banjo

This weekend will be my big debut playing banjo with Hicks with Picks. I have subbed as the banjo picker for our Sunday 9am Gospel at the Rock service many times, but this will be my first time outside Rock Spring. Jeff Dore normally plays the five string, but he is also a great guitar player. When our regular guitar player Chas is out, Jeff slides to his place and I swap my bass for my banjo.

• Don Thacker's Online Art Journal
• Add new comment
• Read more
• ShareThis

This post is relevant to both my visual and aural artistic endeavors. On the 24th, my church, Rock Spring Presbyterian, is hosting our second annual bluegrass festival. I'll be playing bass with two different groups. At one o'clock Mike Nugent, Sonny Houston and I will play an assortment of bona fide gospel bluegrass standards. Right now we are calling ourselves the Sans Banjo Boys, although I guess on the poster we are called "And More!".

• Don Thacker's Online Art Journal
• Add new comment
• Read more
• ShareThis

So I'm now officially the bass player for the band Hicks with Picks, the house band at Rock Springs Presbyterian Church. Kate and I joined Rock Springs a couple of months ago and have really enjoyed becoming a part of the congregation.

We originally visited Rock Springs because I wanted to check out the 'Gospel at the Rock' service, which is every Sunday at 9am and features bluegrass music with the service. I actually didn't know much else about Rock Springs. I figured that it would be like other churches we have visited, and that I might be able to get Kate to go with me from time to time to enjoy some old time music.

But low and behold, it wasn't just like other churches (in a good way) and we were very taken with Pastor Karen, the service and everyone we met that first day.  It felt like home from the get-go and Kate was even more excited than I was.

Kate told the guys in the band how we found the church because I play banjo. Then, the next thing I know, they invited me to play banjo with them. From there, one thing led to another and my buddy Joe and I bought an upright bass. Since taking up the bass, I've not only played on Sunday mornings, but at Old Tucker Fountain, on the Peach State Festival on WRFG, and at the Church of Atonement as part of the Hicks touring band.

Every now and then, I get to fill in on banjo for Jeff Dore, the banjo player and a lead vocalist. Above is a video of Mike, Allison and me a couple of weeks ago. Jeff, Chas (guitar) and Mary Gowing (lead vocals) were out so Mike switched from Mandolin to guitar and we played with Mike and Allison doing the singing. You can find more Hicks with Picks music and a sample of an RSPC service at the RockSpringsPresby YouTube channel. I still like banjo pickin' quite a lot, but I've really been happy being the bass player. It's pretty cool when you lock in that rhythm and everyone starts tapping their toes and clapping. And thanks to the band for letting me figure this whole band stuff out as I go along.

PS, this first song is for Chris and Ben. I can't hear it without thinking of you two singing it about 30 years ago.

• Don Thacker's Online Art Journal
• 4 comments
• Read more
• ShareThis

Last weekend Kate went to the beach with her Mom, so I decided to split town also and catch some Spring painting and a bluegrass festival. Luckily, Dad was up for joining me on the trip. As I've mentioned before, Dad is a great painting trip companion, as he is happy to go with the flow and does a great job meeting people along the way.

• Don Thacker's Online Art Journal
• Add new comment
• Read more
• ShareThis

What are the three best things you want to have on the first Spring weekend of the year? Well, you won't believe this, but I had all of them this past weekend. No kidding. I had perfect camping weather, a gathering of over one hundred banjo players and a perigee-syzygy. Yes, you read that right. I can't believe it either.

So stay tuned as I'll be going into those things everyone dreams about over this and the next two posts, and how I was lucky enough to have them all in the same weekend.

Friday I headed down to High Springs, Florida for the 2011 Suwannee Banjo Camp. It is held every year at O'Leno State Park in the north central part of the state. The camp was amazing, but more about that in my next entry.

When warmer days first begin and the leaves start to sprout on the trees, I get a big time urge to go camping and sleep outside in my little ultralight tent. As it turns out, Kate was in Houston helping her mother and sister throw a bridal and a baby shower (for two different people), so I got to have a very Don-activity indulgent trip while she was gone. I had been reading about the camp for months and the location made it a perfect choice for my bachelor weekend.

• Don Thacker's Online Art Journal
• Add new comment
• Read more
• ShareThis

Back in February, I decided to pursue a long desire of mine - to learn how to play the banjo. I've been taking lessons from Jim "Duck" Adkins and practicing as much as I can without driving Kate crazy.

• Don Thacker's Online Art Journal
• Add new comment
• Read more
• ShareThis

Unfortunately this year, I was not able to do anything special on Earth Day.  I had to fly to New York and back, and I am in fact writing this blog post from an airplane. So being on a computer, on a plane, and not actually touching the planet is making me feel less than earthy at the moment.

However, I knew this was coming, so last weekend I went camping with my buddy Joe. It was my first camping trip of the year and it was great to get outside and sleep under the stars. We went to Amicalola Falls State Park and I did this painting on Sunday morning from the bridge directly above the falls.

We didn't do any hiking, as we spent most of our time at the Bear in the Square bluegrass festival in nearby Dahlonega. Joe and I both are learning to play the banjo and we had a blast listening to the great bands and informal jams. We heard a lot of incredible music, notably Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Jessie McReynolds and the Virginia Boys, and the Dixie Bee-Liners. We got to meet Casey Henry, who we have seen on a series of instructional banjo called 'The Murphy Method' and is the Bee-Liner banjo player. We also got to meet Jessie Baker, who is the banjo player for Flamekeeper. Both were super nice, and it is very motivating to see and meet people so dedicated and proficient at their craft.

So basically, I had a whole weekend that was pretty much all outdoors or under a tent, painting the beginning of the blue ridge, listening to great music, and picking the banjo around a campfire with Joe. If that ain't down to earth, I don't know what is.

• Don Thacker's Online Art Journal
• 1 comment
• Read more
• ShareThis