Suwannee Banjo Camp

Camp Photos: Click on the photo below to view a collection of photos taken during SBC 2006. L-R (Standing): Mac Benford, Alan Jabbour, Chuck Levy, Mark Johnson, Ken Perlman. Bob Carlin. L-R (Seated) Bill Paine, Fay Baird.

Directors

Ken Perlman has served as music director or co-director for several banjo teaching festivals, including the American Banjo Camp, Banjo Camp North, Bath Banjo Festival, Maryland Banjo Academy, Midwest Banjo Camp, Northeast Heritage Music Camp and Suwannee Banjo Camp. He is also on the teaching staff for SBC. You can find a more detailed biography for him among the instructor and accompanist bios.

Chuck Levy,Chuck Levy is a well known Florida fiddler and banjoist. He has served as the president of the Florida State Fiddlers Association, Director of the Banjo Contest at the Florida Folk Fest and is an olditime banjo consultant to GoldTone. He is also on the teaching staff for the SBC. You can find a more detailed biography for him among the instructor and accompanist bios.

Native Floridian Scott Anderson has been performing in professional bluegrass bands since the late 1980s, beginning with The Bluegrass Parlor Band. In 1993, he co-founded Endless Highway, touring the Southeast and recording one critically-acclaimed CD. Scott co-produced (with Scott Vestal) his solo project “Rivers” in 2001 and was featured in the November 2001 issue of Banjo Newsletter. From 2004-2006, he toured in the US and abroad as a member of The Jim Hurst Band. He currently fronts The Scott Anderson Band and plays as a duo with his daughter Amanda. He has also performed or recorded with Claire Lynch, Vassar Clements, Larry Rice, Byron Berline, Chubby Wise, Allen Shadd, the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and many others. His website is scottandersonmusic.com

Laura Boosinger is an award-winning performer and recording artist whose primary focus is the interpretation of traditional music from the Southern Appalachian region. She is known as “The Songbird of The Smokies,” a moniker bestowed upon her by North Carolina Folk Heritage Award winner, Luke Smathers. For 13 years Laura was a member of Luke’s band, which played their style of string band music called “Mountain Swing.” Her latest CD Let Me Linger is a tribute to the band’s legacy and features Laura’s singing as well as her clawhammer and swing style banjo. Laura has taught old-time banjo at American Banjo Camp, Blue Ridge Old-Time Music Week as well as at Augusta Folk Heritage, Swannanoa and Kaufman Kamp. For more info on Laura, go to her website, www.lauraboosinger.com

Paul Brown is not only one of today's most sought after banjo players, he’s also a fine fiddler and singer. He started playing banjo at age ten, and has spent years learning music from some of the last fiddle, banjo, and guitar players to emerge before the age of radio and recordings in Virginia and North Carolina. Among his big banjo influences are Wade and Fields Ward, Tommy Jarrell, Gilmer Woodruff, Benton Flippen, Fred Cockerham and Kyle Creed. Many of his songs came from his mother, who learned them in the 1920s and 1930s from older musicians near Bedford, Virginia. He’s played with a long list of outstanding musicians young and old, and recorded and produced highly acclaimed albums featuring old time musicians. Paul has appeared at festivals nationwide and taught at music camps since the 1970s. He’s also a broadcast and print journalist, and he reports on traditional music and culture as often as he can.

Bob Carlin has taken the distinctive southern banjo style to appreciative audiences all over the US, Canada and Europe and he is a three-time winner of the late Frets Magazine Favorite Banjoist readers poll. He has several solo recordings with Rounder Records, including Banging and Sawing, Where Did You Get That Hat?, and Fiddle Tunes For Clawhammer Banjo, in addition to which he as recorded duo CDs with Bruce Molsky and John Hartford. He also played as a regular in Hartford's band for several years prior to the latter's untimely demise. A noted teacher, Bob recorded a two volume instructional series on clawhammer for Homespun Tapes, and he has served as instructor at the American Festival of Fiddle Tunes, Ashoken Fiddle and Dance Camp, Banjo Camp North, Maryland Banjo Academy and Midwest Banjo Camp. He started his career as a sought after producer of acoustic recordings by organizing the seminal recording, Melodic Clawhammer Banjo back in the 1970s. He is also a highly regarded folklorist.

Janet Davis was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Music was always an integral part of her family life. Although Janet's formal musical training was primarily in the classical field, she showed a keen, early interest in stringed instruments, particularly those involved in folk and bluegrass music. In college, she played the guitar and sang as a folk and blues musician in many of the Austin, Texas clubs, learning from such greats as Lightnin' Hopkins, Janis Joplin and others who played the same venues. Janet is equally adept on both Dobro® and 5-string banjo. Her books are popular worldwide. She has written numerous best selling books for the 5-string banjo as well as dobro. Mel Bay has several of her books listed as "Best Sellers." Janet also teaches and plays ALL bluegrass instruments and several others. She has been a columnist with Banjo Newsletter for 30 years. Janet Davis Music Company is celebrating its 28th Anniversary this year.

Bill Evans is well-known within the bluegrass banjo world as a player and teacher. A former member of Dry Branch Fire Squad, Bill currently tours nationally with Peter Rowan, John Reischman, Tony Trischka, and with his solo historical concert The Banjo in America. In addition, he writes a monthly instructional column for Banjo Newsletter and has produced instructional books and videos with Sonny Osborne and J.D. Crowe for AcuTab Publications and Homespun Tapes. He has taught at American Banjo Camp, Augusta Heritage Center, Banjo Camp Northm Camp Bluegrass, and Nashcamp Bluegrass Instructional Camps. www.nativeandfine.com

Adam Hurt 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 24, Adam has already placed in or won most of the major old-time banjo competitions including Clifftop, Mount Airy, and Galax, and won the state banjo championships of Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Alabama. A gifted and respected teacher, Adam has conducted banjo workshops at the Swannanoa Gathering, the Augusta Heritage Center, and Appalshop, among other venues around the country. In 2006, he released his second CD, "Insight," on the Ubiquitone label. www.adamhurt.com

Mark Johnson: has revolutionized the art of clawhammer banjo by adapting its techniques and rhythms to the demands of playing in a bluegrass ensemble. He calls his banjo style Clawgrass. He has performed and recorded with many bluegrass and acoustic luminaries and is also a gifted teacher and songwriter. His most recent recording -- Acoustic Rising with Emory Lester, released on the Crossroads/Mt. Home Record Label -- was nominated by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) in 2007 as Instrumental Album of the Year. Mark has conducted countless clawhammer workshops at bluegrass and acoustic music festivals across the country, and he continues to host an annual clawhammer banjo workshop as part of the IBMA Fanfest in Nashville, Tennessee.

Bill Keith A renowned explorer of the frontiers of banjo picking and of the instrument's harmonic potentialities, Bill Keith largely invented the three-finger picking style known as "melodic" banjo. He first came to international attention in the early 60s when he played and recorded with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys. He co-authored the original Earl Scruggs banjo instruction book and record, and has also written several other banjo instruction books, including the first ones ever published in French and Italian. He has recorded several albums for Rounder, Green Linnet, and Hexagon, and has toured widely throughout North America, Western Europe, Japan, and Australia. He devised and, through the Beacon Banjo Company, still markets the famous tuning pegs that bear his name.

Brad Leftwich Brad Leftwich is the author of the Mel Bay book Round Peak Style Clawhammer Banjo. Best known as a fiddler, Brad has in fact been playing banjo longer. He first took it up more than thirty years ago, inspired by his grandfather, a banjo picker from Carroll County, Va., and by his father, a singer and guitar player in the old-time style. Brad has learned much of his music from traditional musicians in the region formed by Surry County, N.C., and Grayson and Carroll Counties, Va., and in particular from Tommy Jarrell and other banjo players from the Round Peak community of Surry County. He was a member of the Plank Road String Band in the mid-seventies, he has been performing with his wife Linda Higginbotham as Leftwich & Higginbotham since the early 1980s, and with Tom Sauber and Alice Gerrard as Tom, Brad & Alice since the late 1990s. For more info on Brad, go to his website, www.bradleftwich.net

Chuck Levy has earned the title of Florida's Banjo Champ, as well as being a prize-winning Florida fiddler. Originally from Ohio, has been playing oldtime music in north central Florida of the last 7 years. He is equally at home on 5 and 6 string banjos (five strings plus a short string), whether fretted or fretless, playing clawhammer and minstel styles. He draws inspiration from the music of the Midwest, southern Appalachians, and most recently the flatlands of Florida. His repertoire includes its share of uncommon tunes as well as a few intriguing originals. He leads the string bands "Physical Medicine" and "Fear No Weevil", and has been on staff at the Suwannee Banjo Camp, and the Suwannee Old Time Camp. Chuck teaches fiddle and banjo in Gainesville, Florida.

Ken Perlman. Perhaps the best-known exponent of the "melodic" clawhammer style, Ken is known wherever banjos are played as a master of clawhammer technique and an expert teacher of clawhammer mechanics. He has been a Banjo Newsletter columnist for over 25 years; he has written several books on clawhammer instruction including the well known works Melodic Clawhammer Banjo and Clawhammer Style Banjo , and he has recorded several series of audio and video banjo instruction. He has taught at well over a score of banjo and general music camps including the American Banjo Camp, Banjo Camp North, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Common Ground on the Hill, Maryland Banjo Academy, Midwest Banjo Camp, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, Smokey Mountain Banjo Academy, and the Tennessee Banjo Institute. His most recent recording -- a duo project with fiddler Alan Jabbour -- is called Southern Summits. His most recent solo recording is Northern Banjo, and his most recent book is Everything You Wanted to Know About Clawhammer Banjo . For more on Ken, go to his website, www.kenperlman.com

Sana Ndiaye was born in the southern region of Senegal in the village of Djembering. He first played akonting as a small boy, following the tradition of the Jola people. In his mid-twenties, Sana moved to Dakar and met up with the members of a local hip-hop group called the Gokh-bi System (Neighborhood System), who were looking to expand by adding players of traditional instruments. American music producers soon became interested in this band, which has since become one of the best-known African hip-hop groups in the U.S. Sana has traveled many times to the U.S. to tour with Gokh-bi System; he also works as a soloist.

Paul Sedgwick is a theatre teacher, actor, and musician. He plays all styles of 5-string banjo. He holds a B.A. in Dramatic Art, an M.F.A in Playwriting, an A.A. in Bluegrass Music, and a Masters in Education. He has traveled to Gambia and Senegal, West Africa twice with Ulf Jagfors and Daniel Jatta to study the akonting and banjo origins. He was the co-author with Greg Adams of articles concerning the akonting in Banjo Newsletter and Old-Time Herald. He performs a solo theatre piece -- The Banjo Lesson -- in which the history of the banjo is told through the eyes of various banjo notables.

Location: The camp will be held at O'Leno State Park, High Springs, Florida.

Travel: The nearest airport is in Gainesville, Florida; Jacksonville is also within a reasonable drive (It's roughly a two hour drive from O'Leno to the Jacksonville Airport).

Tuition and board: A single fee of $335 covers tuition and our meal plan.

Why We Had to Raise Our Tuition. We have had to increase our fees slightly from last year due to increased costs for meals and transportation. We also felt we needed to offer our hard-working teachers a small raise.

Meal Plan: Our meal plan covers all meals from dinner on Friday, March 20 through lunch on Sunday, March 22. There will routinely be omnivore and vegetarian options at each meal; vegan meals are available, but only via special order (there is no extra charge for vegan service, but please contact us about itwell ahead of camp). Students may opt out of the meal plan only by special request.

Vegetarian vs. vegan. For those unsure of the distinction, entrees classed as "vegetarian" often contain dairy products such as milk or cheese. Vegan meals contain no animal products whatsoever.

Non-playing spouses and companions: Students may bring non-playing spouses and companions to SBC. They will each be charged a one-time fee of $100, for which they will be enrolled in the meal plan. They may also attend concerts, demos, jams, and other, similar programs. Please fill out a separate registration form for each spouse/companion, and write the words "non-playing enrollee" in the special needs slot.

Accomodations On- or Off-Site: Students have several lodging options. You can arrange to stay right on site in cabins or (if you prefer your trailer or RV) in the O'Leno campgrounds. Alternatively, you can elect to stay nearby in a hotel or motel.

Arranging for Accomodations: Arrange with us for a bed in the cabins, make reservations with O'Leno for a space in the campgrounds, and of course, make arrangements with individual motels or hotels for reservations there.

Description and cost of on-site cabins. Reserve a bed in an on-site cabin directly with us for $17.50 per night ($35 covers Friday and Saturday nights). Fill in the appropriate blank on the reservation form. The cabins are a bit rustic, but they are clean, airy, dry, and have relatively comfortable mattreses. Cabins have electricity. Showers and bathroom facilities are located in two out-buildings.

Bunk Beds. Each cabin tends to have four bunk beds (one in each corner). Although we try to avoid filling each cabin to capacity, be aware that at least some people staying in the cabins will be assigned to a top bunk. If you reserve a cabin space but have physical limitations that makes getting in and out of a top bunk difficult, please let us know on the registration form under "special needs." If prefer a top bunk, or wouldn't mind staying in one to free up a space for the physically challenged, please let us know that as well.

Reserve Cabins Early. For the last two years, cabins have tended to fill up as March approached. To assure yourself of a bed-space, do register early! (Note also that in the absence of special needs, lower bunks will also be assigned on a first come, first served basis).

Couples in the Cabins. If 2009 runs true to form, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer couples cabin accomodations that have any kind of real privacy. Couples who require more privacy than we can provide are encouraged to stay in the campground or reserve Motel accomodations in the region.

Camping Reservations. If you wish to stay in the campgrounds in a tent or vehicle, you must reserve that site directly with O'Leno State Park. Campsites at O'Leno and nearby parks tend to fill up fast so be sure to reserve early!

Off site accomodations. Some hotels, motels etc. in the immediate vicinity are:

• Alamo Motel, High Springs 386 454-1248
• Cadillac Motel, High Springs 386 454-1701
• Comfort Inn, Alachua 386 462-2414
• High Springs Country Inn 386 454 1465

Note: You can also explore accomodations in the nearby towns of Lake City and Gainesville, Florida -- both of which are roughly half an hour or less by car from High Springs. Because there are sometimes large regional events in late March that draw crowds (such as large stock car races), be sure to make your motel reservations early.

Logistical Advice: For advice on finding the site, climate-appropriate dress, bedding, what to bring, etc. click here! Please be sure to read this advice prior to coming to camp!

Registration: You must register to attend Suwannee Banjo Camp. To register, just print out the registration form , fill it in, and send it with payment to the address indicated. You can also register by fax or on line. Note that we also ask you to fill in a questionnaire about your interests and playing background that will help us design the Camp.

Special Last Minute Instructions You may register right up the start of Camp. Because things get hectic at the last minute -- and the director who processes registrations leaves for Florida on Wednesday morning March 18 -- we need to make sure that your check won't still be in transit when you arrive at O'Leno State Park. To make all this go smoothly, here are some ground rules and suggestions:

• Payment by credit card may be made until roughly 10PM EST on Thursday evening March 19. After that, we will not be in a position to receive or process your email messages.
• Beginning on Monday March 9, do NOT send payment via regular first class mail unless you are absolutely convinced that it will reach Bloomington, Indiana no later than Tuesday March 17.
• If you must use the postal service during the period Monday March 9 through Saturday March 14, we strongly suggest that you use Priority Mail. Please alert us via email to expect a check from you.
• If in doubt how to proceed, please email us. We check our in-boxes regularly.
• If necessary, we can make arrangements for you to pay at the gate (again, email us!)

On-line Payment: See registration form .