Julie Elkins:
Julie Elkins (BGB):Originally from Bozeman, Montana, Julie now makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she has indeed noticed the climate is much warmer and more humid. She teaches banjo, guitar and vocal lessons in Raleigh, occasionally flies around the country to perform with several different bands, conducts workshops, and has recorded all kinds of cool music on various projects throughout the past 15+ years. With family roots in East Kentucky, Elkins comes from a long line of bluegrass musicians and singers. By age 12, she was the three-time winner of the Classic West Open Banjo Competition and was invited to join her first band before she was old enough to drive. She's been a professional musician ever since. Elkins received her bluegrass education while performing a long stint with North Carolina's renowned bluegrass band, New Vintage. In 1999, she joined the trailblazing bluegrass/Americana band, Kane's River. Most recently, Elkins was awarded an IBMA award for "Recorded Project of the Year" for her contribution to "Back To The Well," with the Daughters of Bluegrass. released "My Feet Won't Miss This Ground," with friend and long-time musical collaborator, David Thompson. She is also currently working on several other soon-to-be-released projects, which will be announced as the release dates draw nearer. Julie has appeared on: "My Feet Won't Miss This Ground," by Julie Elkins & David Thompson, "Fishing Music," by Ben Winship & David Thompson, "I Am A Stranger," by Jeremy Garrett, "Same River Twice," and "Kane's River," both by Kane's River, "Back To The Well," by Daughters of Bluegrass, "The Lost Coast," by Ivan Rosenberg, "Sands Of Time," by New Vintage, "Northern Track," by Lee Watson, "Old Friends," by Danny Gotham, many, many others.
Julie's website
Wayne Erbsen:
Wayne Erbsen (OTB): For the past twenty-eight years, Wayne Erbsen has taught Appalachian music at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina. He also teaches at "The Log Cabin Cooking & Music Center" in Asheville, NC. For radio listeners, Wayne has a popular radio show called "Country Roots," which broadcasts on Asheville's public radio station, WCQS. You can listen live every Sunday when his show streams from 7:00 - 9:00 pm, Eastern Standard time, at http://www.wcqs.org/. In addition to Wayne's deep interest in old-time Appalachian and bluegrass music, he has researched, recorded and written on numerous other themes of American music, culture and folklore including The Civil War, pioneer America, log cabins, cowboys, railroads and gospel. Together with Josh, Wayne will teaching both beginner and intermediate clawhammer banjo.
Wayne's website
Josh Goforth:
Josh Goforth (OTB): Returning to instruct in 2010 will be Josh Goforth, a native of Madison County, North Carolina. Josh has performed in 9 countries and in most states east of the Mississippi River. He is active in Eastern Tennessee University's Bluegrass and Country Music Program and he tours regularly with the bluegrass band Appalachian Trail, the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band, David Holt, Laura Boosinger, and numerous other bands. Josh has appeared at Lincoln Center, Gstaad Country Nights Festival in Switzerland, The Austrian Alps Performing Arts Festival, and many other festivals and international concerts. He teaches music workshops and he lectures at colleges and universities around the nation. He appeared as "Fiddlin' Will" in the Trimark Feature Film "Songcatcher," and contributed several fiddle pieces to the soundtrack. In 2000 and 2003, he was named Fiddler of the Festival at the nationally acclaimed Fiddler's Grove competition. A fine banjo player and teacher, Josh will be teaching clawhammer banjo.
Josh's website
Rhonda Gouge:
Rhonda Gouge (BGB): For over 30 years, Rhonda has been teaching one-on-one and group traditional music styles in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This includes teaching at Mars Hill College and at Appalachian State University. An accomplished musician on numerous instruments, Rhonda has performed extensively at both the local and regional level and has several recordings to her credit. Her newest CD release titled, "On the Wing," is a mix of old and new material. It is her tribute to having been raised on traditional, gospel, and old time music in the mountains of Bakersville, North Carolina. Rhonda will be focusing on our novice bluegrass banjo classes. New students to the instrument will immediately connect with her touch and insight on how to best build a solid platform for learning how to pick the 5-string banjo.
e-mail Rhonda
Adam Hurt:
Adam Hurt (OTB): Deemed a "banjo virtuoso" by the Washington Post, Adam Hurt draws on diverse musical influences from the North Carolina piedmont, the mountains of central West Virginia, the Ohio River Valley, and beyond to create his own elegantly innovative clawhammer banjo playing. At age 27, Adam has placed in or won most of the major old-time banjo competitions, and he has several state banjo and fiddle championships to his name. A respected performer and teacher of traditional music, Adam has played at the Kennedy Center and conducted banjo workshops at the Swannanoa Gathering, the Augusta Heritage Center, and Appalshop, among other venues around the
country and abroad. Adam's music can be heard on multiple recordings.
Adam's website
Ned Luberecki:
Ned Luberecki (BGB): New to our staff in 2010 will be Ned Luberecki. Ned has been teaching and playing bluegrass banjo for over 25 years. He has played with Paul Adkins' Borderline Band, Radio Flyer, the Gary Ferguson Band, and the Rarely Herd. He has recorded with the Apocalyptic Cowboys, Garrett Grass, Jim Hurst, Bull Harman, and New Strings. Ned was also the banjo player for the soundtrack of the movie "Chrystal" starring Billy Bob Thornton. Bluegrass Unlimited magazine has declared, "Ned's banjo captures that killer tone and technique banjo players die for." Currently, as banjoist for Chris Jones and the Night Drivers, he occasionally tours as second banjoist with Tony Trischka's Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular Band. Many of you may know Ned as a radio personality on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's bluegrass channel "Bluegrass Junction." He brings an uncomplicated teaching style and fresh wacky sense of humor has made him a favorite for instructing the five-string banjo. We are glad to have Ned teach intermediate and advanced melodic banjo techniques at our clinic."
Ned's website
Tom McKinney:
Tom McKinney (BGB): Now playing banjo for the Asheville-based Redeye Ramblers, Tom is known throughout the bluegrass world as one of the best Scruggs-style banjo pickers in the business. Beginning in 1969, he began his professional career playing and singing with a number of bluegrass groups including the Boys from Shiloh, the Shenandoah Cut-Ups, and the Country Grass. Tom has also been featured in a Walt Disney movie production playing the five string! Having spent much of his life on the road, including a stint with Curley Sechler and the Nashville Grass, he is devoted to teaching, to playing in local bands, and to performing banjo repair and set-up. Tom will be available for general questions and banjo counseling. He will be performing BGB setup.
Tom & the Redeye Rambler's website
Jim Rollins:
Jim Rollins (BGB): Hailing from the Greenville area of South Carolina, Jim Rollins has been playing 5-string banjo for over 30 years. Known for his solid and straight-ahead style, he has played with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys, The Dale Ann Bradley Band, Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers, Buzz Busby and The Bayou Boys, Bobby Hicks and The Fiddle Patch Band, and with many others. His primary musical influences are Earl Scruggs, JD Crowe, Bill Emerson, Allen Shelton, and especially South Carolina banjoist and native, Al Osteen. Jim's playing style is firmly based in the Scruggs camp with a strong emphasis on stating the melody. Jim's playing is based on the three Ts: Timing, Taste, and Tone.
e-mail Jim