The Wayfarers Will Be on CFMS Stage January 25
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Columbus Folk Music Society December 2019 a not for profit 501c(3) The Wayfarers Will Be on CFMS Stage January 25 Inside this issue Hailing from rural The Wayfarers....1,2, 3 Southeast Ohio, The Wayfarers emerged Member Profile…..4 onto the scene in early Alternative Folk Music 2010 playing their own Venue…..5 form of American Roots Random Events and music. While much of Notes…...6 their repertoire is drawn Save the from the Appalachian Date…………….....7 tradition they revere, New Members……7 The Wayfarers fuse tight Following Our musicianship - centered largely by the fiddle- with the high energy that Own……..7 characterized early mountain music. With old-time radio shows setting the Become a Member of example, their style encompasses Appalachian dance music, traditional the Folk Music Society mountain fiddle tunes, and pre-bluegrass music of the 1920's - resulting in a (page 8) dose of nostalgic Americana. Their spirited approach to live performance is infectious, and people of all ages are drawn in to the sounds of thumping washtub bass, driving guitars, sawing fiddles, and rich harmonies. The Wayfarers have been featured on the national PBS television series "Song of the Mountains", toured much of the Midwest and Southern Appalachians, released 4 studio albums, and have shared the stage with some of the biggest names in bluegrass & country music; including Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, and many more. Continued on p. 2 www.columbusfolkmusicsociety.org 1 Contact us at: Voicemail 614-470-3963 Columbus Folk Music Society December 2019 a not for profit 501c(3) Wayfarers To Perform Jan. 25 Continued from p. 1 CFMS’ Bill Cohen recently bucket list moment for me to Nate played guitar and sang in an interviewed Brandon Bankes, The swap tunes back and forth with these alternative/metal band. We're kind of Wayfarers’ mandolin player, about guys. Even though we were literally all over the place as far as their approach to their music. oceans apart, we all knew the same backgrounds, but what united us tunes.. perhaps they were played is that we all just love good music. slightly different with lyric changes, We still love all sorts of different styles Bill Cohen: You say that the but it was an incredible revelation to outside of the traditional forms that Wayfarers combine “Appalachian hear it in person. It's all from the same we play in The Wayfarers. dance music, traditional mountain family tree. fiddle tunes, and pre-bluegrass music Bill Cohen: Who are the musician of the 1920’s.” What is it about this heroes and heroines that have mixture that you find so special? It's the beauty/ influenced your music? simplicity of the music itself and the Brandon Bankes: As far as the genre Brandon Bankes: The old- traditions/history of it time Appalachian sound in particular that drew us in from goes, the usual heavy hitters like The just always appealed to us more than the beginning. Carter Family, Skillet Lickers, The bluegrass. When you listen back to Stanley Brothers, New Lost City those early recordings of hillbilly or Ramblers, Doc Watson, Bill Monroe.. mountain music -- there is a purity, the patriarchs of the style. We also rawness and energy that I think was Bill Cohen: You guys all look pretty love modern artists like Tim O’ Brien, lost a little bit when commercial young. How old are you all, and how Billy Strings, Dirk Powell, and Foghorn bluegrass came around. The music young were you when you began your Stringband to name a few. But then itself split off and became much more musical careers? you’ll find some really off the wall complex, flashy and polished. Now, artists we like such as The Ramones or that's not a knock on bluegrass or to Brandon Bankes: We’re all in our Megadeath. Referencing back to when say we don't love bluegrass, as we early to mid 30s. The band started I was into punk rock as a teenager, I certainly take elements from both old- nearly 10 years ago, when we were all think some of those nuances still time and bIuegrass-- but there was in our 20's, which is really hard to come through in our style today. Old- always a fondness toward the very believe. It’s pretty tough to keep a Time and Punk have a very similar DIY early sounds of the style in it's purest band together this long, especially attitude...just pick up an instrument form that I just fell in love with. It's when we were all right smack dab in and play the heck out of it! the way the clawhammer banjo and the middle of the prime of our lives fiddle sounded together. It was when people are moving, changing Bill Cohen: Tell us about your touring imagining people before us playing careers, and having kids. We’ve done around the country. How many these fiddle tunes in parts of the all of those things, but somehow the performances do you do every year country that were still completely band has remained and we're still and what’s the variety of venues untouched by the modern world, or going strong. As far as individual you’ve played at? getting them from an ancestor from musical journeys go, we each have across the ocean. It's the beauty/ different backstories to how we got Brandon Bankes: We've been very simplicity of the music itself and the into music. I grew up on traditional blessed to do this for nearly 10 years traditions/history of it that drew us in country like George Jones and Loretta now. When we started out, we from the beginning. It's sort of Lynn, walked away from it and got honestly had no intentions of it ever like listening to a time machine. This into punk rock when I was a teenager. leaving the basement of where we all kind of came full circle when I had Josh grew up on gospel music rehearsed. We genuinely just loved the chance to visit Ireland a couple and Johnny Cash. Justin played upright the music, and getting together and years ago and participated in a few bass in a rockabilly band at one point. playing it on a weekly basis for our local jam sessions. It was an incredible Matt is a trained concert violinist, and own enjoyment was just fine by us. www.columbusfolkmusicsociety.org 2 Contact us at: Voicemail 614-470-3963 Columbus Folk Music Society December 2019 a not for profit 501c(3) The Wayfarers at CFMS Coffeehouse Continued from p. 2 Brandon Bankes: Fast forward 10 Brandon Bankes: I think it makes mine when I was just one year old. years later, I think we’ve played the music that much more I never got to meet him, but a lot every type of event you can think relatable to our audience. There's a of the love for this style of music I of. From busking on the street certain familiarity, because it was think comes from him. How that corners in Nashville, to beautiful born here. It's woven into the very works, I don't know, but I think old theaters in the South opening fabric of who we are as Americans some of it has to be genetic. He for some of our heroes, to and also this region. We're played in a lot of local country breweries and Festivals across Ohio certainly not scholars of old-time bands, and when I got older my and beyond...we’ve played so music by any means, but I do think Grandma passed some of his many different type of venues. One all of us being from the instruments onto me. So for me of the coolest things we have ever Appalachian hills of Ohio gives it a personally, when I play this music had the chance to do was play on little more authenticity and and take it all over the country, it's the PBS Series “Song of The validity. It's also not just the music, a humbling feeling, Mountains.” All of us, more it's a whole culture and stories like I'm "carrying the torch" for specifically myself and Josh, used from this region that goes right him. He never got the chance to to watch that show before we along with it that appeals to so play music past the local level, and formed the band. It was a pretty many. There are songs in this style this was his dream. surreal moment to see ourselves for moments in all people’s lives, on that show, and on national TV. from courting to dying, playing Bill Cohen: . In just one or two In general, we do around 100 with children to working in the sentences, what should our shows a year but it fluctuates a fields and mines. Songs of people expect to experience if little depending on our personal innocence and anguish, songs of they come to your Columbus lives and how busy we are silly mischief and rage, seduction appearance? individually. and heartbreak, hope and utter despair. What the music shares is a Brandon Bankes: Fun, energetic Bill Cohen: Your band’s roots are visceral connection to the way real music that will make you want to in Southeast Ohio, our Appalachian people live their lives, and that get up and dance! region. How does that impact your certainly applies to this area as well mindset as you perform and create as anywhere.