The Banjo Project is a cross-media cultural odyssey: a major television documentary, a live stage/multi-media performance, and a website that chronicle the journey of America’s quintessential instrument—the banjo—from its African roots to the 21st century. It’s a collaboration between Emmy-winning writer-producer Marc Fields and banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka (the Project’s Music Director), one of the most acclaimed acoustic musicians of his generation.
The true story of a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach who uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog African-American college students into a historical powerhouse that took on the Harvard elite.
Johnny Cash influenced a great variety of musicians and it was never more apparent than on Friday, April 20, 2012 at The Moody Theater in Austin, TX. The special concert and 80th-birthday tribute, We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash, featured an all-star list of talent not only celebrating the life and legacy of Johnny Cash, but also paying tribute to Cash, his music, his roots and his heritage.
In 2010, The Carolina Chocolate Drops stunned the music world, taking home the Traditional Folk Album Grammy for their debut album, Genuine Negro Jig. Founded in 2005 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the old-time string band members included Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson, who were all inspired by the work of black fiddler Joe Thompson. As the documentary charts the band’s sudden rise, it also looks at the influence of their mentor, Thompson, and the African origins of the banjo.