Three
years ago, the Black Banjo Gathering was held in North Carolina to
celebrate "the African American heritage of the banjo, which has
not only a historic past, but also a resurgent present, and a great
future," according to the event's Web site
(http://blackbanjo.com).
Part of that future is the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an African American string trio whose members first met at the gathering. The young group - two members are in their mid-20s, and one is 31 - should help keep alive a rich tradition of the Piedmont string band.
Any
description of Recapturing the
Banjo feels inaccurate.
"I
do some of my grandfather's stuff, but I up it a notch."
The
Dodos exist at the nexus of world music, country blues, heavy metal,
and songcraft, and while it is
as strange as it sounds, it's also pretty natural.
