetquot means "Great River" in the language of the Secatog (Secatogue) people. The Secatogs were a Delaware-Algonkian community that lived on the south shore of Long Island, from Copiague to Bayshore. They were one of thirteen "tribes," identified by Suffolk County Historian Paul Bailey in his 1959 pamphlet "The Thirteen Tribes of Long Island," living on the island when European settlers arrived in 1635.

Connetquot Public Library

760 Ocean Ave
Bohemia, NY 11716
(631) 567-5079

Old and New

2011-07-31T13:16:00.014-04:00

The Homegrown String Band has always been about blending the old with the new. For the last 15 years we have been performing a mix of original songs along with original arrangements of traditional American music. Throughout our performing career the unique approach we take, to what is essentially traditional music, has gone in and out of fashion. Our music has alternately been embraced and shunned by the gate keepers of various musical genres. We try to remain true to tradition, not being influenced by musical fads and fashions, while also being open to change and evolution. American music is all about cross pollination and the exchange of ideas. The Carter Family, Charlie Poole, Jimmie Rodgers, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Jerry Garcia were all people who added their own ideas to the canon of traditional American music. Some people may choose to latch on to the music of an individual, a musical genre, or a particular stylistic era, believing that a particular style and or instrumentation are the ultimate and final word handed down by the musical gods; we believe in continuing revelation.

Photo by Steve Gravano

Aptucxet Trading Post

2011-07-25T21:49:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, July 27, 2011, at 7:00 pm the Homegrown String Band will be presenting a free outdoor concert at the Jonathon Bourne Public Library in the historic town of Bourne, Massachusetts. Though the town wasn't officially incorporated until 1884 the area had been an important gathering place for centuries before. In 1627 the Pilgrims established the Aptucxet trading post on a site known as Manamet, "trail of burden carriers," by the native peoples. Today the town situated on Buzzards Bay is known as the gateway to Cape Cod.

On Thursday, July 28, at 7:00 pm the band will be playing a free indoor show at the Oliver Wolcott Library in Litchfield, Connecticut. The OWL is named in honor of Declaration of Independence signer Oliver Wolcott, a brigadier general of the Connecticut Militia during the American Revolution, and former governor of Connecticut.

Charlie Poole by Tracy Bigelow Grisman

2011-07-22T17:42:00.003-04:00

A few years ago we (The Homegrown String Band) were playing at a bluegrass festival headlined by David Grisman. I found a beautiful water color like print of a famous photo of the Carter Family at his merchandise table. I couldn't resist. I bought the print, framed it, and hung it up in my music room right next to an 8X10 photo of Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham given to me by the late Ray Alden. The painting was made by Tracy Bigelow Grisman; a talented artist and musician from Petaluma, California . She has a web site, called OldtimeyArt.com, where you can see and purchase her beautiful prints of old-time country and jazz musicians.

Last week I was rummaging through eBay, looking for banjo ephemera, and I came across an auction for an 11X14 print of Charlie Poole done by Tracy. I won the auction and Charlie is now hanging with the Carters in my music room. I hope the Carters don't mind hanging out with this hard drinking rounder from North Carolina; Maybelle put up with Johnny Cash so I guess she'll be OK with Charlie. While the Carter Family advertised their shows as wholesome and "morally good;" Charlie Poole was at the other end of the spectrum. This hard drinking millworker made his own whiskey and played with his band, the North Carolina Ramblers, at speakeasies, mining towns, and lumber camps around the Piedmont area. Like the Carters, Charlie was an innovator, blending traditional mountain music with the popular music of the day. His three finger banjo picking was a precursor to the bluegrass banjo style made popular by Earl Scruggs. The music of Carter Family and the North Carolina Ramblers laid the foundation for the bluegrass bands of the 1940s and 1950s—and the Homegrown String Band.

Charlie Poole Music
You Ain't Talkin' to Me: Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music

Carter Family Music
The Carter Family: 1927-1934

Read about the musical contributions of Charlie Poole and other Piedmont textile workers to the development of American roots music.
Linthead Stomp: The Creation of Country Music in the Piedmont South

Lewes Delaware

2011-07-16T14:13:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, July 19, 2011, The Homegrown String Band will be returning to the ocean resort town of Lewes, Delaware. Located on the Delmarva peninsula, the city of Lewes (pronounced Lewis not Lews) was founded by Dutch colonists in 1631 and is known as the First City of the First State. The concert is free and starts at 7:00 pm in beautiful Stango Park.

Bradley Kincaid

2011-07-13T12:14:00.002-04:00

Today would have been Bradley Kincaid's 116th birthday. Born on July 13, 1895, in Garrad County Kentucky, the boy who learned how to play guitar on an instrument acquired in trade for a foxhound would eventually become known around the world as "The Kentucky Mountain Boy." In 1926, Kincaid made his first appearance on the WLS National Barn Dance radio program in Chicago. Originally booked by the station, which was owned by Sears Roebuck (the "World's Largest Store"), as part of a college vocal quartet, Kincaid was soon given his own time slot to sing his repertoire of Kentucky folksongs and ballads. He stayed at WLS for four years before moving on to other radio stations around the northeast. Kincaid published a popular song book called Favorite Mountain Ballads and Old Time Songs, which he promoted and sold on air. He also recorded 95 songs, including the first commercial recording (2/27/28) of Child Ballad #84 – Barbara Allen.

Barbara Allen by Bradley Kincaid

Barbara Allen by HomegrownTwo

Pickin on a Park Bench

2011-07-02T14:37:00.004-04:00

I guess pickin' in the park is the modern urban/suburban version of front porch pickin'; an opportunity to get out, get some fresh air, and share your music with your neighbors. One of my fondest memories of growing up on Long Island was our Sunday summer excursions into NYC during the mid to late 1960s. My dad would load the family up in the station wagon for an hour long drive into Manhattan. Once we got into "The City" we would head down to Greenwich Village, wander around the shops and art galleries, and listen to the city folk playing blues, jazz, and folk music in Washington Square. The day would usually end with dinner at Jimmy's, our favorite Chinatown eatery.

In this video I'm playing the classic American folk ballad "Wild Bill Jones" in clawhammer style on my Wildwood five string open back banjo. I guess "Wild Bill Jones" falls into that ever popular murder ballad category I mentioned in a previous post. A version of the song, as sung by Viney Norton of Big Laurel, North Carolina, was collected by Cecil Sharp in August of 1916. The first commercial recording was made in New York City on April 24, 1924, by Eva Davis, accompanying herself on the five string banjo, of course.

Concert Review and Flatfoot Dance Video

2011-06-30T15:38:00.008-04:00

Here's a video and some excerpts from a newspaper article reviewing a show we did a couple weeks ago at the Pearl River Library.

The Sound of ("American Roots") Music Comes to Pearl River

The Homegrown String Band performed to a full room on Sunday at the Pearl River Public Library . . . From the very start, Rick “Rooster” Jackofsky held the crowd’s attention with his natural storytelling ability and encyclopedic knowledge of the history of American roots music. Georgianne, Erica and Annalee had the crowd clapping along to their down-home style of Appalachian clog and buck dancing . . . “What a fantastic show!, I love that they are a family performing together as a unit. It’s wonderful" . . . "When I heard that they were performing at the Pearl River Public Library, I knew we had to go,” . . . One of the many stickers that adorn Jackofsky’s well-traveled guitar case is a quote from Jimi Hendrix: “Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.” And, people listened, intently.

By Rose Croke, The Pearl River Patch (Read the full article)

The Homegrown String Band

Happy Birthday Big Bill Broonzy

2011-06-26T00:52:00.003-04:00

Big Bill Broonzy was born on June 26 somewhere in Arkansas in either 1893,1898, or 1903. His sister cited the earlier dates, but according to research by his biographer, Bob Reisman, the later date is the correct one. Either way, today Big Bill "Key to the Highway" Broonzy would be well over a hundred years old. After serving time in the Army during WWI, Bill headed up the Mississippi to the bright lights and big city of Chicago. Broonzy, along with his friend and musical partner Tampa Red, was a prominent figure in the pre-war Chicago blues scene formed by and for the relocated southern blacks who migrated up the Mississippi in search of a better life. They say Muddy Waters discovered electricity, creating the first modern electric blues combo, but Big Bill was probably the first Chicago blues man to incorporate electric guitar and drums into a blues ensemble. Big Bill Broonzy represents the musical link between rural bluesmen like Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, and Son House, and the post war urban blues of Muddy Waters and Little Walter. Broonzy was the last minute country blues substitute for Robert Johnson, who disappeared shortly before the show, at John Hammond's famous 1938 Carnegie Hall "Spirituals to Swing" concert. Big Bill passed on August 15, 1958, at the age of 55, 60, or 65.

I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy

Introduction to Big Bill Broonzy

Young Big Bill Broonzy 1928-1935

Banjo History and Mythology

2011-06-20T16:15:00.002-04:00

For the last one hundred and fifty years the banjo, along with the log cabin and the "Sweet Sunny South," has been a symbol of a mythical simpler time and place. The banjo, introduced to America by African American slaves, represents the evolution of a North African stringed instrument called an Ankonting. During the mid-nineteenth century, the banjo was often shown in the hands of a "happy, carefree" slave. Later, the symbol of a time left behind would become the barefoot, banjo playing, hillbilly, mountain man. Many sentimental country and folk songs have been written about log cabins, including Fiddlin' John Carson's 1923 Okeh release "Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane." "The Little Log Cabin" 78 rpm backed by "The Old Hen Cackled and the "Rooster's Going to Crow" was such a huge, and surprising, success that it led to northern record companies setting up field recording sessions around the south, scrambling to find more hillbilly old time music. This postcard dated 1908, found in a Connecticut antique shop, makes use of two nineteenth century stereotypes—the banjo playing slave and the log cabin—to depict a purely fictional pastoral setting that people beset by life changing technology and "progress" have been longing for since the beginning of the industrial revolution.

For more reading on the social history of the American banjo:

That Half-Barbaric Twang

African Banjo Echoes In Appalachia

America's Instrument: The Banjo in the Ninteenth Century

Banjos, Murder, & Moonshine

2011-06-15T21:56:00.020-04:00

For some reason it seems that banjo players have always had a fascination with murder. Is it because they are constantly being threatened with the possibility of meeting an untimely end, or maybe they are just a morbid group, who knows. In any case, solo clawhammer banjo and vocal seems to be the way to go when it comes to murder ballads. On July 29, 1927, in Bristol, Tennesee, at the same recording session that would launch the careers of The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, a banjo playing barber from Kentucky named B.F. Shelton recorded four tunes including two classic murder ballads. He chose the cheery "Pretty Polly," an Americanized version of the English murder ballad "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter," and the All American moonshine murder ballad "Darling Cora." Doc Watson's neighbor, Tom (AKA Clarence) Ashley, recorded "Little Sadie" and "Naomi Wise" in 1929. The list goes on and on with murder ballads being prominently featured in the repertoires of many early banjo players including Samantha Bumgarner, Dock Boggs, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, and Buell Kazee. I've kept up the tradition by including "Pretty Polly," "Darling Corey," "John Hardy," and "Little Sadie" in my solo performances.

Several years ago I decided to write a new murder ballad, God knows there is no shortage of dastardly deeds to tell a terrible tale about. I decided to compose my murder ballad based on a murder that took place in Berlin, NY, in 1845. This was a time when banjos were just beginning to be manufactured commercially and the instrument of African origin was gaining popularity in mainstream America. I found the grisly details, along with a 24 verse broadside that was hawked at the execution of Henry G. Greene, in "New York State Folktales, Legends and Ballads" by Harold Thompson. Greene, who murdered his wife of one week, Mary Wyatt, with a lethal dose of arsenic, confessed to his terrible crime only after being found guilty and sentenced to hang. In a final act of repentance, Henry sang "Rock of Ages" as he stood upon the gallows. I borrowed some verses from the broadside, added some of my own along with a spooky sounding minor tune, to come up with my version of The Ballad of Mary Wyatt.

Listen to The Ballad of Mary Wyatt by Rick Jackofsky

Watch a video of Rick Jackofsky performing Pretty Polly

Buy the Mp3 or the book

The Ballad of Mary Wyatt

New York State Folktales, Legends and Ballads

Photo by Ed Neale

Rainy Afternoon

2011-06-11T13:54:00.002-04:00

Looks like tomorrow is going to be a rainy Sunday afternoon, but that doesn't mean it has to be dreary. Don't stay home and watch Rainout Theater! Come on out to the Pearl River Library at 80 Franklin Avenue in Pearl River, NY and enjoy a great performance of traditional and original song and dance, by the Homegrown String Band.

The Homegrown String Band at the Pearl River Library

3pm - Sunday, June 12 - FREE Admission

80 Franklin Avenue, Pearl River, NY 10965

(845) 735-4084

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Sayville Celebrates its 250th Anniversary!

2011-06-02T11:26:00.000-04:00

In 1761 John Edwards settled in Sayville and built a house at what is now the corner of Foster Avenue and Edwards Street. On Sunday, June 5th, 2011, from 1:00 - 4:00 the Homegrown String Band will be performing two sets of acoustic string band music on the grounds of the old Edwards homestead as part of the annual Edwards Farm Day celebration. Come on down to the farm and help us celebrate the 250th anniversary of Sayville.

"An afternoon on the Edwards Farm . . . will feature hands-on activities including quilting, grinding corn, making ice cream, and seed planting along with baby farm animals, spinning and weaving demonstrations as well as the Homegrown String Band. To help defray expenses, admission is $4.00 per person, $15 for a family of four, $2.00 each additional person over 2 years of age."

End of the World ?

2011-05-21T18:54:00.003-04:00

For months Family Radio evangelist Harold Camping has been spreading the word that the rapture would take place on May 21, 2011, at 6pm. Well, the predicted time has come and gone and it looks like the sinners and saints are going to have to try and get along with each other for a while longer. I guess it's like the great baseball sage, Yogi Berra, said, "It ain't over till it's over."

Game two of the Yankees Mets subway series will go on as scheduled.

Lets Go Mets!

Commack Library Show Rescheduled

2011-05-20T15:09:00.000-04:00

Our show at the Commack Library scheduled for Saturday May 22, 2011, has been rescheduled for October 23, 2011. Maybe a good thing; the weather is supposed to finally clear up this weekend. After all the rain we've had I think everyone will want to be outdoors anyway. I know I'm looking forward to tending my dandelion patch and getting my tomatoes and peppers in the ground. Yes, I have a dandelion patch. My Italian grandmother taught me to love and respect the lowly dandelion. What's not to love, beautiful flowers that can be fermented, tasty leaves that can be eaten raw or steamed, roots that can be roasted and brewed. I never understood why people spend time and money putting down toxic herbicides to rid their lawns of this delicious and nutritious plant that is packed with vitamins and minerals.

Hopefully the canceled Commack show won't inconvenience anyone. The next Homegrown String Band show is at Edwards Farm Day, June 5th, in Sayville, NY.

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

A Long Island Quaker Anniversary

2011-05-13T17:54:00.004-04:00

Yes, there are Quakers on Long Island. The Religious Society of Friends was founded by George Fox in Great Britain during the mid seventeenth century and the faith quickly spread to Colonial America. The Conscience Bay Meeting in Saint James, NY, founded in 1961, is one of the newer Quaker meetings on Long Island, but Quakers have been on Long Island for over 350 years. The meeting house in Flushing, NY, was built in 1694 and is still in use today.

Come on down to Saint James, Sunday, May 15th, and help the Friends of Conscience Bay celebrate their 50th anniversary. Listen to the Homegrown String Band, walk the labyrinth, check out some local handmade crafts, and pick up a free Quaker Herbs & Spice cookbook.

Rain or Shine! Free!

1:30 - 5:00 pm

4 Friends Way

Saint James, NY

631-862-6213

Turtle Power

2011-05-03T20:07:00.010-04:00

Things have been kind of slow for the Homegrown String Band lately. I've been getting in a lot of miles running the trails in the old RCA property here in Rock Hollow. It's great to be back out in the woods with the deer, turkeys, hawks, and turtles. The box turtle in the picture must have followed me home. I went outside to water the garden this morning and the little guy was lumbering across the yard less than ten feet from my back door. I think the turtle must be my new power animal—it's OK to slow down, as long as you keep moving forward.

We had a great time playing at the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, NY. on April 16th. They have a brand new beautiful building filled with fantastic artwork and historic artifacts.

This weekend, Georgianne and I will be taking our Homegrown Two act on the road. We will be performing out on the street at The 39th Olde York Street Fair in York, PA on Mothers Day May 8th..

Next weekend, on May 15th, the full quadrupelo band will be performing at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Conscience Bay Quaker Meeting in Setauket, NY. We will not only be the featured band, we will also be participating in the accompanying craft fair. Erica will be bringing along some of her Fiddle Knits knitwear as well as a selection of printed patterns for knitters. Georgianne is hard at work making crocheted and woven pot holders and trivets. Annalee will be showing and selling her homemade soaps, and I will be selling my Roosterick pewter buttons, Navajo spindles, and kumihimo bookmarks and jewelry.

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Thanks!

2011-04-10T22:44:00.006-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to see us this weekend; at the Homegrown Two show Friday night at the Buttonwood Tree Arts Center in Middletown, CT, and at The Homegrown String Band show at the Port Jefferson Library here on Long Island. It was great to see all the familiar faces at the Port Jeff show and it's always a pleasure to play at the Buttonwood Tree, a great venue and organization supporting the arts in Connecticut. "From its opening it has been a grassroots, avant garde center for all ages, all comers, artists and audiences." Here's a little piece of our Buttonwood show.

Next show is 7pm Saturday April 16 at the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, NY

The Amazing Annalee Works For Peace

2011-03-24T10:37:00.001-04:00

A great photo of Annalee is being featured as part of a 15 second promo spot on the CBS Times Square LED screen located on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenue. The spot was produced by The Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith, international organization promoting peaceful solutions to conflicts around the world since 1915. The photo montage began running yesterday and will appear every hour eighteen hours a day (6 AM to 12 AM) for the next six weeks.

"The Fellowship of Reconciliation is composed of women and men who recognize the essential unity of all creation and have joined together to explore the power of love and truth for resolving human conflict. While it has always been vigorous in its opposition to war, the Fellowship has insisted equally that this effort must be based on a commitment to the achieving of a just and peaceful world community, with full dignity and freedom for every human being."

“Your goal is, in my opinion, the only reasonable one and to make it prevail is of vital importance.”
—Albert Einstein, in a letter to FOR

On another note: Come see The Amazing Annalee, star of the big screen and the Siberian Jaw Harp Museum, perform with her family, The Homegrown String Band, at The Irvington, NY Public Library Saturday March 26 at 2 pm.

Earthquake in Japan

2011-03-11T10:43:00.032-05:00

The Homegrown String Band sends our prayers and good wishes out to the people of Japan after that country was hit by a devastating magnitude 8.9 earthquake and seven meter tsunami this morning.

Make a donation to the Japanese Red Cross Earthquake Relief Fund

Ray Alden - Songcatcher

2011-03-10T21:53:00.000-05:00

This Saturday night, March 12, 2011, at 7:30 pm The Homegrown String Band will be returning to the Croton Free Library in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. The last time we played there, in 2007, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ray Alden. After I played "When the Apples Bloom in NY," a song I wrote that mentions old-time fiddler Tommy Jarrell, I made an announcement that I would give a free CD to anyone who knew who Tommy Jarrell was. Little did I know that Ray was in the audience. Of course Ray knew exactly who Tommy was. Not only did he know who he was, he had known Tommy personally. Ray Alden, a great old-time musician in his own right, had spent a lot of time visiting, recording, and photographing Tommy and many other old-time music legends. After the show Ray introduced himself and we had a long talk about banjos and old-timey music. I gave Ray a copy of our "Ragged but Right" CD and let him know what a pleasure it was to meet the man who had recorded one of my all time favorite albums: "Tommy and Fred," banjo/fiddle duets by Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham. A few days later I received a package in the mail with an 8X10 copy of a B&W photo of Tommy and Fred standing on Tommy's porch, along with a CD of his old-time band The Southern Schoolhouse Rascals. We were sad to hear in the late fall of 2009 that Ray had passed on in September. Though Ray is gone he has left an indelible mark on the old-time music community, with his stellar banjo playing and also by making his great field recordings available to the public through his Field Recorders' Collective. Ray started the collective in 2004; since then they have released dozens of priceless recordings of traditional American musicians that will go a long way toward keeping the music we love so much alive. Thanks Ray.

Ray Alden

July 2, 1942 − September 19, 2009

Homegrown Two @ Trumbull

2011-02-24T18:15:00.001-05:00

Sunday, February 27, Rick and Georgianne will be performing as Homegrown Two - the duo, at the Trumbull Connecticut Library. The show starts at 2pm and will focus on the oral traditions that helped shape American folk music. You will see and hear a lot of dulcimer/guitar duets as well as clawhammer banjo, doumbek, harmonica, banjo-ukulele, and some fancy foot work. Come on down and help us get over those Snow Shoveling Blues as we get Back to the Future of American Roots Music.

The Trumball Library

33 Quality Street
Trumbull, CT 06611

(203) 452-5197

Snow Shoveling Blues

2011-01-30T15:14:00.003-05:00

The record snowfall in January gave me a sore back and a new song.

The Snow Shoveling Blues by the Homegrown String Band
January 29, 2011 - Mineola, NY

Back by Popular Demand

2011-01-06T13:46:00.011-05:00

The Happy Family at The Watkins Glen Oldtime Fiddlers Gathering June 2010

Happy New Year everyone! January 2011 marks the 14th anniversary of the Homegrown String Band. It's hard to believe the family has been performing in public for nearly a decade and a half. We have gone from home school music lessons in the living room to live radio and TV, recording sessions, and prestigious venues around the country, including The Festival of American Music in Branson, MO, and The National Theater in Washington DC. Being a band on the road isn't all fun and games, there's the loading and unloading, traffic jams, performing in less than ideal conditions, and sometime sub standard accommodations, (not to mention just generally getting on each others nerves) but overall the experience of traveling and performing as a family has been a blast (see photo above). In 2010 Georgianne and I did a couple shows as Homegrown Two. We also performed as The Homegrown String Band with Tim Hryvniak on bass. In 2011 look for various configurations of family and friends ranging from a one man band to a five piece ensemble.

As we begin our 15th year as a performing family, we are pleased and proud to be once again selected to be a part of the Town of Oyster Bay's Distinguished Artist Series, a program where outstanding local artists are invited to perform at various venues around the town. Our performance will take place in the auditorium of the Plainview Old Bethpage Library on Saturday, January 15th at 8:00 pm.

First Night Hazelton

2010-12-29T00:10:00.000-05:00

The Homegrown String Band's last show of 2010 will be a Pennsylvanian New Years celebration. We will be performing 3 sets, (6:30, 8:15, & 10:00) at First Night Hazeton, alternating with Kabuki dancer Sachiyo Ito. Though this will be our last show of the year, it will also be a first for the Homegrown String Band. Due to a previous engagement, our "Fiddle Fatale", Erica won't be making the trip with us. In her stead we have recruited our young friend and honorary "Homie" "Slim" Tim Hryvniak on bass and vocals. Tim has been playing with us on and off for the last year and is looking forward to his first road gig with the band.

"First Night Hazelton is a community celebration of the New Year through the arts. It is an alcohol-free, public celebration that marks the passage from the old year to the new with art, ritual and festivity.

First Night revives the ancient traditions of marking the passage of time in a present day context. It was invented by a group of civic-minded artists in Boston as a meaningful alternative to traditional New Years Eve revelry. Offered to the city as a finale to its Bicentennial events in 1976, it was also the beginning of a new tradition that brought the neighboring communities together through a joint celebration.

The objective of First Night is to recapture the symbolic significance of the passage from the old year to the new; to unite the community through a shared cultural celebration; and to deepen and broaden the public's appreciation of the visual and performing arts."

2011 here we come! See ya next year!

Dig That Crazy Christmas

2010-12-21T14:15:00.010-05:00

Happy winter solstice! Today is the darkest shortest day of the year, but we're about to turn a corner and brighter days are coming. Right? Till then "I'm crossin' my fingers and Praying' for Spring."

While I sit here listening to Brian Setzer doing his thing to the Christmas repertoire, I'm having a flashback to my days of slapping the ole doghouse bass with my good buddy Leon "Gizmo" Michaelson. It's been a while since our rockabilly band, The Flip City Rockers, hit the stage, but back in the late '90s and early '00s we had pretty cool little three piece combo that could really rock and swing. Anyway, I'm really enjoying this holiday album by Setzer with his big band, The Brian Setzer Orchestra. It's a very well done collection of classic and original tunes including, "White Christmas," "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch," and "Santa's Got a Hot Rod." Come Christmas morning I'll be ready for the traditional playing of John Fahey's New Possibility, but the 13 tunes on "Dig That Crazy Christmas" are a good soundtrack for the excitement leading up to the big day.

Dig That Crazy Christmas CD

Dig That Crazy Christmas Mp3

Merry Christmas From

The Homegrown String Band

Dean's Beans Free Trade Coffee & Gifts For Christmas

2010-12-15T18:14:00.002-05:00

I haven't written anything for a while and our next gig isn't till New Years Eve First Night Celebration in Hazelton, PA. So I thought I'd take the time to put in a plug for our friends at Dean's Beans in Orange, MA. Remember fresh coffee makes a great gift for Santa and all his helpers. Dean sells organically grown free trade coffee as well as some unique accessories and gift items, including these reusable shopping bags made from recycled coffee bean bags. The bags are hand made by a group of Somali refugees living in Springfield, MA. Dean's ships pretty quickly by UPS, so I'm sure there is still plenty of time to order before Christmas. We just received a box of Marrakesh Express organic free trade coffee beans from Dean's and the UPS driver commented on how he enjoyed the aroma of the freshly roasted beans while doing his route. Maybe a bag of beans will find it's way into his stocking.

Sun Oven Christmas Special For Homegrown String Band Fans & Friends

2010-12-02T19:13:00.000-05:00

Special Homegrown String Band Solar Oven Package

I just got an email from Paul at Global Sun Ovens. He read my latest blog post and would like to offer a special package deal to Homegrown String Band fans and friends. He was already running a "Be Prepared for Christmas" solar oven package sale, but he has sweetened the deal for you.

Package Includes :
1 GLOBAL SUN OVEN (Retail Price $299)
2 Stackable Black Covered Round 3-qt Pots (Retail Price $10.50 each)
1 Set of Two Loaf Pans (Retail Price $11.35)
1 Set of Two Cookie Sheet/Brownie Pans (Retail Price $12.85)
1 Water Pasteurization Indicator - WAPI (Retail Price $8.00)
Free Shipping within Continental U.S. (a $29.85 value)
A CD with over 80 SUN OVEN recipes, cooking tips, FAQs, written & video operating instructions, a video on how the SUN OVEN works and emergency preparedness tips.
Save $83. Only $299, for everyone else, but only $274 for you!

If you order by phone at (800) 408-7919 or on line at http://www.sunoven.com and use the discount code: String Band, Paul will take another $25 of the package price. $274 for the entire set, the combined savings is $108, which is an outstanding value.

When you order a solar oven from Sun Ovens International, you are not only helping yourself, you are helping raise the standard of living and improve the environment in third world countries around the world.

"Sun Ovens International is involved in solar cooking programs around the world. We are committed to decreasing the developing world's dependence on fuel wood and dung as the primary cooking fuels. This benefits the environment, raises the standard of living, and improves the health of the poor worldwide. Sun Ovens purchased in the US help to fund our work around the world."

This special offer is good till December 30, 2010

Solar Cooking in NY's Dark Days of December

2010-12-02T13:38:00.000-05:00

When we were shopping for a solar oven last spring we finally settled on the Global Sun Oven. So far we have been very happy with it. It is very well made—the double walled construction (metal interior and outer wall of plastic) seems to do a good job of retaining heat. During the warm spring and summer months the oven routinely reached temperatures of 350 degrees. Now that the days are getting shorter (dark by 4:30pm), and the sun angle is more acute, it is maxing out around 250 degrees. During the summer the effective cooking hours stretched from around 9am to 5pm, now we're down to about four hours of useful sunlight form around 10am to 2pm. The trees have lost their leaves, but with the lower angle of the sun we are still chasing the sunlight around the yard. In the summer the light would be blocked by the leafy canopy of trees, now it is blocked by tree trunks and neighboring houses. Today was a nice sunny day around 40 degrees, we baked an apple coffee cake. It will be interesting to see how the oven performs as the temperatures drop and the days get shorter. I think it would be pretty cool to wade out through the snow and pull out a steamy roast chicken.

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Happy Handmade Holidays at Etsy.com

2010-11-27T19:12:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving all! Hope everyone had great weekend. Our duo gig went really well and we're already looking forward to the next Homegrown Two performance, which will be at the Trumbull Library in Trumbull, CT on February 27, 2011. The Homegrown String Band has a few weeks off now, our next show is on New Year's Eve at a First Night celebration in Hazelton, PA. It sure is nice to have a break this time of year, it gives us time to relax and enjoy the holidays. We've already gotten a good jump on our Christmas shopping. We made some of our gifts and did a good bit of our shopping at a website called Etsy. This is a great place to find unique handmade and vintage gifts. At Etsy.com independent artists and sellers set up their own shops and sell many one of a kind items that you won't find anywhere else on the web. Erica and I both have Etsy shops. I sell my handcrafted pewter buttons & Navajo spindles in one shop and music related jewelry in another. Erica also has two shops, one where she sells original knitting patterns and another to sell her finished knitted items.

Homegrown String Band & Homegrown Two

2010-11-15T14:30:00.001-05:00

I've been playing music most of my life. Over the years I have performed in dozens of blues, rock, jazz, and country bands. The only band I've been a part of that has lasted more than two or three years has been the family band, The Homegrown String Band. Over the past fourteen years we have performed somewhere around 800 shows. Though our first public performance was January 1997, the band goes back a few years earlier to the early 1990s. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when the family became a band, was it when Erica started to play violin in 1993 at the tender age of nine? Or was it when Erica, Georgianne, and I first sat down and played as a trio? I think the genesis of The Homegrown String Band was when I gave Georgianne a mountain dulcimer as a fifteenth wedding anniversary gift in 1994. Georgianne and I worked out a small repertoire as a duo and soon Erica and Annalee were joining in on fiddle and jaw harp. Now, nearly two decades later, we are still having fun making music together as "The Family That Plays Together." I guess the family that plays together really does stay together! In a testament to our resiliency and longevity we were recently mentioned, along with The Scruggs Family, The Del McCoury Band, and Cherryholmes, as examples of families carrying on the tradition of making folk music together in Stephanie Ledgin's book Discovering Folk Music. We're bona fide!

This week we will not only be performing as a family (in the Belcher Auditorium at the Ridgewood, NJ Library Sunday, November 21 at 3pm), Georgianne and I will also be getting back two our roots; performing as the duo Homegrown Two, at The Folk Music Cafe at the Mountain Side Library in Mountainside, NJ. on Thursday, November 18th at 7pm. If you are in the NJ, PA, NY area try and catch one or both of our shows. If you are a performer who would like to share the bill with us come on down to The Thursday night show at the Mountainside Library Folk music cafe where there will be an open mic between our two sets.

Homegrown Two Photo by Steve Gravano

Oysters for Breakfast

2010-10-16T17:49:00.000-04:00

We serenaded the early lunch crowd today on the main stage at the 27th Annual Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay, NY. It was windy and cool down on the water front, but downright pleasant compared to the cold, wet, windy conditions last year. I never realized how big this festival was or is. The crowds number upwards of 100,000 each day—nearly a quarter million over the weekend! The music is great (excellent sound—kudos to entertainment director Tim Wright) and lots of delicious food, crafts, and activities going on all day. Try and make it down tomorrow (Sunday, October 17) looks like it's gonna be a great fall day! The Homegrown String Band will be opening the festival with an 11am set, so I guess it'll be oysters for breakfast tomorrow!

Walter Tore's Spontobeat

2010-10-15T15:19:00.001-04:00

Spontaneous Performance Art Created With a Sonic Palette of Mostly Blues

Walter Tore has been paying his dues, performing great American roots music and traveling the highways and byways of the universe, for the past four decades. His music has taken him across oceans as well as cultural divides. The list of Mr Tore's mentors includes Louisiana Red, Champion Jack Dupree, Lightning Hopkins, and Wilbert Harrison. Walter has learned his lessons well; his music and words flow freely from his soul into the ears and hearts of his audience. Walter began his musical journey as a self taught harmonica player sitting in with blues greats at various NYC venues. Later on, he taught himself to play guitar and fronted his own American roots music band. Over the years his band has included musical luminaries such as ex-Zappa drummer Jimmy Carl Black and Bob Dylan sideman/guitarist Charlie Sexton. For the past six years Walter has been performing and recording spontaneously created music as a one man band. He calls his music Spontobeat and claims to have performed over one million songs. As of this writing you can visit his Sound Click site and listen to or download 2,355 of them.

Walter Tore Performs Catch & Release American Roots Music

Spontobeat is a one man show. As a one man band Walter simultaneously plays guitar, harmonica, drums, and keyboards all the while snatching songs from the air, bringing them to life, and immediately releasing them back to the cosmos from whence they came.

2010 Hudson Valley Garlic Festival

2010-09-21T20:39:00.002-04:00

This weekend we will be doing six sets, three each on Saturday and Sunday, at The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival. We (The Homegrown String Band ) look forward to this festival all year! Everything about it (music, food, crafts) is first rate. It is also very professionally run by a great group of enthusiastic garlic lovers. This year I'm planning on getting enough seed garlic for about a hundred plants. Last year I planted sixty and it looks like we will run out of the stinking rose around Christmas. If you are a garlic lover who has never made the pilgrimage to the HVGF you really owe it to yourself to make the trip. Tens of thousands of people will be enjoying everything garlic; from salsas and pestos to chocolate covered garlic and garlic flavored ice cream! We will be appearing on the Pavilion stage; alternating sets with the talented singer song writer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Rust. I expect we'll see our old friend Bruce the soundman again, too!

The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival

September 25 & 26, 2010

Cantine Field, Saugerties NY

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Music, Apples, and Clean Living!

2010-09-12T23:21:00.004-04:00

The Homegrown String Band will be busy this weekend with shows in NJ, PA, and NY. We have two library shows in New Jersey: Thursday, September 16, we will be at the North County Library in Clinton NJ; showtime at 7:00 pm. On Saturday, September 18, we will be performing in the gazebo at the Catherine Dickson Hofman Library in Blairstown NJ at 6:30 pm.

We'll also be appearing at two festivals this weekend. On Friday, September 17, we will be returning to The Pennsylvania Sustainable Living & Energy Festival in Kempton PA where we'll be on the solar powered stage at 4:00 pm. We close out the weekend at The Apple Festival, which takes place at the Sherwood Jaynes House in Setauket NY on Sunday, September 19. We'll be there all day sharing the stage with our friends Larry Moser and Mary Nagin. The festival runs from 12-4 pm.

Maybe we will bake an apple pie in our solar oven when we get home!

Global Sun Oven photo by Rick Jackofsky

Arvel Bird at the Shinnecock Pow Wow

2010-09-05T20:35:00.004-04:00

Georgianne, Annalee, and I headed out east this morning to check out the 64th Annual Shinnecock Indian Pow Wow. When the kids were younger we used to go every year, but with all the Homegrown String Band touring it's been several years since we last attended. We strolled around the grounds admiring the crafts and grabbed a bite to eat. There were some very interesting foods available; like buffalo, venison, and wild quail. We settled on Indian frybread tacos mostly because the line was short, but they were quite tasty. The traditional Aztec dancers and competitive fancy dancers are always fun to watch, but for me the highlight of the day was a performance by fiddler/flutist Arvel Bird. Arvel, of mixed Native American and Scottish descent, successfully blends his cultural heritage in his music. He seems equally at home playing a Celtic or traditional American fiddle tune as he is playing Native American flute music. Bird has released numerous genre bending recordings and won several Native American Music Awards. He's been performing everyday of the Pow Wow; if you haven't caught one of his sets you have one more chance, his last set will be at 10:45 Monday morning.

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

End of Summer & Time for Fall Festivals

2010-08-29T17:57:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's gig went well. Kudos to James and Jamie Faith and their excellent sound crew for the great job they did providing a first class stage and professional sound. We got there just in time to see our friends Bob Wescott, Ken Korb, and Mike DiGeronimo do their set as the Tobacco Roadies. Their show included some classic blues and rockabilly as well as a generous helping of Bob's original tunes. Ken played a couple of tunes by himself and got to display his amazing harmonica virtuosity. The Homegrown String Band did their usual stellar job of entertaining the crowd, then we listened to Klyph Black and Rumor Has It do a set of great original tunes in the classic Rock 'n Roll mode. The final act, The Donna Godchaux Band, kept the crowd hoppin'. I listened to three or four Grateful Dead tunes (singer/guitarist Jeff Matson sounds uncannily like Jerry Garcia) and a cover of Gillian Welch's Tear My Stillhouse Down before we decided to pack it in for the day. We have a couple of weeks off now then we have a busy second half of September that will include The Pennsylvania Sustainable Living Festival, The Apple Festival in Setauket, NY, and The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival.

Didn't get to run much last week, but I started this week off with a 12 mile plus run through the trails of the RCA property in Rocky Point. This is a 5,500 acre parcel that at one time was laced with towers and wires forming a giant antenna used to transmit and recieve trans-Atlantic radio signals by RCA and Marconi. RCA turned the land over to the state in the '70s and it is now controlled by the NY State DEC as part of the LI Pine Barrens Preserve. My run was about 60% narrow single track trails on varying terrain, winding through dense woodlands, and 40% wider flatter horse trails and fire roads running through more open areas. The single track portion of the run was on the first few miles of the Paumanok Path; a 125 mile hiking trail between Rocky Point and Montauk, NY. I decided to wear my belt pack and carry a 12 oz. bottle of water and a Clif Shot energy gel. I was glad I did. The temperature was around 80 degrees when I went into the woods, but was in the mid nineties when I emerged, with an empty water bottle, an hour and half later.

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Homegrown String Band & The Queen of Keen: Donna Jean Godchaux

2010-08-26T10:48:00.001-04:00

I'll never forget the first time I heard Miss Donna sing. It was March 1973, she and her husband Keith were new members of the Grateful Dead. Donna's high harmonies soared over the rhythm section and wove in and out of Jerry Garcia's lead guitar work adding an ethereal effect to the band's sound. This weekend (Saturday, August 28, 2010) we are looking forward to sharing a bill with her as part of The Sayville Seafood, Crafts, & Music Festival.
Looks like the weather is going to be fine and the festival fun; crafts, music, food, and lots of other activities. The Homegrown String Band set is at 1:20. Donna will be appearing, with Jeff Matson, at the mythical time of 4:20.

Gates open at 10 am and admission is a mere $5, kids under 5 Free. For more info:

The Long Island Maritime Museum

86 West Avenue

West Sayville, NY 11796

(631) HISTORY

National Trail Running Day

2010-08-21T16:47:00.001-04:00

Bet you didn't know today was National Trail Running Day. I celebrated with a 12 mile run on the trails in Brookhaven State Park. The weather was great and wildlife was active. I saw several deer and a flock of wild turkeys. At one point I nearly ran into a young fawn—I turned a corner and the little guy ran right across the trail only inches away from me, a surprise for both of us! The trails in BSP are pretty typical of what you find in the Long Island Pine Barrens. I ran a couple miles of rolling, winding, pine needle covered single track, but mostly it's relatively flat sandy trails winding through pitch pine and scrub oak. The night before the Richmond Blueberry Fiddle Festival in New Hampshire we treated ourselves to dinner at The Newfane Cafe and Creamery and a night in a cool little bed and breakfast, Red Wing Farm, in Vermont. This was quite a treat for the road weary Homies. After driving 4,000 miles, eating lots of fast food, and staying in cookie cutter budget motels over the past 6 weeks, it was nice to get off the highway (through a covered bridge!) and enjoy the natural beauty and friendly folks in rural Vermont. The inn was just down the road from Townshend State Park. Before we hit the road for the festival, I ran down the dirt road to the State Forest Rd and into the park where I enjoyed a nice trail run up to the top of Bald Mountain. This was bit different than Long Island trail running. The 1.7 mile trail up the mountain was a rocky, rooty, twisting trail with one shallow stream crossing, fun, fun, fun! The festival was great, too. This festival is a fund raiser for The Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Richmond VT. The IHM school is run by a group of "fiddlin'" Catholic sisters, though the student body only numbers 35 they have plenty of talent that has been nurtured by the sisters. At various times during the festival I would say most of the student body appeared on stage, either performing with the BFF Fiddlers or playing a part in The New England Melodrama.

Next week we will be doing another day trip down to Somerset NJ for a free show at The Franklin Township Public Libray on Wednesday, August 25, at 7 pm.

We'll be closing out the month with a local performance at The Sayville Seafood, Crafts and Music Festival. Our set is at 1:20 on Saturday the 28th. Come early to see the opening set at 12 by our buddies, The Tobacco Roadies, and stay late to catch the closing act, Donna Jean Godchaux and Jeff Matson, at 4:20 pm.

Photo by Erica Jackofsky

Richmond Blueberry Fiddle Festival

2010-08-10T22:41:00.005-04:00

This weekend we head up to New Hampshire for the Richmond Blueberry Fiddle Festiva l. It's been a while since The Homegrown String Band last visited the Granite State and we are looking forward to meeting the fiddlin' sisters of The Immaculate Heart of Mary School. The festival takes place Saturday, August 14 at the Cheshire Fairgrounds in Swanzey NH. The music starts at 9 am! Our sets will be at 1:15 and 6:45 pm. Erica will also be leading a knitting circle starting at 5:45 pm.

Step back into the past with a one-of-a-kind, old-fashioned family festival: the eighth annual Blueberry Fiddle Festival, organized by Richmond’s Immaculate Heart of Mary School. Enjoy live music and delicious food, browse the craft vendors, participate in an original New England melodrama, and join us for a family contra dance.

On the Road Again

2010-08-02T10:52:00.003-04:00

We've traveled 2,500 miles through five states in the past 2 weeks! Back out tomorrow (Tuesday, 8/3) for a day trip up to New Rochelle, NY, where we will be appearing at The Ossie Davis Theater, a 145 seat theater at The New Rochelle Library (7pm, 1 Library Plaza, New Rochelle, NY). Friday night (8/6) we will be doing a show at The New Jersey Botanical Gardens, also a 7pm start time. The show will be out in the garden weather permitting, inside if it rains. Sunday (8/8) it's up to Redding, CT, for a dinner time concert on the green. Showtime is 6pm. Bring a picnic and your dancin' shoes!

Photo by Doug Decker Neahwa Park, Oneonta, NY

Wild North Land

2010-07-26T11:16:00.006-04:00

Photo from the Watkins Glen Old Time Fiddlers Gathering June 2010

The Homegrown String Band is takin' the show on the road again. This week we will be in Boston, MA, Oneonta, NY, and Wellsville, NY. The shows in Boston and Oneonta will be outdoor summer concerts. On Wednesday, July 28, we will be performing at Titus Sparrow Park in Boston; the show starts at 6:30. The Oneonta concert will be at Neahwa Park on Thursday, July 29, and starts at 7:00. The Wellsville show is Friday, July 30, at the Wellsville Creative Arts Center, a beautiful arts center that features visual and performing arts as well as a great restaurant. The show starts at 8:00, but come early for dinner!

Sweet Sunny South

2010-07-15T15:02:00.009-04:00

Another mini road trip comin' up! This time we head south; making return performances at two venues in Virginia and one in Delaware. On Sunday, July 19th, at 5:00 pm we will be doing a house concert at Ford's Colony in Williamsburg, VA. On Monday the 20th at 7:00 pm, it's Music on the Steps in historic Fredericksburg, VA. The final show is on Tuesday the 20th, 7:00 pm at Stango Park in the seaside resort town of Lewes, Delaware. We're looking forward to seeing our friends from the sweet sunny south at either the intimate house concert and or one of the outdoor shows. Hope everyone is having a great summer. Next week we'll try to beat the heat and head back north to Boston, MA, and upstate NY (Oneonta & Wellsville).

The Homegrown String Band
Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Fine!

Photo from the Watkins Glen Old Time Fiddlers Gathering June 2010

New England Shows

2010-07-05T15:00:00.005-04:00

Taking a quick trip up north this week. Two free shows in Massachusetts and Connecticut. 7 pm Wednesday, July 7th at the Jonathon Bourne Library in Bourne, MA and 6pm Thursday, July 8th at The Danbury Library in Danbury, CT.

Photo by Erica Jackofsky

21st Annual Old Time Fiddlers' Gathering

2010-06-16T16:02:00.007-04:00

This weekend The Homegrown String Band will be part of The 21st Annual Old Time Fiddlers' Gathering presented by The Arts Council of The Southern Finger Lakes at Watkins Glen State Park. We'll be there on Sunday the 20th. The music starts at 1 pm, our set is at 2:30. In addition to our stage show Rick will be facilitating a beginning clawhammer banjo workshop (4:30 pm) and Erica will be presenting a fiddle workshop (1pm) that will focus on improvising in a band situation.

Come on out for a great day of eclectic acoustic music and hear some fine fiddling in a variety of musical contexts. For more info contact the Arts Council @ 607.962.5871

Sunday June 20th Stage Schedule

1:00 PM - The Jesse Alexander Band
2:30 PM - Homegrown String Band
4:00 PM - Lux Bridge
5:30 PM - Traonach

Garlic Scape Harvest Time

2010-06-13T20:01:00.003-04:00

This past week we harvested scapes off the 60 garlic plants that sprouted from the cloves I planted in the fall. The scape is the flower stalk and bud of the garlic plant. According to conventional wisdom, breaking off the stalk as soon as it starts to curl will encourage the development of bigger, tastier garlic bulbs. There is some debate on if and when the scapes should be removed. Some say that though the bulbs will be a bit smaller, they will store better if the scape is left on longer. We decided to go for bigger bulbs figuring we will use them quick enough. Another benefit to removing the scapes is they are quite tasty themselves. We roasted some scapes with olive oil, salt and pepper in our solar oven and they were delicious. The taste and texture was kind of like a cross between garlic and string beans.

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Sag Harbor Sunday June 13

2010-06-10T16:24:00.007-04:00

At 2 O'clock on Sunday afternoon June 13th we will be doing our thing upstairs at The John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor on Long Island's south fork. Come on out enjoy a day in this beautiful village and some beautiful music by Long Island's own Homegrown String Band.

John Jermain Memorial Library
201 Main Street
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
631 725.0049

This was a great show in a very cool room. If you were there, thanks for coming, you were an awesome audience.

If you missed it....... well, you missed it.

Edwards Farm Day

2010-06-04T18:42:00.001-04:00

Another day on the farm for the Homegrown String Band. This weekend, Sunday, June 6th, we will once again be part of the Edwards Farm Day festivities. This is an historical restoration site on the grounds of the Sayville Historical Society. The restored farmhouse and museum will be open, and there will be lots of activities for the kids, including pony rides, petting zoo, homemade ice cream, fiber arts demonstrations, and a sound track provided by The Homegrown String Band. The event is rain or shine. If the weather doesn't cooperate, we will play two sets inside the museum. See ya there!

The Sayville Historical Society is on the n/e corner
of Collins Avenue and Edwards Street,
one block south of the Sayville Library.
Any questions call the Society at 563-0186.

Family Band on a Family Farm

2010-05-03T13:41:00.016-04:00

We had a great time playing on the porch of the Benner's barn. It's really nice to see a family farm surviving on Long Island. The weather was great and a good time was had by all. We also enjoyed seeing our old friend WUSB Folk DJ Gerry Riemer. Big thanks to Bob and Jean Benner and the whole farmin' family for having our Homegrown family music down on the family farm.

Benner's Farm
56 Gnarled Hollow Road
E. Setauket NY 11733

Folks@Bennersfarm.com
631-689-8172

Erica
"Posin' on the Porch"
Photo by Georgianne Jackofsky

May Day @ Benner's Farm

2010-04-27T12:20:00.010-04:00

This Sunday will be our first outdoor show of 2010. We're very happy and excited to once again be part of The Homestead Arts May Day Celebration. We'll be doing three sets between 12 and 4pm. There will also be a Morris dance team appearing as well as a traditional Maypole celebration. Come on out, see a real working family farm, visit with farm animals, pick up some fresh eggs or honey and enjoy this traditional celebration of the rites of spring.

"Benner's Farm is a private fifteen-acre family homestead, first farmed in the 1700's. Each year the farm provides thousands of people a sense of what it was like to live on a small farm in years past. The Benner’s are the seventh family to farm this land. They have been farming organically since the late nineteen seventies in their family garden and fields of strawberries, and also raise a variety of farm animals for self-sufficient living."

Bring your family down to support an organic family farm and listen to

The Homegrown String Band

"A 100% Organic Naturally Grown Family String Band"

Sunday, May 2, 2010 • 12-4pm

Benner's Farm

56 Gnarled Hollow Road
E. Setauket NY 11733

Folks@Bennersfarm.com
631-689-8172

Darlin' Corey Live!

2010-03-26T18:17:00.002-04:00

Here's another vid from our March 20th performance at The Vanilla Bean Cafe.

Homegrown String Band Down at the Crossroads

2010-03-21T21:05:00.015-04:00

We had a great time at a great venue this past Saturday night. The Vanilla Bean is a wonderful little restaurant/music venue located at a rural crossroads in northwestern Connecticut. Good food, good people, and good times. Thanks to Barry and Maria for having us back at The Bean, and Jen at Woolworks in Putnam, CT, and Alisa from Burgis Brook Alpacas in Canterbury, CT for helping to spread the word.

I recorded our second set with a little Flip video camera on the side of the stage. The recorder was behind the speakers and at a bit of an odd angle, but I'll post a few songs anyway. Here's the first:

Thanks to Everyone who came out to the Show
The Homegrown String Band

HGSB Live at the Bean and the Rock

2010-03-17T15:27:00.003-04:00

This weekend we will be doing two coffeehouse shows in New England. On Friday night March 19th we will be at The Dog Rock Coffeehouse in Walpole MA. This will be our first time performing at the Rock, it looks like a nice listening room venue and we are looking forward to the show and making some new friends. The music starts at 8 pm in Blackburn Hall located at 30 Stone Street.

On Saturday March 20th we will be returning for our second performance at The Vanilla Bean Cafe in Pomfret, CT. It has been a few years since we last played The Bean; as I recall it was a very nice restaurant with delicious and very reasonably priced food with a separate listening room for the music. Like The Homegrown String Band, The Vanilla Bean is a family business. The cafe opened in 1989 in a restored early 19th century barn and is owned and operated by the Jessurun Family—Barry, Brian, and Eileen. (Barry's wife is well known singer songwriter Maria Sangiolo.)

Knitting Circle

We had so much fun and got such a good response from the knitting circle we did at Cafe Lena in January that we decided to do it again at The Vanilla Bean. So come on down early, grab a bite to eat, and join the circle. The knitting, crocheting, and chatting starts at 7 pm, the music starts at 8:00. The Vanilla Bean is located at 450 Deerfield Rd (at the crossroads of Routes 44, 169, and 97) in Pomfret, CT.

The Dog Rock Coffeehouse
Blackburn Hall
30 Stone St
Walpole, MA

The Vanilla Bean Cafe
450 Deerfield Road
Pomfret, CT
860-928-1562

37 Hours on the Road

2010-03-15T12:30:00.008-04:00

This weekend we made a quick trip to New Jersey and Maryland. We were only gone for 37 hrs, but we covered over 700 miles! Driving through a couple of disaster areas, over flooded waterways, through driving rain, power outages, and hurricane force winds. Here's how we spent our 37 hrs on the road. 14 hrs driving, 5 hrs setting up/breaking down, 8 hrs sleeping, 6 hrs visiting our friends Joe and Dottie in Bethlehem, PA, 1 hr lost to the spring ahead time change, and 3 hrs of playing music. All in all a pretty typical two days on the road. Those three hours of playing and our visit were great. Two good sized and attentive audiences, despite the nasty weather, in Chester, NJ, and Hagerstown, MD.

Next weekend it's another quick road trip. This time we will be heading north to Walpole, MA, and Pomfret, CT. Friday night we will be at The Dog Rock Coffeehouse in Walpole and Saturday night at The Vanilla Bean Cafe in Pomfret. Try and catch a show and say hey to the Travelin' Homies if you can. This weekend will close out a month that saw The Homegrown String Band visit 6 states: NY, NJ, CT, PA, MA, and MD.

Road tip of the day: Shubb Capos, Blue Chip Picks, and Rand McNally Atlas—don't leave home with out 'em!

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Celebrate Your Unikewity

2010-03-09T11:29:00.017-05:00

Unikewity is a word that originated in the mind of "The Amazing Annalee." It has come into such common use that it has become an accepted part of The Homegrown String Band lexicon.

Unikewity - (yoo nuh kyoo uh tee) n. [Annalee-ism.] The special quality that makes you, you, the part of you that is extraordinary, one of a kind, unique.

While our "unikew" sound can be attributed, in part, to our unique instrumentation and quirky personalities, it is also the result of the constant balancing act necessary to keep varied audiences (and ourselves) interested and entertained. We try to keep our music fresh but still rooted in the sounds of traditional American roots music. Our influences include all the indigenous American musics (blues, jazz, bluegrass, rock n' roll) as well as the traditional folk musics of Europe and Africa that combined to give birth to American music. Sometimes our eclecticness (I think that's another new word) can surprise and confuse people (see my "Hard to Describe" blog), but it is really just a continuation of an American tradition; people from different backgrounds and cultures each adding something of their own to the melting pot of American culture.

Old, New, Borrowed, Unikew
The Homegrown String Band - Something Else!

Hometown Homegrown FREE Long Island Show

2010-02-24T21:28:00.011-05:00

Help us lose those mean old winter blues!
We will be doing a FREE show at the

Port Jefferson Public Library

2pm Sunday February 28th

100 Thompson Street
Port Jefferson, NY 11777

(631) 473-0022

The Homegrown String Band

Diggin' the Snow

2010-02-11T18:55:00.011-05:00

Took a Break From Shoveling to Take a Few Photos
&
Play a Few Tunes

Life is Hard, But It's Good!

Click to listen to "Life is Hard" and other Homegrown ditties!

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Hard to Describe

2010-02-08T17:37:00.005-05:00

Post modern, neo traditional, psychedelic, acoustic, oldtime, family style, high energy, string band music?

The music of The Homegrown String Band doesn't fit neatly into any radio station format or record store bin. While we play traditional music and instruments, our music is not frozen in some bygone time. The tradition of American roots music is a tradition of change and we are carrying on that American tradition by using the tools at hand and borrowing from various musical genres to create something new and unique. Newsday reporter Paul Vitello once described our music as "hard to describe." Hard to describe is one label that we are more than happy to wear. We certainly are a "Unikew" bunch that stands out in a crowd. Sometimes it is hard to convince promoters who book specific genres to take a chance on something a little different, but when they do The Homegrown String Band's high energy original and eclectic sound is always enthusiastically received by folk, blues, and bluegrass audiences around the country.

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Interview with Erica Jackofsky

2010-02-05T16:03:00.003-05:00

HGSB fiddler, Erica, is the featured designer on today's Knit Picks Knitting Community Blog. In the interview she discusses how her approach to knitting is influenced by her musical background.

Visit Erica's knitting website Fiddleknits.com

The Family & Friends Plan

2010-02-04T18:12:00.001-05:00

In the past week we've had some musical guests visit the old home place. This past Sunday, and then again on Wednesday, we were graced by the presence of two fine young musicians who joined us for dinner and an evening of jamming. Annalee's friend Tim sat in on bass while Erica's pal Chris got us rockin' with some awesome percussive patterns. Sounded pretty good. Starting to think that maybe some Homegrown Family & Friends shows could be happening in the not too distant future. You never know.

The Buttonwood Tree

2010-01-24T23:22:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all the good folks who came up to Saratoga Springs and made our Saturday night show at Caffe Lena a huge success! We will be following it up with a quick trip to the Nutmeg State. On Friday night January 29th the family that plays together will will be making our premier appearance at The Buttonwood Tree. From what I can gather this looks like a very cool place to relax and enjoy an evening of acoustic music. Located in a refurbished century-old hotel lobby on Main Street in downtown Middletown, CT. The Buttonwood Tree is a non-profit cultural arts center with an intimate living-room atmosphere. Coffee and Cocoa are always available, as well as a" highly-multifarious" used-book store. Come on out and let The Homegrown String Band take you on "a rollicking ride through the sounds of American music." We will be performing two sets of high energy, original, and traditional American roots music, using at least ten acoustic instruments, as well as an exciting demonstration of Appalachian flatfoot dancing. Between sets there will be a free drawing for a gift basket containing, among other things, a Homegrown String Band CD and a pound of Deans Beans organic fair trade coffee beans. Vote for real acoustic music! Support The Buttonwood Tree and your favorite Homegrown String Band!

The Buttonwood Tree Arts and Cultural Center 7:30 pm Friday January 29, 2010

605 Main Street, PO Box 71 Middletown, CT 06457

860-347-4957

Carl Smith 1927 - 2010

2010-01-20T15:17:00.001-05:00

Carl Smith, country music legend and father of Carlene Carter, passed away this past Saturday at his home in Franklin TN. Carl was 82 years old and had enjoyed a music career that spanned five decades. "Mister Country" tore up the country charts during the 1950s and 60s and hosted 190 episodes of the popular Canadian TV country music show: Carl Smith's Country Music Hall. The former Grand Ole Opry member was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003. R.I.P.

Caffe Lena

2010-01-19T10:59:00.001-05:00

Established in 1960, Caffe Lena is the oldest continuously operating coffeehouse in the United States. It is an internationally renowned cultural center and an American treasure. Every roots music enthusiast owes it to themselves to make a pilgrimage to this world renowned folk music landmark. Upon entering the building, the history is palpable. As you climb the narrow staircase that leads to the cafe listen closely and you just might hear 50 years of folk music echoing from the walls. The history is also visible, as those same walls are adorned with photos of the legendary musicians, from Bob Dylan to Ani DiFranco, who have performed at the Lena's during the last half century. Join us next Saturday night and become part of a musical tradition as we make our fourth appearance at this legendary folk music venue. The music starts at 8pm, but come early and join the knitting circle led by Erica "Fiddleknits" Jackofsky or just hang out, have a cup of organic coffee or tea, and enjoy a homemade dessert. The knitting circle starts at 7:00. We've also got some great knitting (and non knitting) giveaways planned. All in all this promises to be a great night and a good way to lose the blues and cure your cabin fever. So come on out to Caffe Lena on Saturday January 23rd and support this wonderful non profit listening room and your favorite Homegrown String Band.

For more info on the knitting circle and giveaways check out the post below

Homegrown Yarn Band?

Homegrown Yarn Band?

2010-01-15T20:58:00.021-05:00

We're really looking forward to our show at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY, next weekend. I'll be writing more about that next week. But I want to share some of the happenings leading up to the big show. While arranging details for the show with Caffe manager Sarah Craig, Georgianne mentioned that Erica had written the cover story for the October issue of Yarn Forward magazine. When Sarah heard that Erica was a rising star in the knitting world, she suggested having a knitting circle before the show. We thought that was a great idea! To give the knitters an extra incentive to come out to the show, Georgianne and Erica came up with the idea of, at sometime during the evening, having a drawing for a knitter's basket. The basket will be filled with goodies, including a brand new, original, Fiddleknits hat pattern along with the Knit Picks yarn, and set of handcrafted Roosterick Pewter Buttons (made by me!) needed to complete the project. We didn't want the non-knitters to feel left out so we thought we should also give away a non-knitting basket. The second basket will include, among other things, some Homegrown String Band merchandise and a sample bag of our favorite organic fair trade coffee. A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about fair trade coffee from Dean's Beans; I can't say enough about the good people who run this great company! When we called to order the coffee, the good folks at Dean's kindly offered to donate a full pound of freshly roasted, shade grown, fair trade, organic coffee beans. We received the coffee today. So the lucky winner will get The Homegrown String Band CD "Ragged but Right" featuring our almost hit song "The Man Who Dressed in Black" and a pound of "Ring of Fire" coffee: "A dark, smokin' blend of high mountain beans from the active volcanic soils of Indonesia, Timor, and Papua-New Guinea. Eye-opening!" So come see us at Caffe Lena on Saturday, January 23rd, and enjoy a great evening of knitting and acoustic roots music at America's longest continuously operating coffeehouse.

P.S. Here's a link to Erica's latest post on her Fiddleknits blog:

"Help for Haiti"

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Praying for Haiti

2010-01-13T17:26:00.007-05:00

Our prayers and well wishes go out to the people of Haiti suffering from the effects of a massive earthquake. This catastrophe deals yet another blow to the people of one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. Hopefully the U.S. and other neighboring countries will hasten to their aid; extending a helping hand to the people of Haiti in their time of need.

Donate to the

American Red Cross Haitian Relief Fund

Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Praying For Spring

2010-01-11T12:19:00.001-05:00

Baby it's cold outside! If this keeps up we're

gonna get a ton of snow this year! This early winter weather reminds me of the year I wrote "Praying for Spring." It was getting pretty deep into a particularly hard winter, cabin fever had set in and I was dreaming about summer festivals and homegrown tomatoes. With the downturn in the economy, this song has taken on a new significance, offering hope to people who have been struggling through hard times. In response to these hard times we, The Homegrown String Band, have slashed prices on all our CDs. The new recession busting price is just $10 each!

To hear "Praying For Spring" and other HGSB streaming music
click here

To download a FREE Mp3 version of "Praying for Spring"
click here
Sleeping Gnome photo by Rick Jackofsky

Goin' to Mt. Laurel With My Banjo Pickin' Girl!

2010-01-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

Free Show!
Sunday January 10th 2pm

The Homegrown String Band Live at the

Mount Laurel Public Library

"The Family That Plays Together"

This show will mark the band's 13th anniversary!
Our first public performance as a family was on
January 10th 1997

Mount Laurel Public Library
100 Walt Whitman Avenue
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
856-234-7319
Sunday January 10, 2010 @ 2pm
Band Photo by Wade Turpin

Support Live Acoustic Music in 2010

2010-01-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

So much of the world today is contrived, manipulated, digitally altered, and cliched. Seeing acoustic music performed live in a listening room environment is a timeless experience that should be cherished. These days so much recorded music is overdubbed, computer generated, auto tuned, looped, sampled, and enhanced; good old live acoustic music played by human beings is often viewed as quaint and obsolete. When recording technology first came on the scene 100 years ago, the goal was to recreate a live music experience. In recent years the tables have turned and more and more listeners expect live musicians to recreate the sounds manufactured in the studio. It's not uncommon to see live musicians utilizing synthesizers, drum machines, tape loops, and backing tracks. For some, the computer has become the instrument of choice. But lovers of real organic music need not despair. There are still bastions of traditional music out there, musicians and presenters who are keeping the flame burning by performing and presenting bluegrass, celtic, blues, and various forms of modern and traditional acoustic music. But acoustic musicians and venues need your help! Get out and see some live acoustic music in 2010. A good start may be going to The Homegrown String Band's January 23rd appearance at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY, or perhaps our January 29th show at The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown CT. Nonprofit venues around the country, like Caffe Lena and The Buttonwood Tree, are struggling to keep their doors open and need the help of dedicated acoustic music fans who still value the art of handmade music.

"Caffè Lena is widely recognized as the oldest continuously operating coffeehouse in the United States. It is an internationally renowned cultural center and an American treasure. Opened in 1960, the café has helped to launch many of America's best loved songwriters, including Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Ani DiFranco and many more."

"The Buttonwood Tree is a community-based nonprofit arts organization serving central Connecticut with music events, bookstore and the performing arts."

John Fahey " The New Possibility "

2009-12-20T10:51:00.002-05:00

My all time favorite Christmas recording has got to be the inimitable John Fahey's slide and finger style solo guitar instrumental album "The New Possibility." Originally issued in 1993 on the Tacoma label it is now available in CD and Mp3 formats. (I'm listening to my 16 year old cassette as I type) "The New Possibility" is a great, unique, laid back, non commercial soundtrack to the holiday season. Give it a listen. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. - Rick

The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album

The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album/Christmas With John Fahey, Vol. II

Merry Christmas From The Family!

Rick, Georgianne, Erica, and Annalee

The Homegrown String Band

New Homegrown String Band Web Pages: Are we addicted to the Internet?

2009-12-08T11:15:00.000-05:00

When we released our first CD (Blind Dog Thumpin' on the Porch) in 2000, we decided it was time for The Homegrown String Band to establish a presence on the World Wide Web (that's what we used to call the Internet). In July 2000 we registered our domain name and began selling CDs on Amazon.com. Our first website was a primitive one page html document built using Adobe Page Mill and posted using AOL's Hometown free hosting. Since then we have added an EPK, a Myspace page, (I've yet to heed the call of Facebook or Twitter), a Youtube channel, and this blog. Our website has grown to twelve glorious pages and I spend way to much time on the internet. Once these sites are established they have to be maintained and monitored. I do my best to keep our website and EPK current and up to date; Myspace and Youtube. . . ahh, not so much. A lot of bands use Myspace pages as their band website—we have had a page since 2005—but I've always thought of it as an add on to our website and have invited all our imaginary Myspace friends to check out our concert schedule, come to a show and become a real friend. A couple of weeks ago, while checking in on Myspace, I found some of the photos had been deleted by our photo hosting service due to the fact that we hadn't logged in for more than six months. Well, I couldn't remember the user name or password so I just deleted the photo links. Then last week, while checking the site again, I noticed that the music player was not loading. I made a comment about it and my daughter said "Myspace is so passe." I always found the long load times and ads on Myspace to be very annoying, but lots of people would ask about the site and go there to hear samples of our music even though it is all available in a more accessible form on our EPK. Now that Myspace is passe, (will the last person to leave Myspace please turn out the lights), I felt free to move the link to a less prominent spot on our website. So, last Thursday I decided to do some remodeling. I spent the bulk of the next four days adding three new pages—a photo page, a video page, and an Mp3 player, as well as updating and cleaning up the other pages. By Sunday night I had a most heinous headache, the wife (the lovely and talented "Mother Hen" Georgianne) suggested—no make that ordered me—to stay off the computer for a day. It was hard but I did it; 24hrs without touching a computer. The little beast kept calling me (am I addicted to the Internet?) "check your e-mail," "track your packages," " see if you sold any buttons or Navajo spindles on your Roosterick.com site," "read some blogs," "It's Hot Stove time better check the MLB trade rumors." Well, guess what? My packages were delivered without me tracking them, the Mets didn't make any blockbuster trades, and most of the e-mail that accumulated in my mailbox was junk and the rest was not particularly urgent. Maybe I can live without the Internet..... Maybe. I did sell a spindle, which is winging it's way across the country, via Priority Mail, as we surf.

Heifer International

2009-11-27T18:18:00.002-05:00

Well, it's "Black Friday" and the holiday season is upon us. A lot of people are hoping the economy will come out of it's funk and people will get out and shop. A company rep who used to call on me in my photo shop once said "Christmas is God's gift to retail." So much money is spent in the days between Thanksgiving and New Years. A lot of the buying is folks purchasing things that they would have bought anyway, but some of it is just frantic buying, looking for gifts for people who don't really need anything. If you have a "man (or woman) who has everything" on your shopping list consider making a purchase from, or a donation to, a cause that will help out the "man (or woman) who has nothing." Many businesses are struggling with economic downturn, so go out and buy what you need, but don't forget the charities who have also been hit by hard times. There are lots of places that sell gifts and donate all or part of the proceeds to charity. For those people who have everything you can make a donation to a cause in their name. One place we have given to over the years is Heifer International, a charity that has been around since 1944. Their philosophy is it is better to teach a man how to fish than it is to give him a fish. You can donate various amounts that can go toward the purchase of anything from a flock of chickens for an African family to a llama for a Peruvian weaver. They in turn are required to pass on the gift by donating the first offspring to a neighbor in need (viral charity!). Your gift recipient gets a nice card and you both get that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you do something nice for someone you don't know.

"This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for over 60 years. Since 1944, Heifer has helped 8.5 million people in more than 125 countries."

Heifer Project International, 1 World Avenue, Little Rock, AR/USA 72202
Tel.: (800) 422-0474

Happy Holidays from the Homegrown String Band

ZenPro Audio

2009-11-18T01:28:00.000-05:00

ZenPro Audio is owned and operated by musician/engineer Warren Dent; the equipment he carries in his online store is top shelf audio gear personally selected and recommended based on his own recording experience. I don't have a recording studio and thus don't have a need for much of his high end equipment, but I am always looking for ways to improve the live sound of The Homegrown String Band. The key to our success has been "keeping it real." Keeping our performances down to earth involves interacting with our audience while maintaining a relaxed and sincere performance style, as well as preserving the natural sound of our acoustic instruments. (We have pickups we can use but only as a last resort.) To my ears, the beauty of acoustic music has to be captured, in the air, by high quality microphones. That's where Warren comes in. I've purchased two very reasonably priced high quality mics from him in the past six months.

About twelve years ago we started using a one mic set up, gathering around an AT 4033 (recommended by Del McCoury). Two years ago we added a second AT 4033 to our main stand and a Shure SM 57 on a separate stand for Mama Georgianne's dulcimer and doumbek. The new set up allows us to get closer to the microphones, which improves the sound quality and increases the volume a bit while remaining unplugged. This summer, in an effort to boost the volume of the guitar and mandolin, I decided to add a third mic to our front line. I thought I already had the perfect mic, an old AKG C1000, but that microphone seems to have vanished, either left behind at a gig or got up and walked away, who knows. Anyway, I started using a Shure 545SD, which was working pretty well, but I thought a small diaphragm condenser mic might be better. I contacted Warren at ZenPro and sent him a list of mics I was considering. He quickly responded and suggested the CAD M179, a large diaphragm condenser with dial in pick up patterns. WOW, this mic is great! It grabs the sound from the guitar and sends it pure and unadulterated through the PA and out to the audience. I never would have even considered this mic if not for Warren's recommendation.

Oh, did I mention the quality of ZenPro's service? I received the mic within 48 hrs, free shipping, a free xlr cord, and, get this, a bag of roasted coffee beans! If you read my last post you know how I love my coffee!

"ZenPro Audio is owned and operated by me, Warren Dent. I have family and friends who assist me to keep things running as smoothly as possible, so most things here would be referred to as "I" but there is a "we" involved in many aspects of this operation. I'm the guy who decides what lines to carry, and most times that reason is because I have used the gear in the studio and realize it has value. We can assist you in your purchase and recommend the right products for you, not based on profit. I am not a low pressure guy, I am a no pressure guy. I have found happiness in ZenPro Audio and it is my goal not to just treat you "fair", but to go above and beyond to make it the greatest gear buying experience on Earth for YOU." - Warren Dent / Owner

In these days of megastore monopolies it's refreshing to do business with a guy like Warren Dent. If you're in the market for any quality recording or live sound gear check out ZenPro Audio.

String Band - Powered by Dean's Beans

2009-11-10T12:23:00.000-05:00

My name is Rick and I'm addicted to coffee. I start every day with a cup of fresh ground organically grown coffee. I'm not talking about four dollar a cup boutique blends. I grind my own with a hand cranked coffee mill, I don't pay ridiculous prices, and the money I pay isn't ending up in the pockets of some huge corporate agricultural conglomerate. The supplier for my habit is Dean's Beans, run by a fellow from Massachusetts by the name of Dean Cyon. This coffee crusader travels the world in support of social justice and ecological responsibility, searching for the perfect cup of certified organic fair trade shade grown coffee all the while teaching third world indigenous farmers how to use organic farming methods and market their product. All the coffees sold by Dean's Beans are the product of sustainable agriculture methods and the growers are fairly paid for their crop. Dean has documented some of his travels in his book "Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee," which won an award from the Independent Publishers Association for best travel book. This is a five star company that provides a quality product at a fair price (mostly $7-$8 a lb.) while doing the right thing.

"We only purchase beans from small farmers and cooperatives, largely made up of indigenous peoples working hard to maintain their culture and lifestyles in a hostile world. We do not buy beans from large estates and farms. We've been there, and have seen the conditions of chronic poverty and malnutrition within which these farms produce those other coffees. Look in your kitchen—do you know where your beans come from?"

Dean has a wonderful selection of light, dark, light/dark blends, espresso, decaf, and flavored coffees, all with inventive names like Ahab's Revenge, Obama Rama, Aztec Two Step, Monkey Knife Fight and Rattle Snake Gutter Brew. Dean's coffee is always freshly roasted and packed with flavor, but if you want an even fresher brew you can buy unroasted green beans and the equipment to roast them at home one cup at a time!

"Dean's Beans only purchases beans from villages and importers that are committed to Fair Trade and working towards better economic opportunity, improved health and nutrition in the villages. We are proud to be a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, Inc., the first roaster's cooperative created to buy direct, Fair Trade coffee from farmer coops, and make it available to any small roaster who wants to participate in the Fair Trade movement. We are also active members of the Fair Trade Federation, an international organization of dedicated Fair Traders (no poseurs allowed)."

Dean also sells organic fair trade sugar and chocolate. His chocolate covered java drops have kept me awake on many an overnight road trip allowing me to drive through the night so I could get home to my morning cup of Rattle Snake Gutter Brew.

Organic, fair trade, shade grown coffee makes a great holiday gift.

The Homegrown String Band is powered by Dean's Beans
You should be too!

Picturing America

2009-10-24T20:53:00.000-04:00

The next Homegrown String Band show will be on November 8th at the Northport Public Library. Our performance will be part of the National Endowment for the Humanities "Picturing America" celebration

Picturing America

September through December 2009

"The Northport-East Northport Public Library is the proud recipient of a Picturing America grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the American Library Association. The Picturing America initiative consists of forty poster-sized reproductions of American masterpieces and has been awarded to public libraries and schools across the country. In the Museum Cove, the display case will feature arts and crafts made by staff members. Creative pieces by Northport Library artisans serve as a lively complement to the images of famous paintings, photographs, sculpture, and architecture mounted on the walls of the room."

Our performance will be on Sunday November 8th at 2pm. Looks like it will be a fun day. Hope to see some familiar faces in the audience.

-The Homegrown String Beings

Apples, Pumpkins, and Hay, Hay, Hay

2009-10-12T18:42:00.000-04:00

The band has been busy closing out our outdoor festival season. This weekend we played two fall/harvest festivals here on Long Island. I guess The Homegrown String Band is the perfect harvest festival band! Apples, pumpkins, hay, banjos, fiddles, flatfoot dancing, apple pie, and crisp fall air! It's nice to see folks out enjoying the nice fall weather before winter and cabin fever sets in. Saturday we played at Deepwell's Farm Fall Festival; we thought this was going to be a music festival, but we were sandwiched between a magic act and a talent show, we were basically background music adding atmosphere to the various fall activities going on around us. Sunday we played a sit down concert in a listening room at the Paramus, NJ Library, and Monday we did another fall festival in Great Neck. At the Great Neck festival we had the privilege of splitting the entertainment duties with a great traditional jazz band, The Banjo Rascals. This talented, quartet, featuring soprano sax, trumpet, bass, and tenor banjo played some great ragtime, dixieland, and jazz standards. Next weekend's Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay, NY will be our final outdoor performance of the year. Hopefully we will have another nice fall weekend, and then it's indoors for the coffeehouse, library, and tavern circuit.

HGSB Logo by Georgianne Jackofsky

Hudson Valley Garlic Festival

2009-09-29T20:09:00.001-04:00

In 1989, Pat Reppert, AKA The Goddess of Garlic, a Hudson Valley herb farmer (Shale Hill Farm and Herb Gardens) organized the first Garlic Festival held in the Hudson Valley—and perhaps on the first on the East Coast. The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival, a celebration in honor of "the stinking rose," has been a Homegrown String Band fall favorite for the last 4 years. Every year we look forward to the food, music, crafts, and good people we will be enjoying on the last weekend of September in Saugerties, NY. This festival is a real class act; everything about it is top notch, and it's no wonder up to 50,000 garlic lovers from around the country attend each year. The weather was not great this year, but the festival was still very well attended. As usual, we came home with 15 or 20 lbs. of various varieties of organically grown garlic, including some seed garlic that I'll be planting in the next few weeks. If you attend the HVGF you will be able to sample an amazing array of garlic and garlic-flavored products like roasted garlic, garlic ice cream, garlic pretzels, chocolate covered garlic, garlic scape guacamole, garlic salsa, and garlic shots (better than flu shots!), as well as 10 bands performing, everything from bluegrass to zydeco, continuously on 5 stages scattered throughout the park. Be there in 2010, we will!

Garlic Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Fun in the Sun: Solar Powered Sound & Music Blowing in the Wind

2009-09-21T11:50:00.001-04:00

ATECH Wind Turbine - photo by Rick Jackofsky

We just got back from a three day "mini tour" of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We performed at libraries in Princeton and Flemington NJ and at the Pennsylvania Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Festival in Kempton PA. At the Energy Festival we played on a really cool, solar powered stage with sound provided by Crow Weaver. His solar collectors, batteries, and DC powered amps provided enough power to fill the air with music throughout the day. Crow also played sax, guitar, and flute with his band, The Native Earthling Band, an eclectic outfit that performed jazz, rock, folk, and jamband music. All in all it was a great day, beautiful weather, good music, children's activities, vendors selling organic food and produce, crafts, native plants, and, of course, wind, solar, and other alternative energy products. Throughout the day lecturers provided festival goers with information on the politics, economics, and technologies of alternative energy and sustainable living. The day was capped off with a performance by saxophonist Paul Winter and the Makoto Taiko Japanese drummers. All in all this was a really nice and very well run little festival.

Highly recommended by The Homegrown String Band

"A 100% Natural Organically Grown Family Band"

Lakemont Park

2009-09-13T12:36:00.000-04:00

This weekend we had a great time playing at the Altoona First Festival. The festival was held on the grounds of an historic amusement park, Lakemont Park, in Altoona PA, which opened in 1894. It was one of those gigs where our music becomes part of a larger soundscape; kind of like participating in a Charles Ives symphony. Our music became part of a mosaic of sound that included carnival barkers, fire eaters, jugglers, a roller-coaster, monster truck rides, etc. Performing at an event like this is more like busking on the street than playing in a concert setting; the audience is transient, you have to keep the energy level high to attract and hold their attention. One thing we were able to take advantage of was the fact that the seating in front of our stage was the closest place woozy riders could sit to regain their equilibrium after disembarking from the Skydiver; a ride that looked like the ferris wheel from hell; cars spinning around as the wheel turned at a disturbingly high rate of speed. One of the perks of performing was free ride tickets. Georgianne and I decided to skip the rides, Erica enjoyed the Monster Octopus while Annalee said the Merry Go Round was more her speed. Maybe next time I'll try the Skydiver. If you ever find yourself in the Altoona area during the summer months be sure to stop in and visit with the good folks at Lakemont Park; a real old fashioned amusement park.

Follow the wild and crazy ride of The Homegrown String Band here and at: www.homegrownstringband.com

Skydiver Photo by Erica Jackofsky

Little House in the Megalopolis

2009-09-06T21:51:00.000-04:00

Today three-quarters of The Homegrown String Band took a field trip. Rick, Georgianne, and Annalee visited the Old Bethpage Village Restoration, a 19th century living history museum here on Long Island, to take in the oldtime baseball and music festival. We watched baseball players (I don't think any of them were millionaires) playing without gloves and musicians (no millionaires here, either) playing without microphones. It was a beautiful day and a refreshing and relaxing break from the 21st century. Our good friends Larry Moser and Mary Nagin were set up on the green in the center of town performing 19th century tunes and songs on hammered dulcimer and fiddle. I especially enjoyed "Sackett's Harbor," a War of 1812 era instrumental. After a short break the duo provided the music for some community dancing as Chart Guthrie (with some help from Amazin' Annalee) called dances and led folks through some beginning contras. After the dance the string musicians gave way to a concert by a Civil War era brass band.

We visited a decoy carver, a tavern, a general store, several farm houses and a hat maker before settling down at the one room school house where fiddler Eric Martin was entertaining folks with bad jokes and excellent fiddling. He was joined by two young men; Sean, who sang in a powerful tenor voice, and Richard, who backed up Eric on harmonica. I wish I had my camera to capture the scene when Richard, a young teen, accompanied Eric, who is probably 40 years his senior, on a spirited version of "Swing Nine Yards of Calico" by tapping a rhythm on the fiddle neck with two wooden knitting needles (while Eric fiddled) and played the harmonica with no hands (and no rack).

I remember coming to the Old Bethpage Village the first year it opened in the early sixties. Sadly, it has been a constant struggle for local governments and historical societies to keep the site up and running. Unfortunately in this day and age of blaring music, flashing lights, and non stop movement, a quiet look into the past isn't a big draw. At one point during his performance Eric asked audience members where they were from. When one audience member responded Massapequa Eric asked if she knew the Native American meaning of the town name. When she responded negatively, Eric told her it means "Let's go shopping." Ah, America's favorite pastime has ancient roots. So many things to buy and so little time to learn from our past.

The Cuckoo

2009-09-01T16:36:00.001-04:00

Photo by Steve Gravano http://stevegravano.blogspot.com

A song that has moved in and out of The Homegrown String Band's repertoire, "The Cuckoo" is really an old English folk song that made its way to America in the memories of early American colonists. The song found a home in the southern Appalachians where it entered the oral tradition of the mountain folk. Over time verses were added and dropped and the song developed a distinct American character. Cecil Sharpe documented several mountain versions of "The Cuckoo" during his Appalachian song catching expeditions between 1916 and 1918. The seminal American version of the tune is Clarence Ashley's 1929 Columbia recording, which helped restart Ashley's music career when it was included on Harry Smith's Folkways 1952 "Anthology of American Music." English folk rocker Richard Thompson's version, clearly influenced by Ashley's recording, shows how folk music continues to evolve by moving back and forth across the Atlantic. Listen to a live performance of "The Cuckoo" by The Homegrown String Band recorded at the Stone Soup Coffeehouse, by visiting our website www.homegrownstringband.com

English Folk Songs From The Southern Appalachians (1917)

Fishin' For Blues

2009-08-24T01:38:00.002-04:00

"Rooster" Rick and the "Amazing" Annalee took advantage of a day off and the super high tide caused by Hurricane Bill today and headed down to their fishin' hole, the Long Island Sound. We dug up two old fishing rods, sharpened some hooks, and took the short walk down to the beach. ("Went to the hardware got me a hook, cinched that hook right on that line . . . I'm a goin" fishin' yes I'm goin' fishin' . . . ") I thought we might catch some bluefish, but we each caught a sea robin, which many people consider garbage fish. But I discovered years ago that it is well worth the effort it takes to clean and de-bone these strange creatures. Between the two fish we got a little less than a pound of meat, enough to make four delicious fish cakes.
While we were walking down to the beach the song "Fishing Blues" popped into my head. Most people know the great Taj Mahal version from "De Old Folks at Home" album, but the tune was originally recorded in the 1920s by Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas. Thomas, a black man born in the late nineteenth century, was equally adept at country two steps and dance tunes as he was at the blues. His lively dance music gives us a glimpse of the type of music that might have been heard at a nineteenth century African American house party. Dead Heads may be interested to know that Thomas also made the first recording of the Grateful Dead standby "Don't Ease Me In."
Check out "Henry Thomas Texas Worried Blues: Complete Recorded Works 1927-1929" on YaZoo Records. My personal favorite version of "Fishing Blues" is Bruce Molsky's rendition from his Rounder Records release "poor man's troubles." On this tune Bruce shows that not only is he world class fiddler he can also do some pretty fancy pickin' on the acoustic guitar.

Henry Thomas Texas Worried Blues CD

Henry Thomas Texas Worried Blues Mp3

Bruce Molsky Poor Man's Troubles CD

Bruce Molsky Poor Man's Troubles Mp3

The Banjo Lesson

2009-08-19T20:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I gave a beginning clawhammer banjo lesson. It reminded me of the paradoxes involved in learning to play a musical instrument. Teaching someone how to play a musical instrument is like teaching someone how to ride a bike or drive a car—you have to take something that you do without thought, analyze it, simplify it, break it down into steps, and then help the student reassemble it and develop the muscle memory and confidence that will allow them to perform the task without thinking about it. The beginning student learns the skill by consciously and deliberately reconstructing the process, but it's important to move away from the mindful approach as soon as possible so that technical execution doesn't get in the way of musical expression. A beginning musician has only one approach available to them, that is an intuitive approach. The experienced musician works to acquire knowledge and highly developed fine motor skills only to strive to get back to the intuitive approach of the beginner. So, grasshopper, the circle is complete, the teacher becomes the student.

The Banjo Lesson, 1893. Oil on canvas, by Henry Ossawa Tanner currently on display at the Hampton University Museum.

2009-08-16T18:09:00.001-04:00

"Guitar Hero"
Les Paul Passes

Another music legend passed this week. On August 13, 2009, Guitar virtuoso and music visionary Les Paul died at the age of 94. Famous for his duets with Mary Ford and, of course, inventing the solid body electric guitar, Les Paul also changed the way music is recorded and listened to by pioneering the use of multitrack recording. This was the first step in the evolution of music being created in the studio rather than just being captured by a recording device. When electronic recording technology was originally made possible by the Western Electric Company's invention of the microphone, the idea was to replicate the sound of a live performance. Now digital technology, with sampling and audio cut and pasting, has evolved to the point that there is no live performance and musicians performing live strive to duplicate music created in the studio rather than the recording process duplicating the sound of a live performance.

There has been a bit of a backlash to the digital music manufacturing. More and more venues insist on seeing a band perform live, or at least reviewing a live audio or video performance, before booking to be sure they are going to get the performance they want and expect. There is also a movement known as "Real Stereo" promoting the use of recording music using a "live" 2 mic true stereo process.

So far all of The Homegrown String Band's CDs have been recorded "live" in the studio. We record one or two takes of each song with all of us playing at the same time, but recorded on separate tracks so that the volume and EQ can be adjust to optimize the sound of each instrument. Basically what a good sound man would do at a live performance. In the end I think we usually sound better live than on our recordings because we are more spontaneous and we can feed of the energy of the audience and bounce off each other. There is also less pressure to get it "right," which ironically means we are much more likely to get it right.

However you look at it, Les Paul's innovations have had a huge and lasting impact on the way music is performed and preserved.

Vaya con Dios mi amigo!

A 21 Jaw Harp Salute to Mike Seeger

2009-08-12T12:19:00.004-04:00

Mike Seeger goes to the West

Last week, while performing at the AFBA bluegrass festival in Wind Gap PA, we had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum. After their set we were back stage chatting and I asked Laurie about a song she had sung that has gone in and out of our repertoire over the years, "Going to the West." I had learned it in 2001 from Joe Herrmann of the Critton Hollow String Band when he and his brother John were house guests in our humble abode. I had often wondered about the origins of the song, but hadn't been able to dig up any historical background. Laurie told me she had learned it from Mike Seeger, who learned it from his sister Peggy, who learned it from a book called "Folk Songs of Alabama." So the mystery was solved, or at least I got a really good clue. Laurie also informed us, and the rest of the audience, that Mike was gravely ill. I knew that Mike had been battling cancer for a long time because when John Hartford passed in 2001 Mike revealed that he was suffering from a similar affliction. During our shows we often tip our hats to Mike and his work preserving traditional American music. During our show with Carlene Carter we made mention of his documentary film "Talking Feet" and told the audience that he had been ill and that we were praying for him. Sadly, after the show Mike Kornfeld of Acoustic Music Scene.com informed us that Mike had passed on Friday night. His passing is a huge loss to the traditional music community. Mike was an amazing musician. He played guitar, banjo, autoharp, jawharp, harmonica, panpipes, and fiddle. He was also an ethnomusicologist who had more to do with reviving interest in old time country music than anyone I know of. He introduced or reintroduced numerous traditional musicians, including Elizabeth Cotton and Dock Boggs, to audiences around the world. Though we never met him we did correspond, and Mike was always supportive and willing to dispense helpful advice. He was best known for his work with the revivalist group known as The New Lost City Ramblers, which he co-founded with John Cohen and Tom Paley in 1958. But it was his solo work that inspired me and served as a model for my early children's shows that in turn inspired my children to become interested in American folk music. I guess there would be no "Amazing" Annalee if I hadn't learned Mike's version of Fooba Wooba John and passed down the fine art of jawharp playing to my daughter. We are so greatfull to Mike for making oldtime musicians and their music available to us. His presence will be missed, but his musical legacy will be with us forever. Mike leaves behind a huge body of work that includes, books and video as well as his wonderful discography of old-time music.

Music from the True Vine: Mike Seeger's Life and Musical Journey

Old Time Country Music by Mike Seeger

Southern Banjo Sounds

Jaw Harp Photo by Rick Jackofsky

Honorary Members of the Carter Family!

2009-08-11T13:35:00.002-04:00

Almost Famous!

The big rain closed out a busy week for the Homegrown String Band. The previous weekend we made our fourth appearance at The Appalachian Fiddle & Bluegrass Association's Annual Bluegrass Festival in Wind Gap, PA. We had a great time despite the mud and rain, but lucked out with great weather for both our sets though it did rain on our flatfoot dance workshop. We always enjoy going back to Wind Gap, reconnecting with old friends and making new friends. This year we were happy to see our old friends Joe and Jamie Booher, whom we had met when we were all performing in Branson, Missouri in 2005. At that time they were performing with their family band, The Boohers. The two brothers are now part of a killer bluegrass band called New Found Road. Check them out! Our Thursday night set went off pretty well, and ace soundman Harry Grant handled our new three mic set up without a hitch. We stayed up till the wee hours of the morning listening to Harry tell some great stories about his bluegrass adventures. No sooner did we finally go to sleep then the rain started, which put a damper on our dance workshop later on in the afternoon, but it cleared out before our Friday night set, which I think was one of our all time best performances.

This past Friday night The Homegrown String Band rocked Argyle Park in Babylon, NY. We did a two hour high energy set for a great audience, as once again everything was clicking for the band. Then Saturday night was a show we had been looking forward to all year: A performance at the Huntington Arts Council's Summer Festival. We had the privilege of opening for country music legend Carlene Carter who is the daughter of June Carter, stepdaughter of Johnny Cash, and granddaughter of Mother Maybelle Carter of the original Carter Family. We were a bit nervous going on before a Grammy winning artist at a world class venue, and also felt a bit rushed squeezing a dance number into a short set, but I think we made a pretty good showing. Our set, which consisted of four original numbers including a tribute to Johnny Cash ("The Man Who Dressed in Black") as well as three trad numbers and the flatfoot demo, was very well received. At the end of the evening Carlene invited us back up to join her in a rendition of the Carter Family classic "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" after which we were pronounced honorary members of The Carter Family! - Life is hard..... but it's GOOD!!!!

Concert Photo by Chris McKay

Rain Out

2009-08-09T23:48:00.000-04:00

Today we loaded up our 10 instruments, full 4-speaker sound system, and our bad selves to drive 3 hours to Redding CT. We got there an hour and a half before our scheduled start to set up the stage. The sound check was a little tricky as the wood stage was resonating with the lower frequencies. Well, we finally got it sounding just right and played one song when the thunder storm hit. The audience ran—or more accurately, sprinted–for cover and the show was canceled. We dried everything off as best we could in the downpour, packed up, grabbed a quick dinner at Subway and headed home. A lot of work for one tune, but were told it sounded great! At least we got to see our old pal WPKN DJ Chris Teskey.