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 (left) 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 (right) 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 Gold Tone. 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.

Greg C. Adams is one of the rising stars in the current revival of interest in early banjo. Greg is a highly-acclaimed player of minstrel, or stroke style down-picking. Also an accomplished player of classic banjo (old-fashioned fingerstyle), he was Grand Prize winner in this category at the 2009 Charlie Poole Music Festival (Eden, NC). Greg has made two trips to West Africa to study the Jola ekonting (akonting) (2006, 2008) and was co-recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Apprenticeship Award to study the 4-string ngoni with renowned griot Cheick Hamala Diabaté. Greg is currently a graduate student in the Ethnomusicology Program at University of Marylandand is also Project Director of the Banjo Sightings Database Project. His personal website is www.myspace.com/banjargreg

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. In 2009 he released Another Day with daughter Amanda, and in 2011 he released his own CD Tales from the Swamp, featuring an All-Star cast. He has also performed with Claire Lynch, Vassar Clements, Clay Hess, Larry Rice, Byron Berline, Chubby Wise, Allen Shadd, the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and many others.His website is scottandersonmusic.com

Mac Benford has been playing the 5-string banjo for 40 years. He was fortunate enough in his formative years to have direct contact with great players like Wade Ward, Kyle Creed, Tom Ashley, and Roscoe Holcomb, all of whom strongly influenced his playing. He came to prominence during the 70s as a member of the legendary Highwoods String Band. Later on, while performing and recording with the Backwoods Band and the Woodshed Allstars, Mac expanded on the traditional role of the clawhammer banjo as a lead and backup instrument. His recently released Kentucky Favorites showcases his ability to capture the melodic subtlety of complex fiddle tunes without sacrificing the ring and drive of the best traditional playing.

Paul Brown is not only one of today's most sought after banjo players, he is 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 has 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 has also a broadcast and print journalist, and he reports on traditional music and culture as often as he can.

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 JD Crowe for AcuTab Publications and Homespun Tapes. He has taught at American Banjo Camp, Midwest Banjo Camp, Augusta Heritage Center, Banjo Camp North, Camp Bluegrass, and Nashcamp Bluegrass Instructional Camps. www.billevansbanjo.com

Cathy Fink. In 1980 Cathy Fink became the first woman to win the West Virginia State Old Time Banjo contest, an honor she earned three times. Beginning in 1984, she has taught banjo, guitar, fiddle, vocal styles and more at a number of major music camps such as Augusta Folk Heritage, the Maryland Banjo Academy, American Banjo Camp, Midwest Banjo Camp, the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Steve Kaufman's Kamp, and Swannanoa. Cathy's banjo recordings include Banjo Haiku: 26 Clawhammer Banjo Tunes, Old Time Music Party, Old Time Slow Jam" with Bruce Molsky and Marcy Marxer, and the new DVD on Homespun Tapes, Singing With the Banjo, Clawhammer Style. Cathy has won two GRAMMY awards and performs full time with Marcy Marxer. /www.cathymarcy.com

Adam Hurt. Deemed a "banjo virtuoso" by the Washington Post,Adam 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. Still under 30, 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, and Ohio, as well as the state fiddle championships of Virginia and Maryland. A respected teacher of traditional music, Adam has conducted banjo workshops at the Swannanoa Gathering, the Augusta Heritage Center, American Banjo Camp, Midwest Banjo Camp, and Appalshop, among other venues around the country. Adam's playing can be heard on multiple recordings, and has been featured in concert at the Kennedy Center. 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.

Gerald Jones, life-long Texan, has been involved with the performing, production and teaching of music for over 30 years. He's a skilled player in many different styles including bluegrass, western swing, country, classical, jazz, and Polish war hymns... He's played or recorded with with Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor, Mark O'Connor, Vince Gill, Sam Bush, Hank Thompson, Red Steagall, Jerry Douglas, Junior Brown and many more. He's the editor of Mel Bay's webzine Banjo Sessions (http://BanjoSessions.com), and is a frequent contributor to Joe Carr's Mandolin Sessions. Gerald invented the Acoustic Plus pickup used by Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck, Alan Munde, Bill Keith and many other great banjo players. Gerald is also a favorite instructor at many bluegrass and roots music camps around the nation, teaching banjo, mandolin, and many special topics such as "Jam Survival Skills." Joe Carr said of Gerald, "students love him because he jams a lot with them and teaches as much out of class as in!"

Chuck Levy has been declared both Florida's Old-Time Banjo Champ and its old-time Fiddle Champ. He is equally at home on the fiddle, the 5 and 6 string banjos (five strings plus a short string), whether fretted or fretless, playing clawhammer, 2 finger up-picking, or minstrel styles. Chuck also plays the akonting (ekonting), an African ancestor to the banjo, which he studied in The Gambia and Senegal. Chuck directs and teaches at SBC and the Stephen Foster Old-Time Music Weekend, and also has taught at the Mars Hill Blue Ridge Old-Time Music Week. He is the founder and past president of the Florida Banjo Society and a past president of the Florida State Fiddlers Association. Chuck teaches fiddle and banjo in Gainesville, Florida. Chuck is a consultant and endorsed artist for Gold Tone, which designed the OT-6, a 6-string banjo, to his specifications. His website is www.banjourneys.com.

Alan Munde needs no introduction to long-time Bluegrass fans. From his early creative work with Sam Bush in Poor Richard's Almanac to his traditional bluegrass apprenticeship with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys to his 21-year stint anchoring the landmark Country Gazette, Alan has blazed a trail as one of the most innovative and influential banjo players of all time. Along the way, Alan also recorded and contributed to numerous instrumental recordings, including the 2001 IBMA Instrumental Album of the Year -- Knee Deep in Bluegrass. Alan has supplemented his recorded work with several instructional publications for the banjo; from 1986-2006 he taught Bluegrass and Country Music at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. For more on Alan's career click here.

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

Beverly Smith is well-known within the contemporary old-time music scene as a fiddler, guitarist, singer, and dance caller. Aside from her three highly praised recordings of early country duets with mandolinist Carl Jones, her guitar playing has been featured on recordings by fiddlers Bruce Molsky, Rafe Stefanini, Tara Nevins, and Brad Leftwich, and her singing was featured on recordings by Mick Moloney, John Doyle, and Laurie Lewis. She has taught fiddle, guitar, and dance Ashokan Southern Week, Augusta Heritage, Swannanoa Gathering, Blue Ridge Old-Time Music Week, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes and Summer Acoustic Music Week as well as Sore Fingers UK; Haapavesi, Finland; and La Fuente del Musica in Spain. She has been a featured guest on A Prairie Home Companion, ETown, Mountain Stage and Voice of America, has toured extensively in both the US and the UK, and has played concert halls and festivals all over Europe, Canada and the US. She was a founding member of The Heartbeats Rhythm Quartet, and now tours with both John Grimm and the legendary Alice Gerrard. Her website is www.smithgrimm.com

Tony Trischka is one of the most influential banjo players in the roots music world. For more than 35 years, his stylings have inspired a whole generation of bluegrass and acoustic musicians. He was not only considered among the very best pickers, he was also one of the instrument's top teachers, and has created numerous instructional books, audio recordings, and videos. In the 1970s, Trischka made his recording debut with the bands Country Cooking and Breakfast Special. In the early 1980s, he began working with the group Skyline, which recorded a number of CDs between 1983 and '88. Along the way, he has recorded numerous solo recordings, including Bluegrass Light, Heartlands, Banjoland, Robot Plane Flies over Arkansas, Hill Country, World Turning, Bend, New Deal, and his newest: Territory. He has worked as a musical leader for Broadway shows, appeared on television, and also on National Public Radio’s Prairie Home Companion and Mountain Stage shows. In 2007, Tony was declared Banjo Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). His website is www.tonytriscka.com

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. Our tuition rate for the regular Camp, which covers tuition and our meal plan, is $370.

Deposits. After Jan. 15, 2013 all new registrations must be accompanied by full tuition payments.

Tuition Balances. All tuition balances must by paid in full by Jan. 15, 2013.

Tuition Rate for the Extra Day. Our Extra Day program costs only $100. This price includes tuition and three meals: from Thursday dinner through Friday lunch.

Meal Plan for the Regular Camp. Our catered meal plan for the regular camp covers all meals from dinner on Friday, March 15 through lunch on Sunday, March 17. 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 it well ahead of camp). Students may opt out of the regular camp meal plan only by special request. Note: the regular camp meal plan does NOT include Friday lunch, but Friday lunch may now be added as an option (see below).

Meal Plan for the Extra Day. This year, breakfast and lunch on Friday are provided by our regular caterer. Dinner on Thursday features pizza from a local pizza restaurant and soft drinks.

Friday Lunch. The regular camp meal plan begins with Friday dinner. However, students registered only for the regular camp may now opt in to the catered Friday lunch provided for our Extra Day participants. The cost is $10 per person. Just check the appropriate blank on the registration form.

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.

Change in Policy for Non-playing spouses and companions. Due to limitations of space at camp, as of Jan. 21, 2013 we are discontinuing our special discounted fee for non-playing spouses, companions and chaperones. From Jan. 21 on, all registrants must pay the full registration fee ($370). We might waive this stipulation and reinstate the discounted fee in the case of chaperones for prospective students under 18 (please contact us).

Non-playing spouses/companions and the Extra Day. Due to limitations of space at camp, as of Jan. 21, 2013 we are discontinuing our special discounted fee for the Extra Day for non-playing spouses, companions and chaperones. Beginning on Jan 21, all registrants for the Extra Day must pay the full registration fee ($100). We might waive this stipulation and reinstate the discounted fee in the case of chaperones for prospective students under 18 (please contact us).

Students Under 18. Minor students may attend SBC if accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult. Parents must sign a permissions form that allows their child to attend. If a non-parent acts as "guardian" at Camp they must have signed permission to do so from a parent. Parents or Camp-Guardians may register as students, but if they do not wish to fully participate in Camp they may register for SBC at the "non-playing spouse/companion" rate (see above).

Note: We may need to limit the number of spouses and companions. If we begin to run out of space for additional registrants at Camp, we reserve the right to prioritize the admission of regular students.

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. Our package deal: $50 gives you lodging from Thursday through Saturday nights). Fill in the apropriate 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 some people staying in the cabins may have to be assigned to a top bunk. If you reserve a cabin space but have physical limitations that make getting in and out of top bunks difficult, please let us know on the registration form under "special needs." If you actually 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. Cabins have sometimes begun to fill up a few weeks before Camp. To assure yourself of a bed-space, do register early! (Note also that in the absence of special needs, lower bunks will be assigned on a first come, first served basis).

Couples in the Cabins. If past experience is a guide, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer couples cabin accomodations that have 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 1565

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 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.

About the Registration Questions. We ask about your interests and playing background on the Registration Form to help us plan the camp. Your responses do NOT commit you to take any particular class or pursue any particular level of instruction.

Note: Special instructions for registering are in effect beginning Feb. 10, 2013.

• Registration via email There are no special issues involved in registering by email or email attachment until March 13, 2013. Starting on that day, we will be busy organizing and traveling to camp, and we ask that all new registrants call us to let us know you are coming. The number to call is 781 316 5564 (Ken's cell phone).
• Registration via postal mail, sent Feb. 13-March 1. Director Ken Perlman will be on tour for two weeks beginning 2/18. As a result, he will not be able to open your mail -- or acknowledge your registration -- until his return on March 5. If you need an acknowledgement sooner than that, please send a copy of your form by email or email attachmentand explain that the check is awaiting him at home.
• Registrations by postal mail, sent after March 1. Ken will be heading to Florida on Tuesday March 12. Registrations mailed early in March will almost certainly reach him before he departs, but it's quite possible that registrations via postal mail sent after after Wednesday March 5 will not arrive before his departure. We therefore strongly recommend that all registrations after that date be submitted via email. Again, after March 1 please inquire about availibility before registering.
• Registering at Camp. Depending on availability, you may simply register at Camp. Please call ahead to ask if there is room, and to let us know to expect you (Ken's cell: 781 316 5564).

SBC Faculty-Housing Partial-Scholarship Trade. We sometimes need to house a few faculty members offsite for the duration of Camp. If you live within half an hour of O'Leno State Park and have a spare bedroom or two to offer, we would be happy to work out the following deal with you. For each faculty member you can provide with his or her own spare bedroom, we will be happy to reduce your tuition payment by $50 per night. Generally we would only house staff members off site who have their own vehicles, so you would not be responsible for their transportation. If you are interested in a Faculty-Housing trade, click here to send an email. Naturally, we reserve the right to discontinue this offer once we have all the off-site lodging we need.

On-line Payment: See registration form .

Photo Credits

- View of the Santa Fe River at top of page: Karen Jabbour
- Photos on this page from 2006, and photos on photo page 1: Margo Rosenbaum
- All photos on this page from 2007 and all photos on photo page 2007: John Malinowski
- All photos on photo page 2: Jane Perry-Camp

Send email to SBC Directors Ken and Chuck

Here's our Group Photo from the 2008 Camp