John McCutcheon last night at the Country Store told about the time in his early 20s when he set out on a three-month “self-study” of the banjo players of Southwest Virginia.
Some of those he ended up visiting with were student-friends of mine, jamming in the snack bar at Wytheville Community College. Â I was new faculty, 27 at the time; he would have been 23.
Our kids grew up with his music–in particular, the Birthday song, which he noted last night was written by Floyd resident musician, Tina Liza Jones.
The most enthralling  moments in his rich and varied story-telling and performance came from the hammered dulcimer–at which he is certainly one of the most gifted musicians of our times.
Serving suggestion: just LISTEN. Don’t watch. Submerge yourself in the music–of Leviathan.
Very lovely sound!