RIP Earl Scruggs

One of the greatest banjo players passed away.  This WSJ blog called him the Babe Ruth of Banjo. RIP

Curtis Eller- Live in Raleigh

I have had some wonderful musical experiences over the last few months, and I am  now at a point that I am able to get to documenting them.  I was in Raleigh for the work hustle in October 2011, and I saw a great show at the Pour House.  It was a banjo player named Curtis Eller and he was one of the best performers I have ever seen (this is his site).  He had a wireless mic on his banjo, and he ran around the venue like a lunatic, running backstage, and then appearing at the front door.  He had great crowd interaction, and was an awesome songwriter and player.  This was one of the first times I saw someone from up north be able to pick like they were from the mountains.  Below is a documentary shot in Durham NC about him and his music.

The song above is a track called Save Me Joe Lewis. It was about the first man who was sentenced to death by the gas chamber. Curtis told the story about this before he and his band played the song, and I was almost in tears before he played it. The live performance I saw, as well as the one in the above video will always be embedded in my mind.

Curtis Eller from DanWilby on Vimeo.

RIP- Clyde

Clyde was one of my dad's good pickin buddies and he passed earlier this week. He was a mean banjo player and a super nice guy.  I did a recording session with them in 2008 and click here to hear one of the tracks they did, Jesus Hold my Hand.  I will dig through my notes and put a full blown post on that session later.

Below is his obituary:

Clyde Walter Pittillo

  Fletcher – Clyde Walter Pittillo, 63, of Lower Christ School Rd. in Fletcher, died Monday, March 1, 2010 at the Charles George VA Medical Center. A native of Fletcher, he was a son of the late Earl and Susanna Pittillo. He was also