Great Barrington — Banjo god Tony Trischka will perform at the Guthrie Center Saturday, October 8, at 8 p.m. backed by the newly formed Robot Plane, a string band featuring National Mandolin Champion Jacob Jolliff (Yonder Mountain String Band); Scottish-born singer-songwriter, fiddle player, and composer Hannah Read; and bassist-multi-instrumentalist Jared Engel.
While Bill Monroe is widely regarded as the father of bluegrass, Tony Trischka has earned his own professional moniker, the New York Times having noted that “in fiddle- and fret-conscious circles from Nashville to Groton, Mass. … he is known as the father of modern bluegrass.” (He puts it in more humble terms: “I guess I’d call myself a guy who broke down some boundaries for the banjo,” he told the Times.)
In 2006, roots music champion and Compass Records co-founder Alison Brown told the New York Times’ Tammy La Gorce that “it’s impossible to imagine what contemporary banjo music would be like today if Tony hadn’t blazed a path for all of us.”
Tony is not only one of the world’s most highly esteemed players of the banjo. He is also a banjo researcher, teacher, and author. In other words, he is a full-blown banjologist and a master of just about every style of banjo playing there is.
Banjo players worldwide have felt Trischka’s influence for over half a century. His acolytes include such prodigies as Béla Fleck, Alison Brown, and Noam Pikelny (Punch Brothers).
Tony’s Wikipedia entry discusses the “sinewy, snaky melodic runs” he’s famous for and which now can be heard in much of today’s modern bluegrass. (Béla Fleck and others have advanced the technique somewhat.) Nowadays, Tony alternates between traditional bluegrass and the newfangled techniques he has pioneered and promulgated.
Tony Trischka’s discography, going back to the early 1970s, includes 16 albums as leader and another 10 as a guest with other groups. His first solo release was “Bluegrass Light” (Rounder, 1974), and his latest, Shefa Records’ Civil War-themed “Shall We Hope” (2021) comprises 18 tracks of what Tony calls “historical fiction.” (Listen here.)
Here’s what Bluegrass Today wrote about “Shall We Hope”:
“Superb performances and musicianship are on display from a huge backing of musicians including Brittany Haas, Dominick Leslie, Lawson White, Jared Engel, Alex Hargreaves, Tatiana Hargreaves, Skip Ward, Nate Sabat, and Sean Trischka, to name a few. The playing on every track is so fresh and full of energy, and it is evident that each musician on this project was thrilled to be a part of it.”
Tony is dedicated to sharing his knowledge with aspiring young players. He told the New York Times, “I can teach anybody to play banjo in an hour. Anybody can do it.” Accordingly, his online Tony Trischka School of Banjo (not to mention his free instructional content on YouTube) reaches students around the world. And on Saturday, Tony will hold a three-hour workshop prior to the performance.
See banjo god Tony Trischka at the Guthrie Center Saturday, October 8. Doors open at 6:30, concert at 8 p.m. The workshop will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. The Guthrie Center serves food, wine, and beer. Tickets here.
