My name is Craig Evans. I'm a frailin' (clawhammer) banjo player. ("Hi Craig").
I rediscovered the wonderful world of old timey and bluegrass music at the age of 48.
Where most of us heard many of these timeless tunes in our youth, few really knew what we were listening to. Aside from feeling like dancing to the joyful melodies, even fewer of us really appreciated the history of this incredible genre. The good news is, it's never too late!
Through this music, I've had the good fortune of making new friends, rediscovering my youth... and experiencing incredible joy. I'm dedicating this site to helping others come to appreciate the gift of old timey sounds.
Young or old, traditional music is about sharing... across lives, across years. Sometimes folks like to keep things as they are. Other times, improvisation or evolution is called for. It doesn't really matter if you're inclined one way or the other. As you're playing, it's hard NOT to enjoy the moment.
And the moment really is timeless! Here's a picture from about 1907 of my grandfather Will Sherman Weaver (holding the bowl-back mandolin, on the right) and my great-uncle Cliff Slife as young men, enjoying the music of the day. Note: Cliff is holding a 5-string banjo. It's in the blood! So here's my son Seth and me, almost 100 years later (below right), assuming a similar position.
In a nursing home...
At an apple orchard...
When you're playing old timey music...
At 2AM with friends...
Whether it's at a festival, jamming...
In a music store...
For an art gallery...
"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers.
For thereby some have entertained angels, unawares."
Hebrews 13:2
Or for an audience of strangers...
At Dulonos!
Frailin' or clawhammer
is a style of
banjo play
It's really hard
not to feel good!
In a church...
My 87 year old mother (Will Weaver's daughter) played organ at the Methodist Church in Early, IA for 55 years. Here we are at a fiddler's festival near Iowa City in 2005.
Below are some more pictures of family and friends of mine sharing in timeless moments.
In addition to living in an area where old timey and bluegrass music are incredibly popular (Minnesota), I've been blessed to know so many others - like me - that really get into the music!
That's Seth (with the hat) playing mando at a coffeehouse jam in Nederlands, CO. in '05.
