Jingle Bells!

      Here is "Good King Jolly Wenceslas" and "Jingle Bells."  As you know, I usually try to include some history of the songs I post, but it was just covered today on the Banjo Hangout.   Two interesting things I have never heard are "Jingle Bells" was originally composed for a Thanksgiving concert, and it was also the first song broadcasted from space.  I don't know if those are true.  I'll have to check into it.

Deck the Halls!

Pick those strings and join the chorus
Fa la la la la, la la la la

      The other day I listened to the short story "Banjo Cheer" off of Tony Trischka's Christmas album.  It got me thinking, despite all the haunting tunes I play, the banjo can be quite cheerful, especially when it is used to play Christmas carols.  So over the next few days, I'll be posting my attempts at some Christmas carols.  Today, I'll start by posting banjo cheer, and then my version of "Deck the Halls."

Finally - the Mountain Banjo

      I finally finished my mountain banjo.  It really wasn't that difficult, but it took a while because I didn't have access to tools.  Here you can see me playing an old song called "Sweet Sunny South."  It is fretless, so I'm still training my fingers to fall exactly where the notes are, but considering I've only been doing it for a few days, I'd say I'm doing alright.  I still have to write about constructing the banjo. Those posts will be up soon.
      As you can tell, it's not the best instrument, but it sounds alright.  It's also only my first banjo.  It does have a nice authentic old time, mountain sound.  This particular banjo is modeled after the Stanley Hicks and Frank Proffit style banjos.  These old banjos were typically tuned lower (perhaps to reduce string tension that could warp necks) and had gut strings (I substituted nylon for gut strings).  I usually play this particular tune in G modal tuning (gDGCD) but for this banjo it is tuned down a few half steps (eBEAB).  The combination of the nylon strings, lower tuning, and goat skin head give the banjo a nice plunky sound.
      If you are interested in making one of these, click here to see how I built the banjo.  Finally I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this project by providing insight, tools or materials.  Randy Cordle of Bluestem Strings provided free plans.  Steve Matechik provided tools and scrap material.  Mr. Syzdek happily let me use his bandsaw on two occasions and a nice, new workbench.  Carol loaned me her drill.  Thanks everyone.

Thanksgigging Report - 2012

      This year I continued my tradition of ending Thanksgiving with a flounder gigging trip.  Our hopes were high as we passed hordes of shoppers on our way to Destin.  Just the night before, our efforts had earned us five nice fish.  Being away at Auburn made it hard for me to know where the fish were and how they were behaving.  Normally I start following the flounder in the early fall, but this year I the only information I had was from the previous night.  The flounder run didn't seem to be as good as last year, but there were still fish to find... Or so I thought.
      Unfortunately, this year was a bust.  In 2 hours of wading we saw only a few beds and zero flounder.  The conditions were nearly identical to the night before, so I expected the night to be productive.  It wasn't.  There were some other giggers already out when we arrived and I thought maybe they got most of the fish.  After chatting with a few of them, I learned we weren't alone.  Some guys with a boat said they had been out for three hours and only got one fish.  Oh well, at least I had the fish from the night before.  This years run won't be lasting as long as last year', when I was still catching fish through December 6th.  I'm done for this year.

P.S. - Sorry, no pictures for now.  My camera isn't working.

Chicken of the Woods

The sulfur shelf (Laetiporus sulphurus) or chicken of the woods.  (Photo by Jenna Crovo)

      Back in late September, I was conducting some fish surveys in the smokies.  While wading down a stream, I noticed some fungi known as the sulfur shelf (Laetiporus sulphurus) or the chicken of the woods.  They are known by many to be edible* and quite tasty.  However, they can cause gastrointestinal upset in some people (upset stomach, vomiting, and diarrhea), so be careful if you eat them.  DO NOT eat them if they are growing on Hemlock.  Furthermore, if they are growing on dead wood, DO NOT eat them unless you are sure it is not hemlock.  This blog post is just a short description and should not be used to identify mushrooms.  Consult an expert and a field guide for proper identification.

Fiddlesticks

      The Fralic's hosted the second old time jam at their barn.  Lindsey and Phil played Angelina Baker on their fiddles while I added the percussion, using a technique called fiddlesticks.  To achieve the percussive affect, just use chopsticks to lightly tap the strings of the fiddle between the bow and the fiddler's left hand.  As a side note, we were inspired by this video of Tim Eriksen.

Angelina Baker

Angelina Baker

Angelina Baker's gone

She left me here to weep a tear

And beat on the old jaw bone

       Here is another old-time tune done in the clawhammer banjo style.  It is the first old time song I heard in a live, grassroots setting.  A week later, I bought my banjo.  The tune is called "Angelina Baker".  Despite the upbeat sound, the lyrics can be pretty sad.  The traditional Steven Foster lyrics are about a slave who mourns the loss of his lover after she is sold away.  There are some differences between this song and a later song "Angeline the Baker," but aside from the lyrics, I'm not exactly sure what they are.  If anybody knows, please shed some light on the topic.  This version is a combination of Mike Iverson's version I learned a while ago, and my own version.  In fact, it may actually be a blend of the two aforementioned songs, if they are indeed different.

Winemaking Tip: Leaving WIne on the Lees

      One thing I have noticed about home winemakers, mead makers, and brewers is how overly controlling many van be about making their product.  It is great that in this modern age, we have science, precise measuring tools and the technology to replicate earlier recipes.  However, one shouldn't get so involved in all the details that wine making, mead making or brewing loose their charms.  Too often, I have encountered brewers that have two-thousand dollars worth of equipment and fret over the most minuscule details, but their beer isn't all that great.  On many occasions people have even complimented me on one of my creations, and then after asking me how I made it, they seem upset when I explain my techniques and they then proceed to tell me what I did "wrong."  What is both frustrating and amusing is these people usually don't make wine, mead, or beer that tastes as good as mine.  Don't misinterpret me, I still use good techniques (e.g. proper sanitation, record keeping, utilize high quality ingredients), but I do believe that sometimes too much effort is invested for too little returns.  In these cases, it may be easier to just do it the simple way.  So, in my new series of posts, I will be giving little tips on how to brew, make wine, or make mead the simple (not to mention cheap and easy) way!  I have already discussed many of these techniques with both friends and strangers at bars and I've got plenty of resistance.  To any doubters I will say the same thing I say to everyone else.  Before you label my techniques as rubbish, come on over to my place and try some of my drinks that are made simply.  Then (like some ignorant people) you can tell me how wrong I am while we both drink some delicious, improperly-made drinks.  Any, I have vented enough, on to tip number 1!

Spicebush

The fruit of the spicebush (Lindera benzoin) are as distinctive in flavor and aroma as they are in appearance.  Photo by Jenna Crovo, used with permission.

      A little over a week ago, I was doing some fish collecting on the Paint Rock River (North of Huntsville, AL).  Fortunately, we found some rare blotchside log perch, but that is not the topic of this post.  Instead I would like to focus on the not-so-rare, but very useful, spicebush (Lindera benzoin).  I didn't notice it on my previous trips to the area, but now that the bush is fruiting it is very easy to spot.  Before you go out searching riverbanks and creek edges, you probably want to know what you can use spicebush for*.  Well, read on, because it has multiple uses.

Barn Bash

      One of my professors at Florida State University (Mark Ziegler) always says the best way to improve at something is by upward social comparison; that is, associating with people better than yourself so you will be challenged and eventually improve.  That is a theory I have been embracing over the summer with my banjo playing.  I have been trying to play with as many people as possible, whenever possible.  Fortunately, the local musicians are very talented and pretty accommodating.  The other night I had the opportunity to jam with Phil Mc, Ross Wall, and Lindsey Lester, all of whom are very talented on multiple musical instruments.  It was an awesome night.  The jam took place near a barn in a farm field, the perfect setting for grassroots music.  The deafening sound of competing katydids and cicadas was drowned out by the soft twang of banjos, the rhythmic chords of guitars, and the lilting melodies of fiddles.  Most of the songs that were played early on were easy enough for me to play.  Later we moved on two songs that I could just follow along with.  Eventually the songs reached a point were I couldn't keep up, but I still enjoyed listening, and that's part of learning too.  I'll have to learn the song above.  It combines two of my favorite things, cast iron cooking and old time music  It's called "Keep my Skillet Good and Greasy,"and Ross and Lindsey have a great rendition.  Anyway, I know I have posted a lot of banjo stuff lately, but I promise I'll get some biology, hiking, paddling and herb posts up soon.  Until then, check out the rest of this post and listen to some great music.