warpdrive - Posted - 07/27/2019:  14:12:14

Saturday, July 27th, 4:38 pm, Urbancrest Oh,

Good Afternoon,

Well, i just got in from my first gig with my new Hatfield Banjo, and i must say i am pleased as punch.
My good Ray Vining had invited my to help out at a open house for a Glass Blowing business 7 miles east of Laurelville Oh, and silly me, i didn't even get inside to look and any of there wares.

Ray and his wife Beth had already invited(per the owner wanting a lot of pickers) another guitar picker and he brought a mandolin picker with him, and sadly, i can't even remember there names...but they could pick, the both play in a couple of different bands in the Columbus area, and they could play with anybody on the circuit.
When i arrived they were already hard at it....Ray wasted no time asking me to un-crate the Hatfield. The first thing they noticed was it was head and shoulders "louder"than the rest of the instruments....not just because i'm heavy handed, but it wasn't my imagination these last few days when i told y'all this is the loudest banjo i've ever had in my hands....Ray said the same thing.....she is loud, and she is bright...probably more inline with what a Stelling sounds like....and that suits me right down to the ground.
I expect the brightness and shrillness of the tone to subside with more playing, one must remember that she is still very green, but the one thing i really do like is i don't have to work hard to get the sound out, she will flat cut a mike, and she does deepen up in tone as you play it...but she is really keen when you first take her out of the case, but i do like they way it mikes, and she is crystal clear all up and down the neck, i had lots of fun with the up the neck rolling back up!

Ray's wife, Beth, is a licensed minister, and she stays quite busy doing weddings, she has one or two almost every weekend, and had to duck out for a couple of hrs to go marry some people, so Ray left me up on stage with the other two "hired guns" and we did i guess a good thirty minutes up there together, buy the time they had to leave for there other gig, we were just getting comfortable with each other, but they had another gig they were already committed too, and soon they too had to leave, but we really tore it up the time we had together.

I did a good 45 minutes by myself....something i am accustomed to doing. I ran through a couple of cheat-a-key tunes, and i did what i call the common knowledge bluegrass tunes that even non-bluegrassers know...."The Beverly Hillbillies" and of course the Ozark National Anthem...."Dooley" but most everything i did was well excepted and the people sitting under the canopy eating and staying cool were quite appreciative of my attempt to keep them entertained.

Ray got back up with me and played guitar some, and we did 4 or 5 songs with him on guitar before he switched back to his banjo, and we did 4 or 5 double banjo tunes....i've become quite versed with Rays style, and i can twin him fairly well on several tunes....the crowd likes loud banjos in these sittings even though most bluegrassers don't.....aint that strange?

As i said...overall i was pleased with the performance of the Hatfield, the tone will be something that i will continue to work on....probably experimenting with more bridges....it would seem that the volume on this banjo is something i will never have to worry about, so finding a bridge that will give me more depth will be on my agenda as i continue breaking her in.....i have another gig next Saturday evening and if i never changed anything on this banjo....i would be happy, but i feel from experience , it's just a matter of trying out more bridges, and....giving her time to mature, and truthfully, that is most likely going to be the big determining factor...natural aging!

Ok gang, ive wore myself out for today, and i think i will put on my lounge ware and settle in for a few minutes....but i've already starting thinking about my bevy of bridges in my case, that i want to try out on the Hatfield.....no rest for the tinkerer,
till next time,
Y'all have a gooderin
Warp!

stratovarious520 - Posted - 07/29/2019:  21:14:08

I know we’ve never had the chance to pick together, but you sent me a message a while back with some nice things to say. I appreciated that. I went back and read this entire post from day one, and I have to say God bless you brother. You have endured the lion’s share of setbacks...but you never give up. So admirable! Cancer has afflicted my family for decades, and is a damnable disease. And I totally agree that the treatment could be worse than the affliction.

It appears things are starting to turn around for you. I couldn’t be happier. Especially with a great new (albeit loud) banjer, and some gigs. My hope is that you continue to recover and get stronger.
I have an admittedly somewhat selfish reason for this. Apparently you are just a couple of hours away from where I live (just north of Ironton, OH). I would absolutely love to visit you just to hear your stories, and maybe jam a little (and maybe to pick the Hatfield; )). You are a warrior brother, and even if the opportunity to pick doesn’t present itself, my best wishes to you!

warpdrive - Posted - 07/30/2019:  06:57:47

Greg,
Thank you so much for the kinds words.

like so many of the hangout members that are following me on this thread...you too are a "Fer Piece" away...looks like a solid 2 hrs down there in Ironton.

I know Ken Hydinger is 4.5 hrs away over in the Bean Blossom Area, and a couple of weeks ago when we met up to go get the Hatfield, i drove 3.5 hrs just to get to Louisville and then we rode another 2 hrs down to Arthurs...so it just seems that everything banjo in my life, is meant for me to have to work for it, LOL.

I am going to be gigging at the 7 mile Festival for one set this Saturday night in Greenfield Oh, looks like that is about 1.5 hrs from you....that is a bit closer if you had nothing better too do, although i don't know how long i will stay after our set, my "stamina" just isn't that great now a days, and if i don't know when to say when, the results can be not so great for me, in other words....i don't push my self much in these days of still taking chemo.....but that being said, i would love to meet you and absolutely let you pick the Hatfield.
I am un sure of our set time as of this posting...but i am sure latter in the week i will have more details, and my plans are to get down there somewhere around a hour before our set, to run through the tunes with the band that's hired me.

Again Greg, thanks for the shout out, and i hope we can meet one day soon, let me know when you are in the area....if things continue to hold, i am too be here until the end of September ......i keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but right now i am just trying to enjoy the new found good things that are starting to transpire...
i got so used to life taking things away from me.....i have a hard time with life giving things back.....it is a shock to me on that front.

Ok Greg,
have a gooderin
Warp!

stratovarious520 - Posted - 07/30/2019:  20:13:31

Kevin,

That may be doable! Sure can’t beat the admission price!! The only sticking point would be the two MRDD ladies that live with us, and we provide care for. If I can get someone to sit with them (of course providing your set is fairly early), my wife and I may be able to come. It’s really not that far...I have a daughter that lives in Chillicothe. I’ll keep fingers crossed that it works out!

Btw, I looked at the lineup, which band are you picking with?

Edited by - stratovarious520 on 07/30/2019 20:17:14

warpdrive - Posted - 07/31/2019:  04:28:14

Hey Greg,

The name of the band (i only found out there name a few minutes ago) the band i am to help out is called "The Long Time Drifters" and my friend Ron who i've played in bands with the last several years, he runs the Appalachian Festival...somehow or another...the guitar and mandolin player befriended him, and then when he committed to helping them with this set and found out they needed a banjo picker, he asked me....so this is how this all came about.

Ron called me a few minutes ago and said our set would be at 8pm. I don't know how that will work with you. I probably will try to be down there on site sometime between 6 and 6:30, As i've said, i don't want to stress my system too much by spending a lot of extra energy, and believe it or not, just being up walking around and shaking and howdying it does run you down...but what i'm saying is if you do try to decide to do this....i can give you my phone number so we could meet up and visit....
Ron said that one of these guys has a rv that he is bringing and we could practice in that...but i would see no problem with you being able to be around when we do that...unless you find a stage band you want to listen to or get into a jam somewhere.....i'm really casual with all that.
I'm kind of a quick study when it comes to playing with different bands meaning....
i'm not going to practice the whole set before we get up to play the whole set, i've been doing this since i was 16 years old, bluegrass hasn't changed that much, and i've played it all.....pretty much!

Ok Greg, that is all i got....if it works...i look forward to seeing and meeting you, and if this isn't the place....i'm sure there will be a chance somewhere else down the road....keep me posted!
Warp!

warpdrive - Posted - 08/01/2019:  12:13:53

Friday, August 1st, 2:08 pm, Urbancrest Oh,

Good Afternoon,

Well gang, weird, wondrous, and i will also add " good things " seem to be continuing to happen for ole warpy, and the latest of what i will lead with in this yet continuing saga of, "what's up with Warp"!..Here goes...

After getting up this morning and answering a Hey how ya doing PM from my old buddy ken....i told him i have a number of errands to do today, this being the first of the month, what little droppings the "Eagle" drops on me each and every 1st of the month, i look forward to getting....the first thing is always putting money on the "pay as i go" cell phone, which intails finding the local verizon store and going in to pester a employee, that always wish's i would just get in the 21st century and get a smart phone, and do it online....yeah, me too!

So after the monthly dance with Verizon, i set out for the BMV...."WOW" not going to happen today....they had people "stacked up like cord wood" and fortunately for me, i can just go one day next week, and get there at 8am when they open and beat the christmas rush.....yeah, that's what i will do.

Next on my agenda.."and here's where it gets interesting" was to stop in at the local music store i had called earlier and get some new strings for "Serena", i've been strumming the ones on her since her birth, and seeing as how i'm gigging on Saturday, i thought she would enjoy a new set of noise makers.

I walk into the store, the name is "Pontones" Music Store. I walk in and i hear a lady from the back yell up to me, that she'd be right up....unbeknowst to me what was going on in the back. Now i know your probably thinking ole warp walked in on a hum dinger jam session, or maybe even a good poker game, but now wait for it.....
The lady asked me..."did you call on the phone earlier" i said Yeah, what gave me away, ....she said..."that's a very unique accent you got there, where are you from...
i told her the same thing i tell everybody..."L.A." the response is always the same....really? L.A. with that accent? i says yeah....."lower Arkansas" i told her...
"i always say L.A. but i am getting the impression there is another L.A besides lower arkansas, based on responses....she laughed, which is what i like to do when i can...make people laugh.
She goes on to ask me when i am paroosing the banjo strings....she asks" can you play that banjo on the wall back there....and i looked behind me and there was a basic...no tone ring....beginner banjo...i took it down off the wall and strummed it, and believe it or not....it was in tune, and noted fairly well....it wasn't in any way as good as a Deering Goodtime, but, i've seen worse.

The ladies name was Maria, and she lead me to the back, and started addressing two young "twenty-somthing" men, that had a circle of microphones around a table, and i've seen enough YOUTUBE to know what a "Pod Cast" looks like, she asks me to sit down with these men, and play something.......on the banjo...."yikes"

i have no picks, and she proceeded to bring me out the pick box, and too the store's credit, it was well stocked with dunlop finger picks, and every size of white dunlop thumb picks.....i fumbled through and found a thumb pick and started fitting my fingers when i asked the two young men what the nature of the Pod Cast was about, and they told" this is a monthly thing they do, to promote the local talent and they done this each month now for about the last 6 months or so.

I told the guys that if they really wanted to hear me play, and they would wait long enough for me to go back to my room and get my banjo" i started to say real banjo" but careful not to offend, i also gave them a little of my back story over the last year, and there ears perked up, and they were glad to wait for me to go and return with my banjo.

One of the guys name is Alonso Zavala, and his partner, i honestly can't remember his name, but he is the person that did most of the interviewing on this pod cast.
These guys were very interested in my back story, and we all thought this to be a very " serendipitous " indeed, and i was honestly the first real in person banjo picker that they had ever seen, much less interviewed.

The boys got the mic's all set, and i warmed up best i could, and honestly, i am disappointed with my playing.....i was what i called "stumbly fingered, from switching out to a different bridge last nite, and the spacing is just enough different that i'm not as smooth yet, certainly not like i would have like to have been for a debut of such a fine banjo.....speaking of that....how shocked people are to lift a real professional ax....i always like to see the reaction on peoples faces , they have no idea how much heavier a banjo is than other instruments.

The guys had me play two tunes, so i did "Flint Hill Special" the tuner tunes are always a good attention getter, then i told the back story on Foggy MT, Breakdown, and the movie promanace associated with it and then i played it....again...a sorry showing on my part, but as they say....it is what it is!

After i played the two tunes, the interview started, and told them about the banjo hangout, and how Eric had started it in 2000 and my joining in 2003, and basically started with my leaving Cincinnati last year, and all that has happened.

I tried to remember to thank as many of ya'll as i could, and i am so sorry that i just when blank with not thanking everybody, especially my good friend Moo, i just absolutely forgot to mention that he is the one that started posting my videos, and mike, i just can't say enough, how bad i feel about that, everything was happening so quick, and i was trying to get so much in such a little time, i just starting having "brain farts" so to everybody who has been here for me, that i didn't get to mention.....you know how grateful i am, and there was no ill intent intended. I know now why people write down what they are going to say at acceptance speeches!

I think this pod cast is going to air in about a week or so, they said they will have to edit it, and then post it.....i asked them to send a copy here to "Eric" and that maybe he would post it on this thread seeing as how you guys and the hangout have been such a big part of my recovery and good things that are starting to happen in my life now.

Oh yeah, Maria, the store owner gave me my two sets of strings and a store TEE Shirt that they had me and the guys and herself take a picture out in front of the store window.....pretty cool huh?

Ok guys, once again, another episode of "Warp drive" in wonderland!
as i say....you can't make this stuff up....of course i don't say stuff!

Till next time,
y'all have a gooderin
Warp!

Mooooo - Posted - 08/01/2019:  12:56:31

That's great Kevin. You walked into a pretty cool situation. If you know the name of the podcast, we can google it and then copy the web address and add the link here easy enough so everyone can take a listen. I am happy to remain behind the scenes so don't worry about thanking me. I'm looking forward to seeing this podcast. Sounds like you had a lot of fun. I hope it lasts a good long time too, it'll be cool to see which songs you played and the interview. 

p.s. If you ever run into this kind of situation, bring your laptop along and ask them to help you send me your backlog of videos that you couldn't email so I can post them.

Best of luck,

Mooooo

Edited by - Mooooo on 08/01/2019 13:06:40

Mike Rowe - Posted - 08/01/2019:  13:43:26

Warp at Pontones

(Sorry. I don't know how to insert the picture here. Just this link.)

chuckv97 - Posted - 08/01/2019:  14:06:10

LA.....lower Arkansas..LOL!

warpdrive - Posted - 08/01/2019:  14:33:16

Hey Guys

They gave me several addressees so i will give you what i have.....

Enkindledmedia@gmail.com

Soundcloud.com/enkindledColumbus
instagram.com/enkindeledcolumbus

and Alonso's email is ajzavala97@gmail.com

so maybe some of you tech/email savy people can do the vodo you do!

Mike Rowe.....buddy that was quick, so i am guessing you've heard of these guys before?

Moo, it didn't even dawn on me to ask these guys for help with my laptop sending problems....that's how out of sorts i am at times.

As i said, i only played the two tunes....and for me, i was not happy with myself, for what ever reason i just couldn't get my hand comfortable, so I'm only guessing it is bridge shock, and i'm just not adjusted to it yet, but from what i could hear on a bit of the play back, the tone was good, the banjo just needed a better facilitator of its tone capability!

As i said earlier, i tried to remember to talk about the hangout as much as possible and told the guys to send this to Eric, in hopes it would be good for business and a way to say thanks for letting all this transpire on his site,....i never want to take you guys and this site for granted......

I didn't think about this, but i thought a pod cast was audio only, i don't know if there was video, but come to think of it.....that makes sense that he had a big ass cell phone on a tri pod pointed right at me....duh....color me one stupid banjo man!
This could be a greek tragedy unfolding before our very eyes!

Can i blame the side effects of chemo on this?
tune in next time....
same banjo time....
same banjo channel....
Y'all have a gooderin
Warp!

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 08/01/2019:  16:33:49

Warp,Great story at the music store. It is great when LIFE happens and not shi happening. What a great experience, and I bet one that will be talked about for a long time, for those guys sitting in that circle. Love it.

ken

warpdrive - Posted - 08/01/2019:  17:08:43

Thanks ken,

Yeah, those guys said i was the first live (as opposed to dead)banjo picker they had ever seen.
They were very enthusiastic , and probably could be considered potential converts, and in our genre, we are in serious need of the youth showing interest in the banjo and bluegrass.
The store owners partner came in as i was leaving, her name was Josephine, and when she found out i was a banjo picker, she asked if i would be interested in giving lessons, and i told her if there was a interest, sure, as long as i was going to be around for the next couple of months....i don't know guys, maybe something besides my cancer is/ has been, leading me to this Columbus area? I'm sure not going to willingly second guess anything as this point....just go with it!

warp!

Mike Rowe - Posted - 08/01/2019:  18:02:49

Nope. Didn't know them.
I searched for Alonzo and found his Facebook page. AND friended him because of you!

warpdrive - Posted - 08/01/2019:  18:20:47

Thanks Mike Rowe,
i just found it amazing that you got that photo link up so quick.....i tell ya, i stay amazed at the times we live in now a days, in some ways it scares me a bit and how one never knows when something that they've just innocently been a part of...just shows up on the internet, weather they wanted it to show up or not....there it is!

Warp!

Mike Rowe - Posted - 08/01/2019:  18:26:44

Finding Alonzo, and what has been done for you lately, are two examples of the proper use of the internet.

warpdrive - Posted - 08/01/2019:  18:34:53

Mike,
YES!
Absolutely, in a time, when there is so many negative things happening, that get posted on the internet...only to enrage people, what has been happening for me, these last few months, i must whole heartedly say is and what the net was created for....and i am thankful!
Warp!

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 08/01/2019:  18:38:55

Good picture. Good looking shirt from the music store. may have to get one.

facebook.com/hashtag/onlyincbu...__=*NKH-R

Ken

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 08/04/2019:  03:50:59

Warp posted this on a thread about Arthur Hatfield but I think it should be posted here also, so here it is:

Saturday Night. 11:21 pm, Urbancrest Ohio.

Good evening.

Well ole warp just got back from helping a band out over at the 7 mile bluegrass festival in Greenfield Oh. The turnout was excellent, scattered pop up tents for all the have shade that wanted it, and there was a few decent shade trees, plenty of beverages to drink...soda, water,, adult beverages, and the occasional mason jar full of that stuff that really it's best mixed in a 55 gallon can of fruit punch or wine, cause drinking it straight, will put hair on your eye balls!

The big draw band there tonight was Hammertown...i didn't stick around for them, i was tried, and had done all the damage i could do.
I wasn't real feeling it tonight, could have been the heat, could have been just not enough practice with the band...(we just ran through the set list once) and that was it....truthfully, at a local festival like this....although the turn out was excellent, they are there to drink adult beverages till every band that gets up, sounds good to them, and then they'll have more adult beverages.
I was not really happy with my performance, i couldn't hear very well on stage, and my ears were ringing so bad, i had trouble hearing my banjo's pitch. And because the guys have not been playing very long (yes, i was doing them a solid by playing
with them) there timming and abilities were not at the front of the beat, and i am so far forward of the beat....for me it was like running in concrete boots, and i just fought it the entire set, but they enjoyed me helping them and they paid me well, and i was glad to do it....but i would need to reality take them back to school on there rhythm placement, and driving the beat forward.

I was glad to get out and do it....things will start moving in a intense sickly direction on monday. Tomorrow i must go pickup drugs to start pre-meds all week long with the meds they will give me on wednesday and thursday and friday....did i say by friday i won't be fit to kill....yeah...i'll be at the beginning of feeling bad by friday evening....and then until the next weekend, i will be lucky if i leave the apartment, i never knew you could develop feelings for a toliet....but i think of mine as my best friend! Sorry guys....TMI!

Ok gang...just thought id say the gig was good....first bluegrass festival i'd been to in 10years, and if i didn't need rest, and was a young man again....i could have found a good jam or two that would have worked. My Friends Ray and Beth Vining the "picking Pair" they were out in the audience , i'm sure ray will call me tomorrow and let me know just how bad it really was.....and it was bad..but i learned a long time ago...especially playing bluegrass festivals, and the sound problems and the filling in with bands you've never played with, and the drunk audience , and the heat...."sometimes you the windshield....sometimes your the bug.. tonight i was the bug! I left my guts up on the stage, but hey, i'm not missing the real point of this
"THE POINT IS....I DID IT...I AM BACK OUT WORKING WITH A BANJO AROUND MY NECK....NOW IF I CAN JUST FIGURE OUT HOW TO PLAY THE DAMN THING!

Ok guys...bed time....lots of errands to run tomorrow, and i hope some of you will drop me a line next week, it means a lot...the " hey warp how ya doing"?, I really do like to hear from all of you, and especially ya'll that have been or are going through what i am, misery loves company don't you know? Seriously, i do like to hear from any of you, and we don't have to talk about banjo's and bluegrass, i'll talk about most anything, i was a semi-pro hand gunner for a few years, i was also a league billiard player and snooker. So don't feel if you want to pm me and talk, it doesn't have to be just about banjos and bluegrass, i just like to talk, and it gets my mind off of ....well you know.

Till the next time
Y'all have a gooderin
Warp!

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 08/04/2019:  03:55:28

Warp,
Great job getting out their playing! With a new band and with what you have been going thru,it is not surprising you were "Not feeling it". If you could feel it all the time with what you are going thru you would "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!" and able to fly as well. Hope you are having a good sleep in this morning.
ken

warpdrive - Posted - 08/04/2019:  07:48:09

Hey Ken,

Thanks for the kind words, and the motivation.

And.....
Thank you to the mod that moved my post from the Arthur tread to my thread..
it was late when i got in last night, and when i realized i had posted my update on Arthur's thread....i contacted a mod and asked them if they thought it should be moved to my thread...but i was good with either.... i'm glad they seen fit to put it here in my thread also....so Thank You...to the mod that did this!

I had a PM from a member that wanted me to clarify what i meant about the timing issue i was voicing about, with the musician's i was filling in with last night, and my "running in concrete boot" .....i will do that now......

When ken and I were going down to Arthur's a few weeks ago, he got to hear ole warp in his natural habitat, playing "unencumbered" full throttle natural Scruggs forward timing...it's very fast, and fluid....and Ken himself said from the front seat..
Warp...your timing is always leaning forward....i said yes....that is exactly what Scruggs banjo timing is....and not only Earl.....any banjo player that has learned to play Jimmy Martin tunes the way Jimmy did them....plays a front of the beat....forward pushing banjo timing. Now i never got to work for Jimmy, but i have worked with people who did.....it is almost the same thing....the timing certainly is!

If you were to take a block that is a foot long and place the beat by inch increments, at a point in the beat block.....my timing beat would be probably somewhere up around the 11 or 12 increment....as far forward of the beat as you can get with out getting ahead and out of time.

With the beat block being a foot long....that leaves a lot of wiggle room for a band and its members to play songs and still be in time....let me reiterate, the band is still playing in time..... but that being said.....if you have a banjo picker and a bass player that is playing the beat in the block somewhere up along the 11 or 12, but the guitar and mandolin are putting it somewhere down in the 6-8....there is not a fluid flow in the beat....and somebody or several somebody's must slow down or speed up for that flow.....and that really never happened last night.....at best...i tried to accommodate and "alter" my timing roll....but that is easier said than done...when you've spent years playing with like minded musicians, and got your rolls to a "unconscious second nature" it is a struggle...."running in concrete boots" to just change up your roll to fit a lack of momentum in the others timing.

So to the member that pm'd me....this is what i meant by i would have to "take them back to school" on pushing the beat forward. This was not meant to be something "derogatory" in as much as....it's what bands do in practice to get better and in sync with each other so they sound like a tight band, and not a throw together, rag tag bunch of jammers, and it's hard to not sound like the latter when you've only just met, and never played together, and boom...now your on stage at a booked event....but thems the breaks, and when you are a "for hire" musician, this is going to happen, and has happened several times in my previous career....but its been a great number of years....i got a good dose of reality again last night and a reminder that there is more to performing and playing than just showing up and starting a song together, and ending a song together, i hope this explains a bit of my post about timing issue's!

I...on the other hand.....did figure out something about myself last night, and when i leave to go get my prescripts after while....am going to institute a change for me and Serena.....
ole warp needs to run medium gauge strings. I guess i've really increased my hand strength over the last few months and weeks since acquiring Serena and last night the light gauge strings that i run felt like "wet strands of hair" and i remembered back in the day..(and those days were 23 years ago) i used to run Gibson mediums, and would go through several dozen sets a season...especially in the heated
environments of the south...although last night was not in the south, it was certainly hot. I don't know how much the heat plays in feel of strings but i can't help but think that i need more resistance to my touch and medium strings will help with the bottom end on tone.
I don't know if they are making Gibson Earl Scruggs mediums any more, i may just try the Sonny Osborne GHS set, the only difference in them and Scruggs mediums are the 13 on the 3nd with sonny's vs the 14 on the 3nd with Earls and the 10 on the 1st with Earls vs 11 on the 1st with Sonny's, either way....i am going to stop in at Sam Ash's or guitar center and make the necessary purchase when i go out later!

Well, i've rambled on enough once again gang. I will start getting myself together and clean up to head out and run my traps.

Till next time
Y'all have a gooderin
Warp!

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 08/04/2019:  09:07:11

Warp,
Brian Leaver used to play some GHS almost mediums (10.5, 11.5, 13, 20, 10.5) that sounded great on his Hatfield. I tried to use them but could not pull them. So I settled on D'Addario 60 plus which is 9.5, 11, 13, 20 and 9.5. That is what you played going down to Arthur's.
ken

Mooooo - Posted - 08/04/2019:  10:09:42

Maybe you'll run into another podcast at Sam Ash's bring your banjo and laptop.

warpdrive - Posted - 08/04/2019:  13:16:42

Thanks for all the in put guys....i just got back from running my traps....

I struck out at both Sam Ash and Guitar Center.....most of those chains are carrying the standard lights and the standard mediums which if they had a 22 rather than a 23 for the fourth....i would buy a set of each and make up what i like which now that i've had a chance to think about it....would be the GHS Sonny set of 11,12,13, 22, 11, but for me, a 23 had never sounded good, its just to heavy, So....

I guess in the future... i will have to go back to ordering my sets. I went as far as to ask both stores if they had any single 22's in guitar....i mean no big deal to thread a ball end....i done it bunch's of times...but guitar center didn't have any 22's in singles and i helped the boy behind the counter look....and sam ash just said no to looking for singles under any circumstances, but i got a good selection of thumb picks now....so i'm getting there, and really there is no hurry on finding a perfect gauge setting right now....i don't have anything coming up in the foreseeable future, i'm just trying to scratch an itch that if i would just quit thinking about it....most likely it will quite itching on its own...oh well!

I could use some advise from you guys on the best place to order custom sets from...its been so long....and back in the day i always went through Bill Sullivan down at First Quality.....if i had a nickel for how many orders he took over the phone from me....back in the days when there was still C.O.D. and the selection back then was huge.....Earl was still alive....Snuffy has his own line.....Bill Keith was pushing strings....seems like there were at least a half dozen or so banjo pickers with there own line of strings back 25 years ago.....OMG....i sound like my grandpa used to sound......when did this happen?

Warp!

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 08/04/2019:  13:35:27

$3.25 at 1st Quality and $4.95 at Elderly. Don't know the availability at 1st Quality.
Ken

dmiller - Posted - 08/04/2019:  16:37:12

Hey there Warp - - Ken (Greylock) has played three of my banjos at different times when I was back home in Bloomington visiting family.  I have used EXCLUSIVELY the AMB Cryo strings for the past 10 years or so with the gauges always being 11/ 13/ 15/ 24W/ 12 on all the banjos I have.  Ken has been amazed each time he's played one of my banjos at how easily it is to pick on what (for him) was a much heavier string than he's used to.  You can order any gauge you want to make up a personalized set for your personal preference/ they are cheap/ the customer service is GREAT/ and the cryos last one heckuva-lot-longer than anything else out there on the market these days.  Click the AMB link I provided above, and give them a try.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.  

Edited by - dmiller on 08/04/2019 16:41:46

Ks_5-picker - Posted - 08/04/2019:  20:19:19

I like the Cryo AMB strings as well. They figure out about $5 a set with shipping and they really do last twice as long.

warpdrive - Posted - 08/06/2019:  11:23:23

Hey, Guys
real quick....the "enkindled Columbus pod cast is up on there web site...my interview doesn't start till about 30 minutes in....i did more talking than picking, but anyway,,,,maybe somebody can edit it to where only my interview gets posted, and if not....you'll just have to suffer through it like did.

Warp!

warpdrive - Posted - 08/06/2019:  11:49:33

i just checked on the start....It's right at the 21.00 mark there a bouts

warp

Mooooo - Posted - 08/06/2019:  15:56:33

Here's a live link to the interview. Scroll down to "Enkindled Columbus Podcast" and Kevin's is the 6th interview so click on "view 6 tracks" and you will see #6. Click on this: Kevin's Interview

Was a treat to listen to this interview.

Edited by - Mooooo on 08/06/2019 16:01:20

Mooooo - Posted - 08/06/2019:  16:18:06

That banjo sounded great. Excellent picking on Flint Hill Special and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

warpdrive - Posted - 08/06/2019:  16:34:20

Thanks Moo

Again, i'm sooooooosorry......i didn't mention you in the interview....i owe you so much......i've got to do a road trip to meet you when this ordeal gets me to where i can travel to "over seas Minnesota" where ever it is you live !

As far as the picking....i appreciate the kind words....but i would love to have a do over....i really was not settled yet with the bridge as i am now....and i am liking the heavier strings i put on....but it still sounds like a new banjo....alot more mellow that i figured it would be...almost ....Baldwin like at least that's what i hear....and again....what we hear is what we hear, and i talking about that recording...and there was the very very big fau pas ending on FlintHill, and FMB ....i just never play it.....so yeah.....i am disappointed with my debut of my picking a new and great banjo....but that bell has rung and can't be un rang!

Warp!

stratovarious520 - Posted - 08/06/2019:  18:07:18

Wow! What a moving testimonial! You were articulate, funny, and warm...probably not what you would wish to called, but hey...I’m there as well...my “tough guy” days are past history. To drive the point home, my wife (we listened together) started crying when you spoke of your dogs. Well done sir, and I surely hope good fortune continues to befriend you.
Oh, btw, I thought your picking was aces (I manage a flub in every video I post...keeps it real, don’tcha know!) and the Hatfield sounds amazing. Best to you my friend.
Greg

warpdrive - Posted - 08/06/2019:  18:32:50

Thanks Greg.

And back at ya .....your quite the picker yourself...i enjoyed that tune that is a take off of Alice's Restaurant, but then again....i do like alternate and progressive forms of 5 stringing.....

The interview....it's just a very tired and beat down version of a guy that is just trying to figure out each day he wakes up.....to not be shocked or surprised by life and slip as many punch's as possible, and when he get's hit....get back up off the matt and keep throwing back.....that's all i know to do.

Thanks for the kind words!
Warp!

Mooooo - Posted - 08/06/2019:  19:09:29

Here are some links of only Kevin's part of the interview so you don't have to click around...

Here's Kevin "Warpdrive" Hendrix Shares his story and

Here's Kevin "Warpdrive" Hendrix picking Flint Hill Special and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

Enjoy

jphulme - Posted - 08/07/2019:  01:06:57

That Hatfield sure sounds good in your hands. Its got a great forth string too. And love your accent. You are a good orator very interesting to listen to. Keep on the sunny side.
JP

warpdrive - Posted - 08/07/2019:  06:01:00

Wednesday, August 7th, Infusion Center, Columbus Oh, 8:37 am

Good Morning, Happy Chemo Day...To Me!

Yes, fellow Kev Heads, and Warp Watcher, i am getting my monthly requirement of Bug Juice as type.
They just hooked me up, and they started as always, with the IV Benadryl...which is a cheap buzz, so if my texting gets a bit hard to understand, or if i promise to buy any of ya'll a new custom Hatfield Banjo....its the drugs talking, and that is my disclaimer for now!

Thanks to all who have respond to hearing my Pod Cast interview on the local Columbus station....Enkindled Columbus....your words have been heart felt and positive....and i thank you all for your continued support.

This is my 5th cycle of 6, and i just seen my ONC and she already set my schedule for next month...which will be after labor day on the 4th of September....brothers, i don't have to tell y'all what a journey this has been for ole Warp....and i don't see how i could have weathered this so well without y'all.....you people have been a great support for a certified Cancer fighter....yes i will day that again....weather you realize it or not....you people are my support....and it is so crucial in fighting Cancer, and care givers also have there on set of anxiety that they go through in support, and i'm sure that some of you have maybe felt that way on my behalf....again, you have my thanks for being here with me on this thread.....ya'll are the best!

I am hoping to try and find a way to start posting some more video, and for the life of me, i just can't seem to figure out why this laptop won't let me send video any more....i know i was able to send moo the abridged version of the pod cast that Zach did so people would not have to sit through the entire interview to get to my part....but i still can't get the video part of this laptop to cooperate....i will have to enlist the help of a tech next week after this regiment of chemo is finished. i would start on it sooner....but i expect to be really wiped out for the next few days....that has been par for the course.

I put heavier gauges of strings on Serena yesterday, i am now running a 10, 12, i think a 13, 23, 10, but Ken ordered me some GHS Sonny Osborne's yesterday that i should get in the next few days...and i look forward to putting them on, i think they will be the perfect balance....i've used them in the past on different banjos, and they sound really good on brighter banjos such as mine!

Ok guys, i am having trouble hitting the keyboard right now, so i will close for now, and i will be here for the next 3-4 hrs, if anybody wants to respond or chat....
till later
y'all have a gooderin
Warp!

chuckv97 - Posted - 08/07/2019:  06:46:15

Stay loose and happy, Warp. Good to hear from you.

warpdrive - Posted - 08/07/2019:  06:53:42

Thanks Chuck
I'm hanging in there like a loose tooth!
Warp1

jlsorbit - Posted - 08/07/2019:  08:44:03

Warp,

Great podcast! Very interesting, and you sounded great.

KD Banjer - Posted - 08/07/2019:  13:39:33

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mooooo

Here are some links of only Kevin's part of the interview so you don't have to click around...

Here's Kevin "Warpdrive" Hendrix Shares his story and

Here's Kevin "Warpdrive" Hendrix picking Flint Hill Special and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

Enjoy

---

Thanks for posting, Mike...

Kevin... You (and your Hatfield) sound fantastic.

(Hope you feel better soon).

Edited by - KD Banjer on 08/07/2019 13:43:37

KD Banjer - Posted - 08/07/2019:  13:43:01

warpdrive ... That Hatfield is not holding you back a bit . :)

Your 'Foggy Mountain Breakdown' is blisterin'

What a fantastic sounding banjo (and banjo picker).

warpdrive - Posted - 08/07/2019:  15:27:30

KD,
you and the rest of the thread are way to kind to me.....i promise i will get better as the new ax gets broken and and get used to all the little things that i'm not doing now correctly, and hope to some day....do correctly, but for now, i'm just going to have to suffer through it....again....thanks for the flowers....you guys are the best!

Warp!

chuckv97 - Posted - 08/07/2019:  15:32:13

Great tone you’re pulling out of that Hatfield!

warpdrive - Posted - 08/07/2019:  15:59:14

Thanks Chuck,

Tone is such a "subjective"thing...and i don't know how much i can trust my ears right now...in this holler room, and how very loud this banjo is, i mean the ring level of my tinnitus is at a all time high now and only increases to pain when i play in this room, and i'm too sick to stay outside even in the shade for very long.

I catch myself going back and listening to the pod cast, because they did use a good studio quality mic and i'm trying to evaluate what i am hearing...not just the notes but the tone, and at times i hear what i think are really good possibilities in the banjo, but i know its just going to take a lot to time on the strings to bring it to its peak.

My problem is "I'm a hammer" and to a hammer, everything looks like a nail" !

Warp!

chuckv97 - Posted - 08/07/2019:  20:26:02

That’s probably not a problem, Kevin. You’ve got a solid attack and drive without losing tone. It rings beautifully to my ears sittin’ over here.

warpdrive - Posted - 08/28/2019:  06:25:34

Wednesday, August 28th, 8:21 am, Urbancrest Ohio,

Good Morning, and hello to all.

Well, its been a while since i've posted anything, and since today is my 59th birthday, i thought i would celebrate by giving ya'll a update, on what's been happening in ole warp's life.

First and foremost, i am doing well with my treatments, although there have been many not so good days as of the last couple of treatments, i am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and as they say.....i hope its not a train!

Next wednesday, sept 4th, i will start the last of my treatments, it's been a tough six months, and i could not have done it with out your support and friendship, and i owe so many of you a debt i can not possibly pay back, other than to say THANK YOU! to each and everyone of you for your thoughts and well wish's, its been overwhelming to say the least!

I have made the decision that as soon as my doctors clear me....i am going back to work as a truck driver. This decision did not come easy, but i can no longer put my life on hold, and live my life hand to mouth waiting on SSDI, when they have flat turned me down, and my only reasoning i can come up with is there has to be something bigger at work, that doesn't want me to pursue this route of life.

You would not know it from by postings, or if you probably met me in person, but truthfully, i am not a people person, or i should say, i'm not a person that likes to wait on people who don't know what they want.....you know....customer service, and do you want fries with that kind of person, i've done that before when i was a younger man, but i just don't tolerate the environment any more.

I started driving out long distances by myself when i was 17 , i remember when i went to my first bluegrass festival by myself, it was a good 100 miles away and i had an old 72 model ford Galaxy 500, if you remember those, they were huge, probably a good 12 feet long, and the back seat was like a truck sleeper, i took a weekend vacation from Burger King, and threw blankets in the back, my banjo, and headed out, didn't even pack food, just lived off festival junk, them was some times!
I guess over the years, i've driven at least 4 million miles, in everything from riding lawn mowers to Track Vehicles , and i love it as much as i do playing the banjo, and since my Class A's are still active, i see no reason why i can't hold a steering wheel between my hands for the next few years, and maybe see some country i've never seen before, and who knows, i might be able to meet some of you good people!

As for my banjo picking....well, during the 10 hour breaks required when driving big rigs, there is a good deal of time to pick in the sleeper of a truck, and since i would be working, i could see a new device in my future to post videos from the road and who knows, i could end up in a location near a hangout member who might want to come down and meet and greet, i really see all sorts of possibilities with this, as long as my health continues to cooperate.

Speaking of banjos.....the Hatfield Howitzer is maturing nicely. I try to play a bit every day, and i must say that i really look forward to opening up the case and hitting the first few opening salvo of notes......everything i was looking for in my decision to go with the straight grain maple neck is coming to pass in how the tone is maturing each and every day....there is a crispness and response on this banjo, especially on the third and fourth strings that really just floors me every time i pick it. I especially love to drop the fourth string and play the Scruggs drop C tunes like home sweet home, and soldier's joy(old folks) Carolina Traveler, and of course the Farewell Blues, and just the tone and response of the banjo, makes you try to play with more clarity and gusto, i mean the tone of this banjo is changing the way i look at playing, it makes you really focus on the feel, like it counts for something, and this is something that has been missing in my playing for the last few years, and i have many of you good people to thank for this........again....Thank YOU!

Well, I've got to start cleaning up and have errands to do today, get a couple of med refills and buy some groceries , put some gas in the car and air in the tires.

I must work online today to fill out some intelleapps for trucking companies, which is a pain let me tell you, and with my tracked up work record, and past health, even though i have a lot of experience, and clean back ground and MVR, i am not a good candidate, and talking to recruiters for trucking companies is so exasperating , you never known what they really are offering, and how honest they are, especially since there job is to put "meat in the seat" . I must say cancer isn't so bad when i consider what i am dealing with in terms of job hunting....I'm am kidding y'all know, but that is what it feels like at times. My hope is to be set with a company by the time my lease is up here at the extended stay, and go from here to a orientation terminal, and into a truck, and then drive till i have enough money to pick a place to find a apartment , in which since i'm kind of like "the free born man" my clothes are on my back, it won't take me long to settle in a place, at least for now, them is my plans, and if any of you see some flaws in my planning.....feel free to enlighten me in my wrong headed thinking, its not like I've got a lot of people in my life to bounce things off of.

Ok gang, i can't think of much more to say, or what should be said, i'm hanging in there like a loose tooth, and just trying to see a good positive future "above ground" and that is a good thing, each and every morning when i wake up, I try to ask myself...."am i going to be a plus today, or a minus "? and the fact that i can even ask myself that, tells me that i've changed in my way of thinking, and if any of you ever knew me from my past, you'd know that is a huge awaking for ole warp.

Ok, gang, thanks for being here on the show today,
till next time,
y'all have a gooderin
Warp!

chuckv97 - Posted - 08/28/2019:  07:05:00

Hey Warp, best of luck job hunting. There’s lots of empty trucks sitting around out there waitin’ for you. I drove long haul for 16 years, after 65 I quit for the winter snowbirding thing,, this is the first year I haven’t driven at all and I miss it, as I can tell you do too. Wouldn’t you know it the pay rates went up a lot a few years ago, a good thing, but just when I was ready to gear down and semi retire (pun intended). I’ll be going out again next April for a couple months just to scratch the itch and for some extra pocket jingle.
Be well, brother,, hope things work out for you,,, I’m betting they will.

jlsorbit - Posted - 08/28/2019:  08:13:34

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

You seem to have thought it out well. I hear there is a shortage of truck drivers. I think you'll be fine, and it will all work out well for you.

chuckv97 - Posted - 08/28/2019:  08:40:39

Oh yeah,, forgot - Happy Birthday, Warp!