In this episode of banjo chat I sit down with Hannah Mayree — musician, cultural worker, and founder of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project. Hannah shares the origins of the project, born from a deep need and desire to reconnect Black communities with the banjo’s African roots and reclaim its history, sound, and spirit.

We talk about growing a healing community around the banjo, putting instruments in people's hands, and reshaping how we understand the banjo's place in American music and Black culture.

Hannah also reflects on her early days of train-hopping and hitchhiking across the country, discovering fellow travelers and banjo players along the way. We talk about the intersection of music, spirituality, and belonging, and how audience participation, songwriting, and collaboration shape her creative process in her own music.

This is one of the most enlightening conversations I’ve had about the banjo, excited to share with you!

To learn more:

https://www.blackbanjoreclamationproject.org/

In this episode, we dive into the making of Wes Corbett’s new album Drift. The inspirations behind the music, the collaborators who brought it to life, and insights into the recording process. We listen to a couple of my favorite tracks from the album!

We chat about musical influences like Car Talk, Earl Scruggs, and Béla Fleck, and reflect on his upbringing on the West Coast. He shares the subtle complexities of performing with the Sam Bush Band and offers a thoughtful look at his approach to the banjo and composition.

And of course, we settle the age-old debate: how do you pronounce “salmon”? (I have my own theories.) Plus, we test his knowledge on the life cycle of salmon—you might be surprised by what he knows.

www.wescorbett.bandcamp.com

www.wescorbett.com

www.hilaryhawkemusic.com

I’m super excited to present a special collaboration with Keith Billik from the Picky Fingers Podcast! Enjoy a special live episode of the “Dueling Banjos Podcasts” hosted by Hilary Hawke and Keith Billik at the Ashokan Center in Ashokan, NY!

Get the inside scoop on what’s happening in the lives of banjoists Maggie Shar, Scott Hopkins, BB Bowness, Hilary Hawke and Keith Billick. Stick around for the earth shattering banjo duel at the end of the episode.

Featuring the live audience of students at the Banjo Weekend 2024!  Sound and recording by Connor Wenke. 

BB’s  New Album

 https://bbbowness.bandcamp.com/album/goodtime-revival

Maggie Shar

https://www.maggieshar.com/

Scott Hopkins

https://scotthopkinsbanjo.com

Keith Billik

https://www.banjopodcast.com/meet-the-host/

Hilary Hawke's new album

https://hilaryhawke.bandcamp.com/album/lift-up-this-old-world-2

This is the Season Finale! And my mind is blown hearing Alison Brown talk about her banjos and what she’s playing on the road.  We chat about her music, making records, producing, re-issuing records and the vision for her band. We nerd out about how we like the piano and banjo combo. 

What she likes to convey with her music, and how she goes beyond how the banjo is usually portrayed.  We listen to her track Sweet Sixteenths with Sierra Hull on mandolin, and the Alison Brown Quartet.  

We talk about Compass records and why it started and she gives advice for getting over your nerves. 

“The banjo is a conduit for connecting with other people”

https://www.alisonbrown.com

https://alisonbrown.bandcamp.com/album/on-banjo

patreon.com/banjochat

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Pickenchickenbooks for Kustom Koozies

This week on the chat we have Lukas Pool!

A fun one where we talk about the ins and outs of the Ozark Banjo Shop, how it all started and when he was was making banjos just to pay the rent! 

Apprentices, banjo making, balancing having kids with performing music, horses, and his dad working over at Mountain View Music. 

He tells us why he decided to make a living playing music and we get specific about repairs, wood selection, and what he looks for in a banjo. 

Also how he approaches arranging a fiddle tune for banjo, and advice for people learning and making banjos.

https://ozarkbanjo.com/

https://www.patreon.com/BanjoChat

This week on banjo chat!

As we prepare for the final two episodes in this season we take a moment to get into some more Listener emails! And these ones are doozies.  

Thanks everyone and we return next week with our next guest!

https://www.patreon.com/BanjoChat

This week on the banjo chat! 

We have Melissa Carper!

We are chatting about being on the road with her band, her debut at the Grand Ole Opry and how she writes songs and stays close to her roots. 

We talk about her transformation from being a side person, to how her creativity came alive, and what was stifling her creativity. 

Healthy alternatives to drinking and how to get sleep on the road! Also, what has kept her on her path when dealing with frustration, playing in bars over the years.  How she kept on believing in what she could do!

https://melissacarper.bandcamp.com

https://www.melissacarper.com

https://patreon.com/banjochat

This week we have Kyle Tuttle on the banjo chat!

Of course we talk about winning the grammy award with Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway for their City of Gold album!  Yessir! 

We are also talking about banjo necks, banjo makers and what life is like in Nashville as a banjo player. 

How he loves the music festival scene, playing music and being true to yourself, and different recording techniques on his new album. 

We talk about how he approaches improvisation and how you can put yourself into new situations (jamming and playing music) without letting your ego get in the way. 

“The truer you are to yourself, is always going to be more beneficial to what your goals are”

http://kyletuttle.com

https://www.patreon.com/BanjoChat

This week we have Moira Smiley on the banjo chat!

We talk about how music gives you a sense of transformation and how what she writes on banjo can have an uplift, a melancholy, as well as a sense of belonging.  She explains what it’s like writing music for choral groups and for other people to sing. 

Talking about the ballad tradition in folk music, and relating the Turkish Cumbus to the banjo and honoring the folk songs that were the core of her early musicianship and bridging a classical music fascination with a folk tradition. 

The success of her version of Leadbelly’s, “Sylvie” and the fund for supporting a bipoc composer every year.

www.moirasmiley.com

moirasmiley.com/bandcamp.com

Banjochat.com/patreon

This week’s episode is with Kristin Scott Benson!

It was a great chat with Kristin, all things banjo and beyond.   Listening to her solos and talking about who inspired her to play and special guest barks from Fisher the dog. 

Talking about different personalities and how we handle the business side of music, performing and teaching.  

Band dynamics and what it’s like being a side person, and being grateful for the different roles in a band.  Having stage fright, and struggling with nerves.  Being in a band with all guys. 

Strategies for nerves, for the right hand, and for getting a groove.   How to stay centered and focused when playing

“What never gets old is the communal spirit of a band when the groove and drive are right”

https://www.ksbbanjo.com

https://kristinscottbenson.bandcamp.com

https://www.patreon.com/banjochat