Do songs usually start with a banjo lick?
It varies. “Pretty Flowers” had lyrics first. “Daddy Played the Banjo” also had lyrics first; I wrote it as a poem. I thought it could take some music. In other cases, “Calico Train” and “Late for School,” I wrote the lyrics after we recorded the song. In other words, there are a million different ways. Sometimes, it starts with a little lick on the banjo. I’m like “Oh, that’s kind of nice” then I try to figure out what can follow it. Why did you call the album The Crow? “The Crow” was one of the early tunes I had written. I started the whole project because Tony Trishka asked me to play on his album Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. I played the song for him and he liked it. Because that song kicked off the whole revitalization of my banjo career, I thought it was an appropriate title. The album cover was brilliantly designed too. Do you have a tour planned yet? I am going to do a short tour just to see if I can do it. That will probably be in October. I don’t have the details just
