Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/10/2011:  20:24:30

Johnson Boys on Gold Tone BC-350+ with skin head. The descending chord bridge is David Lindley's, from his playing in the '60s. 

tomberghan - Posted - 09/10/2011:  21:59:35

That was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love everything you play but you have to admit that we don't get to hear you play Traditional and Old Time very often.  You do it so well!!!  My wife Susan just hollared from across the across the hall "Hey, I LIKED that!  Who was that?"  I said that's Paul!  She said to tell you how much she enjoyed it!

That Gold Tone Bob Carlin BC350+ just sounds fantastic, and they are so good looking too I think.  One of the very best bargains for a high quality production made banjo in the world I think.  I'm gonna get one! 

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 09/10/2011:  21:59:41

That's a real driving tune. Plenty of exuberance. Maybe ebullience is better. Well, it's one of those 'e' words!

Enjoyed it, definitely.

Laurence

tofte32 - Posted - 09/11/2011:  01:04:49

That was on the spot Paul love the sound coming from those dancing fingers

Ian

dgill - Posted - 09/11/2011:  05:05:20

  Very nice Paul.  Banjo had great sound and your pickin complemented it very well.  That tune had some lets get up and dance vibe to it.  Very nice.

ALT - Posted - 09/11/2011:  05:16:41

 Truly, I have been entertained.  Thank you so much Paul.

jimh269b - Posted - 09/11/2011:  05:18:44

i think i seen some smoke come off those fingers paul,you sure burned it up

Don Borchelt - Posted - 09/11/2011:  05:38:48

You know, when you mentioned David Lindley in another thread the other day, I was going to mention his Johnson Boys recording, which was one of those banjo epiphanies for me when I first heard it, like when I first heard Scruggs play Cripple Creek.  I wrote up a post about it, then decided to wait until I could dig out the LP and sample some of the recording.  Now I won't need to- a fine, fine job of picking. Of course, we know now that Lindley was using "bum-ditty" extensively, as opposed to mostly "bump-a-ditty, which the BHO Old-Timey College of Cardinals, speaking ex-cathedra of course, informs us is second rate playing.  Hey, what did we know?

Edited by - Don Borchelt on 09/11/2011 05:39:21

robmac07 - Posted - 09/11/2011:  07:16:59

Good one, Paul! That 350+ is sounding great too.

The KIDD - Posted - 09/11/2011:  08:19:56

Ebullience!..Man I had to Wiki that B4 I could do anything else!.( Thought Big Bro made it up).Enjoyed that alot Paul! Got my butt movin this mornin. Very rhythmic while keeping a great melody intact. Make a great arr. with other instruments!

KIDD

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/11/2011:  08:37:47

When KIDD mentioned arranging this with other instruments the first sound that popped into my head was some wild DADGAD guitar.Then other instruments started coming in -- until I spun into a fantasy of people all over the world playing music together. Then I remembered the prophecy about a future where there will be peace amongst all humankind:

"They will beat their swords into tuning forks and their spears into banjos. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Instead, people will spend their time making music, celebrating and helping one another."

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/11/2011:  10:49:05

quote:

---

Originally posted by Don Borchelt

You know, when you mentioned David Lindley in another thread the other day, I was going to mention his Johnson Boys recording, which was one of those banjo epiphanies for me when I first heard it, like when I first heard Scruggs play Cripple Creek.  I wrote up a post about it, then decided to wait until I could dig out the LP and sample some of the recording.  Now I won't need to- a fine, fine job of picking. Of course, we know now that Lindley was using "bum-ditty" extensively, as opposed to mostly "bump-a-ditty, which the BHO Old-Timey College of Cardinals, speaking ex-cathedra of course, informs us is second rate playing.  Hey, what did we know?

---

I've been somewhat peripherally aware of David Lindley's musical incarnations through the years, but for me it was my contact with him from '62-'64 that left the greatest impression. It was during that time that I took the great plunge into banjo and guitar. Lindley was a year ahead of me in a neighboring high school. When I opened wide my folk music antennae Lindley came front-and-center on my radar screen. When I was hanging out with him at the Cat's Pajamas - a traditional folk music coffee house in Arcadia, CA - Lindley was already commandeering his trio, The Mad Mountain Ramblers, to gigs all over Southern CA, including Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, The Ice House, The Ash Grove, etc. 

When I was just becoming aware that there was this other old-timey sound hidden away in our country, I asked  Dick Hargreaves the guitar player for the Mad Mountain Ramblers what were the sources for hearing more of this music. He told of two things: one was a group called the New Lost City Ramblers, which he said were reproducing the old sounds; and a record collection he said was available at the Pasadena Public Library, called the Folkways Anthology (the Harry Smith collection). Those recorded spent an inordinate amount of time checked out under my name. I also got into the New Lost City Ramblers. One time I saw them was at a major UCLA folk festival, an amazing event. 

But, it was David Lindley and the Mad Mountain Ramblers that really caught my attention. They played old-timey and bluegrass. Lindley played Scruggs, Keith and frailing - all brilliantly. He had a unique kind of charisma and sense of humor; a man with a very large and interesting creative mind. I remember Steve Cahill, the fiddler in the Mad Mountain Ramblers, being quite blown away at how quickly Lindley was teaching himself to play fiddle. Cahill told me that Lindley had an uncanny ability to learn instruments very quickly. I used to see Lindley coming around to the back of the Cat's Pajamas (where the informal jams took place) carrying two full armloads of instruments. Something about that stuck, because I'm still doing that, only now I use a foldout cart.       

jimh269b - Posted - 09/11/2011:  11:33:52

i know you have more paul,post another one,it has to be great

jimh269b - Posted - 09/11/2011:  11:33:53

i know you have more paul,post another one,it has to be great

jimh269b - Posted - 09/11/2011:  11:33:54

i know you have more paul,post another one,it has to be great

jimh269b - Posted - 09/11/2011:  11:33:54

i know you have more paul,post another one,it has to be great

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/11/2011:  13:21:44

Hard to ignore that level of persistence, even if it was unintentional.

Thanks for the encouragement. Okay, I'll give it a shot.

BTW does anyone know a name to describe Lindley's rather classical sounding, descending chord progression ge created for Johnson Boys? A "cadenza" or...?  

PauL

Edited by - Paul Roberts on 09/11/2011 13:32:38

The KIDD - Posted - 09/11/2011:  13:42:38

Well....Jim has spoken (EF Hutton)..Ya got 4 tado now..

JanetB - Posted - 09/11/2011:  18:08:58

Is this the same song that goes with these lyrics?  Your version is captivating.  Did you also learn it from John Burke's Old Time Fiddle Tunes for Banjo, as well as your friend David?

Have you heard the many a story told by old and young with joy

Bout the many deeds a daring that was done by the Johnson boys

That was done by the Johnson boys

That was done by the Johnson boys that was done by the Johnson boys



The Johnson boys were boys of honor they knew how the fortune made

They knew how to hug and kiss them oh but pretty girls don't be afraid

Oh but pretty girls don't be afraid oh but pretty girls don't be afraid



They were lads of skill and courage and their sights were very far

And they joined the country service in that awful Civil War

In that awful Civil War in that awful Civil War

In that awful Civil War in that awful Civil War



They were scouts in Rebels army and were known far and wide

When the Yankees saw them comin' they throw down their guns and hide

They throw down their guns and hide they throw down their guns and hide

They throw down their guns and hide they throw down their guns and hide

Do you ever sing, too, Paul?

 

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/11/2011:  20:45:26

Yeah, I used to sing more. Just starting to get into a bit more lately. Funny, I was just thinking of trying to shoot a video with the Burke version; it's one of my favorites. Tomorrow, hopefully. Thanks.

picKen - Posted - 09/12/2011:  02:41:56

I enjoyed very much!  I really like that look you give to the camera early on like" Yeah, this is good stuff.  You better stay tuned.  You ain't heard nothing yet."  And so I did.  And so it WAS!   

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/12/2011:  07:38:29

Interesting to hear your perception, Kenny. Reminds me of the adage, "you can't experience someone else's experience." Actually, the level of self-confidence, that you projected, was not welling up in me; what I was thinking was, "I hope I play it well enough so people enjoy it." Thanks for listening.

PauL

Mark Johnson - Posted - 09/12/2011:  08:32:28

very nice, Paul.  It's lovely but with a real high energy sometimes lacking in lovely things.  That's a real treat.

Thanks,

Mark

skiptomylou - Posted - 09/12/2011:  11:54:32

Fantastic - I listened last night and had to come back again today - jaw-droppingly good and immensely entertaining.
Jill

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/12/2011:  12:55:52

Mark and Jill, thank you very much for such sweet words. Please know I'm a fan of you both. Jill, you're a talented songwriter with a beautiful voice. I've listened to your music on myspace. 

Best regards,

PauL

plunknplinkntwang - Posted - 09/12/2011:  14:21:51

Paul

thanks for posting!  That high energy playing really lifted my spirits.

Really cool how you used not only the fingerboard for the notes but also varied the picking position over the head to both influence and emphasise the tones. 

Following JanetB's post are the lyrics that fit the Frank Proffitt ones?

Johnson boys, play your fiddle,

Johnson boys, sing your song,

Johnson boys, hug in the middle,

Hug in the middle and you can't go wrong.



 

Once again thanks for posting; only concern is that the chapeau didn't seem appropriate for the tune though

rgds

Chris

jimh269b - Posted - 09/12/2011:  15:50:42

lots of comments paul,and should have been,what a great job

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/12/2011:  20:31:26

Thanks Jim and Plunk. Plunk, you get the high score for apparel incongruity reconnaissance (just testing to see if you were paying attention)

PauL

blanham - Posted - 09/13/2011:  04:39:44

I watched it once ... then I cranked up the volume and watched it LOUD twice!  That's a delightful performance.

Also, those BC 350's (plus or sans-plus) have a nice sound, with the 12" pot.  A fellow at banjo camp had one.

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/13/2011:  09:14:35

quote:

---

Originally posted by blanham

I watched it once ... then I cranked up the volume and watched it LOUD twice!  That's a delightful performance.

Also, those BC 350's (plus or sans-plus) have a nice sound, with the 12" pot.  A fellow at banjo camp had one.

---

Thanks, blanham, I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I'm eager to check out one of their BC-120's because I think it would be a killer banjo for the money. I'm in an odd position because, even though I'm the only dealer in the world that works exclusively with Gold Tone, I haven't gotten a chance to play most of their products since I run an online business, living in the middle of nowhere. But when I get the money, I intend to invest in a BC-120, put a skin on it, and take it to YouTube to get the word out about an affordable old-time banjo. I like the sound of the 12" (especially with skin); I like the scoop; and I like the wider fingerboard.

PauL

Frailblazer - Posted - 09/13/2011:  09:17:27

First off - that was really great Paul. I especially love the chords in the middle as it is not something you hear in old-time tunes very often, i. e. a nice surprise!  The banjo sounds wonderful as does your playing.

So I'm watching your video and I can't put my finger on it but something seems different. Then I noticed!

Your mustache is gone!!!  But that's part of your brand! 

- Ric

Edited by - Frailblazer on 09/13/2011 09:18:59

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/13/2011:  11:50:58

Maybe that guy in your picture could learn something by seeing what he's hiding behind.

Glad you liked the tune, Ric. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing more of your fabulous sounds.

PauL

Frailblazer - Posted - 09/13/2011:  15:37:27

Thanks Paul!  I'm working on a few new ones and will post them soon.

- Ric

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/13/2011:  15:41:23

Good. Looking forward to hearing your new tunes. Just don't grow your mustache as long as the guy in your picture, or you might snag somebody - and that could be dangerous for a guy, like you, who's married.

PauL

Frailblazer - Posted - 09/13/2011:  18:07:57

LOL! Noted.

Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 09/16/2011:  21:02:48

One of the first instrumental banjo records I ever got (if not THE first), sometime in the 1960s, was a compilation called "5-String Banjo Greats", that included the David Lindley recording of this tune.

About a dozen years later I saw Erik Frandsen of New York play this version (or something closely resembling it) in performance, and later that night I figured out how to play something like it based on watching his hands as he played.

I never realized until now that the descending chord progression wasn't a usual part of the tune.

You do a superb job of rendering it here!

[You seemed to have included a chord or two that I never noticed before. I have the Lindley performance in digital form now - that same compilation record having been re-issued digitally under the bizarre title of "Traditional Banjo Music of the Ozarks" - which it clearly is not - and I went back and listened to Lindley play it tonight. Those extra chords are indeed there - but they're more clearly articulated in your playing!]

Though you play them both superbly, I gotta say, I prefer this version hands down to the John Burke version you have posted in another thread. But that's clearly a question of taste.

Edited by - Marc Nerenberg on 09/16/2011 21:11:24