New feature. Audio/movie clips Luke Highnight's Ozark Strutters

This was my first attempt at making a "movie". It's a tad rough but it works well enough to use. This is a track of Luke Highnight's Ozark Strutters" playing "Walk Along John". I really really really like this group. I love that fiddle and the banjo works good too. This groups playing really talks to me. I just posted someone else's clip the last post and from now on they will be mine. Enjoy!

Stop SOPA!

Tweet

Today, we are striking against censorship

Join the largest online protest in history: tell Congress to stop this bill now!

Not In The US? Petition The State Department.

I am writing to you as a voter in your district. I urge you to vote "no" on cloture for S. 968, the PROTECT IP Act, on Jan. 24th. The PROTECT IP Act is dangerous, ineffective, and short-sighted. It does not deserve floor consideration. I urge my representative to vote "no" on SOPA, the corresponding House bill. Over coming days you'll be hearing from the many businesses, advocacy organizations, and ordinary Americans who oppose this legislation because of the myriad ways in which it will stifle free speech and innovation. We hope you'll take our concerns to heart and oppose this legislation by voting "no" on cloture.

Join The Strike! and add this to your site

Fight For The Future may contact you about future campaigns. We will never share your email with anyone. Privacy Policy

Learn More:

Watch the video · American Censorship page · View the Infographic
Read SOPA on OpenCongress · Read PIPA on OpenCongress

The three most definitive articles on SOPA and PIPA: Free Speech, Problems, Security

Fight for the Future is a non-profit organization fighting for people's freedoms in a new digital age.

Luke Highnights Ozark Strutters

As I have often said, I have a real interest in Old Timey music and muscisians from the Ozark region and more broadly, the state of Missouri and the Missouri river valley. The Ozark region more specifically is my greatest interest. I include Arkansas, parts of Oklahoma and parts of Missouri in this Ozark catagory. Of course, I love the Appallacians and that OT music as well but I tend to find I just find more interest in the Ozarks because I once lived there and knew and felt the culture more intimately. I fell in love with the Ozarks as a young man still in high school visiting from Yankee land, so as to see a girlfriend. After I left the Army in 73, my wife, that former girlfriend, and I, moved to Southern Missouri so I could be in a good place that made me happy with hills and rivers and creeks to explore and deer, squirrels and coons to hunt. Old Time music has deep roots there. Some real fine musicians rose up there. Some became famous, like Jimmy Driftwood. Most remained unknown and obscure. Back in the twenties, as recorded music began to be commercially available with devices to replay recordings in wider circulation,a number of OT groups were recruited to provide music for these small recording companies. You see, media always needs content, then as well as today. So here was a ready source of semi pro mostly amateur content providers. Because of this we have a cluster of really fine old recordings from the twenties that reveal some really really good playing. Playing that does not give up anything to what we have today. Some of this playing and the jam like groove they could get into remains a benchmark for really fine OT playing. It was music that was alive. It was music you could get excited about and we still do get excited about. It was dance music mostly. Folks got happy feet when they heard it and wanted to get up and do some steppin! Unless you were Baptist or Pentecostal then you probably would have to be real careful about such things as that! We think of OT music as a wholesome activity today but back in that day the fiddle still had the taint of Old Satan haloed around the sound hole and Corn Liqueur was on the breath of many of the fellows that were on that dance floor. People never really change. We think were all different now but we really are not. Well, I wanted to share this clip as a great example of how good OT could be in the Ozarks. This is one of my favorite groups from that period and I think they are fantastic. I am going to work on researching some of these groups this coming year and share what I can with you. It's also interesting that many of them are Arkansas folks. I really want to explore more history here than I have. Charlie Walden has done a fantastic job on his site and I would always refer you there first. I plan to explore the Arkansas groups and players this year. Let's see how well that goes. I hope you enjoy this clip. I love the group.

The Highnight family has some real deep roots in Arkansas. Let's find out some more info on them shall we?! According to one of the living descendents, they were a musical family.

"Keeping the Tradition Alive in Little Dixie"

I thought I had mentioned this little movie/film but I could not find where I had. This is a very nice little film on the Old Time fiddle music in the Little Dixie part of Missouri. It's well worth your time to watch. Here is the link so you can watch. "Keeping The Tradition Alive in Little Dixie" UPDATE: Sadly, about the first 16 minutes can be viewed and then it stops. It's still worth watching. It had been a long time since I last viewed it.

A bit more than two years now

I failed to take notice at the exact time but I realized today it's been two years since I started this blog. It's had it's ups and downs and slow periods. It still seems to be worthwhile and I hope you find it interesting. Looking back on what I have here, I think overall it is helpful for someone wanting more information on Old Time here in the heartland. There are clusters of folks all around but you may not know about them. You can hear about them here. I don't say I am an expert and not everything I say you will agree with. But you will hear about folks you probably did not know about. I also want to build on what Charlie "Possum" Walden has done and help some people get the recognition they deserve.

Have a happy new year and may God bless all of you. This is shaping up to be an even more unsettling year and it looks like things could even get harder. Well, I hope they are not harder for you. I hope to keep this up and do my best to make this humble blog interesting.

More Carl Anderton Clips for your pleasure

Carl is a real treasure to our community. This is a different kind of old timey music than strictly the appalachian style. Carl, as I have mentioned before, lives on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro.

My Guitars

These are my guitars. I now only have two. I gave away the super cheapie to a friend's grandson. The one on the left is my Martin D-18VS and the other one is a Recording King RD227. One is made in Bethlehem Pa. the other somewhere in China. The Martin is an excellent example of a "upscale" vintage recreation. It's mahogany and ebony with a sitka spruce top. It's also a slothead. It's a dreadnaught but slightly elongated which gives it a more mellow tone than a typical standard D-18. It also has tapered bracing. And of course, it sounds really good. Some of you know me or have been in a jam with me and know how poorly I play and it must have made you wonder what I am doing with such a good expensive guitar that I clearly am not worthy of. Well, I am not worthy of it but I found in my first year of trying to learn how important a decent instrument is for learning. Too many of us buy a horrible cheap guitar that is not fitted to our physical dimensions and the frustration only gets worse. In my case, my fingers are pretty thick and I NEED a wider fretboard than a 1 11/16". So I went in search of an affordable 1 3/4" nut width guitar that would fit me better and I had some trouble doing that. To make a long story short, and going through a string of guitars to work my way up to this Martin, I found that my frustrations decreased greatly. I am sharing this because more than a few of you may be like myself and are trying to learn to play at an advanced age. Or even if your young the same discoveries I made can help you too. Too too many music store clerks are clueless as to the importance of fitting the instrument to your physical dimensions. They can play anything and think you should be able to do the same. This is utter nonsense. If you have thick fingers, playing cleanly will be easier if the nut is wider. This is both rational and experience confirms it. Norman Blake prefers 1 13/16" by the way. In fact, at times he likes 1 7/8". If I had to buy a guitar today I might well specify 1 13/16" as a special order. I can get by with 1 3/4". I find the Martin easier to play in general. My other guitar has similar dimensions but for some reason it's not quite as easy to play. I strongly feel that if you have the fire in the belly you should get the best possible instrument you can afford to reduce the frustrations they can present. You will not be worthy of it for some time but so what?! My Recording King is a rosewood dreadnaught made in china. It's not a bad guitar for the money. I have about $600 in it. It sounds pretty good after three years. I went through two other small body Recording Kings that had defects that showed up immediatly and were returned. I ended up with a dreadnaught due to my concerns with the geometry of the RK small bodys. The new breed of asian guitars are much better than what they used to be. If you want a decent guitar it's a good place to start. The economies of instrument making means that American made guitars are becoming quite expensive and the quality of the asian guitar have improved to the point that they are great values and pretty darn good instruments. Many of you don't have the money to buy a Martin or a Gibson or a Taylor. Even the low end Martins are getting expensive. Inflation is very much at work in the instrument world and I predict Martin will end up leaving the low end entirely in a few more years. This is not the first time I have addressed this in this blog but it bears repeating. So, buy the best you can get. Don't worry if your not worthy of it. My Martin pulls me along and bids me play. Junker/beater guitars whisper "let me gather dust" "I'm just trouble". I love Martins and the occasional Gibson. They are some of the better brands out there but certainly not the only ones. Are you gassing for a better guitar? Yearning to finally own a Martin? Then by all means go for it. You will not regret that dream instrument. Updated edit. Don't neglect the bridge spacing either. 2 1/8" is too narrow for me and many others with big fingers. 2 5/16" is much better and yes it does make a difference. Small numbers that make a real difference.

Merry Christmas!

It's been a little hit and miss and at times downright slow here at the Kansas City Old Time Music blog. I returned to gainful employment this spring and little by little my spirits have risen as I returned to actually paying all my bills and having a bit of a life. For a time I could not bring myself to play at all and got pretty rusty and disinterested. In time I have found my self playing a bit more often but still not enough. My New Years resolution is to get disciplined about it again like I used to be and practice daily for a set time on a set time. The metronome will become my new friend. (love hate!) I will return to jams this year after becoming frustrated with my slow rate of progress last time. I will also be pacing myself in my life by paring back on Lodge activities and doing more things that I really really love and like. Like Church and Christian oriented things and music. Ah, music! I am sure that for you it's a kind of irreplaceable elixer of life that supplements my faith in God that combine to make life blessed' and joyful. Ah, God! Praise be to all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts! Praise Him Father Son and Holy Ghost! I give thanks to a loving and gracious Heavenly Father for forgiving me and sending a dream job my way. I thank Him for all blessing and for all my new friends. I try to keep this blog worthy of your visits. It continues to mature with changing goals somewhat but the main goal remains, to make this a source of ready information about Old Time Music here in the heartland. You can find links and people and videos you would have to dig for a long time (as I have) but can find fast here. Be sure to visit the archives for good information. I have added a second page that I hope to use for a reference place. It just takes my time and effort and I hope this winter moves me to get er done. Eventually, if I EVER get good enough, I will post clips of my own playing later this year. (yeah right Gary!) Really. And I hope I don't scare you off. There are folks out there I don't know about still and I often ask for people to tell me about themselves or others. But they never do! I wish there could be more interaction but then I know from other bloggers that can be hard. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Rosalie the Prairie Flower by Carl Anderton

I don't live that far from Carl Anderton but I have yet to meet him. I expect that will happen some time or another soon enough. He just posted this on his FaceBook and I really liked it. Nice job. I hope you enjoyed it. This is an excellent example of the antebellum old timey music folks here in the KC area who are often found around Civil War reenactments and campgrounds. Carl Anderton lives on the Kansas side of the line here in the Kansas City metro area. He is a member of the Gum Springs Serenaders.

Thanksgiving in song

This happens to be one of my most favorite hymns. I hope you enjoy this fellow's playing it on a dulcimer. It's most appropriate because as the youtube film say's, the song is really OT. OT enough for me! I am thankful to my Lord for the blessing of a job after having been out of work for a tad more than two years. I get up every day with a thankful heart for the chance to make a living and to pay my bills and keep our home. I am thankful for second and third and forth chances. God is gracious and merciful. I am thankful for my Church and our Pastors. God has blessed me in this richly. I am thankful for the ones I love and that they remain in my life. I am thankful for my many friends. I am thankful for music and how it blesses me. I could go on like this for a long time. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for. I hope and pray that you too have a lot to be thankful for and that your day tomorrow will be blessed. Thanks for coming by to visit me here. I hope it's worth the time and you find something useful or interesting here. I stand on the shoulders of a lot of folks who know lots more, can actually play much better and bless us with their knowledge and gifts. Happy Thanksgiving!

Yet another Carlin clip

I HAD to post this one too. It is awesome! YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS ONE!

One more Carlin Clip

Bob Carlin, clawhammer banjo player

For some reason I have purchased a lot of John Carlin's recordings. John is a master clawhammer banjo player and historian/folklorist who published a history of the instrument a few years back. "The Birth of the Banjo: Joel Walker Sweeney and Early Minstrelsey" John Carlin was a member of John Hartford's String Band and he played on Hartford's last CD, Hamilton Ironworks which is my reason for talking about him here. In addition to that, he helped out on Gene Goforth's CD the Hartford produced, "Eminence Breakdown". When you listen to Hartford's CD's your going to often hear him playing in the background while John is on the fiddle. For some odd reason, I don't hear much about him here in our region. I suppose it's because he is a North Carolinian and his orbit remains there and I have no notion that he has ever come our way to play that I am aware of. It's possible he has and I missed it. I am writting this to encourage you to give him a listen. He is truly a Master on the banjo. I must warn you he is different and has a sense of humor. Some of his stuff is kind of silly and odd but over all I enjoy what he does. Like past banjo men, he agree's that a banjo player must be funny. His book is on my list for future reading and I ought to have read it some time ago. I should be able to give you a review but alas I have slacked in my duties to you my dear readers. I want to recommend a couple other of his recordings that are most worthy of your buying. One he did with Bruce Molsky, "Take me As I Am" which came out in 2006. This one is particularly good and anything that Bruce Molsky does it excellent in my opinion. The other recording I want to point to you is "The Boys of North Carolina"(2003) I really liked this one and the tunes he picked. He tends toward minstrel tunes and they are an interesting lot. Have a listen to some fine pickin. Maybe you will catch the Carlin bug too. I hope so. The reason I am talking about him is the tie in with Hartford and the recordings he has done with Hartford and Goforth who as you well know are missouri fiddlers of renown. He sets the bar high on clawhammer banjo and I really like listening to him. I won't be able to do it but I wish someone would research banjo playing and the Ozarks. I suspect there is a weak tradition for it but I really don't know. I know there are some fine players out there NOW but it was not always so and I believe, or my impression is that Bluegrass style playing was pretty much it for many years back in the day until interested folks took it up since the sixties or seventies. If I am wrong TELL ME. In the meanwhile, check out John Carlin.

Roy McClure of Independence Mo

I finally got to meet Roy McClure recently at an event at the Shawnee Mission Indian Historical Site in Fairway ks. I had become his facebook friend some months ago. Maybe a year ago or more. I forget. Roy's thing is historical reenacting and banjo's. He often sets up his sutlers tent or fly and demonstrates old time frailing or clawhammer banjo playing as well as offering handmade banjos. Interestingly, he makes gourd banjos, fretted and non fretted. They sound much more subdued than a Bluegrass type instrument and are really pretty sweet. He also makes a nice basic Old Time banjo as well and his pricing is very reasonable. If I ever decide to take that banjo plunge (I can't ever get the guitar thing down enough as it is), I would buy my first from Roy. If your like me your very likely to run into him if you go to Missouri Town at Lake Jacomo, or Reenactments at Lone Jack Mo, or Hodge Park's historical village up in north town. He will be wearing a top hat and period clothing from the 1850's and playing a banjo with kids likely surrounding him. He does not have a website but he does have a facebook page. Just type his name in. If you want a gourd banjo or simple OT type of banjo, check his out! Roy is a delightful fellow and you will enjoy meeting him. He enjoys discussing the banjo and it's history and how to make them. I think he has a great way to enjoy his retirement and to enrich our community here in the greater KC metro. Next time your at a Civil War reenactment near KC or some historical event with any kind of demonstrators or folks with a 'booth' or tents, you just might find him. Stop and say howdy. You will be glad you did. I was.