Binghamton Musician Ships Cigar-box Guitars Around the World

                             Pinecone Fletcher talks about why he likes cigar-box guitars and what drew him to the craft. Andrew Thayer / Staff Video

Bluesman Pinecone Fletcher finds joy in re-creating instrument for 21st century

Back when cigars were plentiful and money was not — especially during the Civil War, for example, or the Great Depression — some musicians decided to work with what they had close at hand and built their own cigar-box guitars.

The concept was pretty simple: Cobble together a box, a stick and some strings, then tune it up and start playing. The raw, organic sound proved to be much different than what a store-bought instrument would deliver, giving a different twist to blues, country and folk tunes.

As Americana and roots music have undergone a revival in the last 15 years, led by the 2000 film “O Brother Where Are Thou?” and bands like Mumford & Sons, the interest in cigar-box guitars has grown, too. Ambitious do-it-yourselfers still prefer to put together their own, but a few companies have sprung up to fill the need.

IBMA's World of Bluegrass returns to Raleigh

(IBMA/YouTube)

Raleigh will host the largest urban bluegrass festival in the world this week.

The International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass is an annual homecoming for the bluegrass music community. Taking place September 27 through October 1, it consists of three separate events: the IBMA Business Conference, the International Bluegrass Music Awards, and Wide Open Bluegrass. This is its fourth year in the Capital City.

In addition to the three main events, bluegrass-related shows and attractions can be found scattered throughout Raleigh all week. A mix of free and ticketed events are available for bluegrass players and fans to expand professional networks, learn the latest about industry practices, and discover new music.

The Story of the Banjo, A Comeback For The Ages

Music is changing at a breakneck speed in today’s modern culture. Spurred by new technology and increased access via the internet, new genres are popping up nearly every day. EDM has influenced the popular music sphere, rap has gone mainstream, and thumping bass seems to be creeping its way into all sorts of music. If someone just a few decades ago flipped through today’s radio channels, they would be utterly confused by the futuristic qualities of the music. However, if a denizen of perhaps the 1940’s or 50’s flipped to a modern alternative channel, they would recognize something very familiar: the loud twang of a banjo.

To understand the banjo, we must first look at its history. It started as an African folk instrument fashioned out of a hollow gourd and sticks. Slaves brought the instrument over to the America’s where it slowly evolved. These slaves taught their masters to play the banjo and soon the instrument caught on in the popular culture of the South. In the mid-19th century, minstrels brought banjo music on the vaudeville circuit, exposing it to the nation. Many Dixieland Jazz bands featured the banjo in their arrangements at the turn of the 20th century, furthering its exposure as the Jazz became a wild hit nationwide.

MTSU Gets Trove Of Live Bluegrass Recordings

This rare 1963 single by “The Weedpatch Boys,” is part of a the bluegrass audio collection donated to MTSU’s Center for Popular Music.

Listen to the radio version of this story here

A rare collection of live bluegrass recordings has a new home at Middle Tennessee State University.
The Center for Popular Music on campus will use a $19,537 grant from the Grammy Foundation to sort and digitize the songs, which have an unusual origin story.

The recordings were gathered by Marvin Hedrick, an Indiana musician, electronics repairman and hobby folklorist.

Hedrick captured “priceless” recordings from the Bean Blossom Music Festival near his home, but also roamed to backstage jams and even hosted impromptu sessions in his repair shop, according to the center.

In all, Hedrick’s surviving sons provided 167 open-reel tapes and other recordings to MTSU. They include Bill Monroe and other pioneers playing from the 1950s through 70s.
The collection will join the centers 1 million holdings and become accessible to researchers — as soon as the MTSU staff can identify who’s playing on each.

Gonzalez, Tony. "MTSU Gets Trove Of Live Bluegrass Recordings." Nashville Public Radio. July 25, 2016. Accessed July 26, 2016. http://nashvillepublicradio.org/post/mtsu-gets-trove-live-bluegrass-recordings#stream/0.

Rusty Knuckles Custom Leather Will Be At The International Bluegrass Music Association 2014

World of Bluegrass invades Raleigh, NC on September 30th to October 4th

What an honor its going in a few weeks, to be a part of the International Bluegrass Music Association here in Raleigh the first weekend of October. We will have our full booth for custom guitar and banjo shop setup and working to vastly expand our wholesale business for handmade in the USA, quality crafted music gear. If you are coming into town, looking forward to seeing many of the great bands here that week. We will be setup right across from D'addario Strings. One step closer to another milestone.

Find out more about the IBMA

At The Gates Goes Bluegrass