Click here for information on the Banjo Mini-Camp

This year’s five-string banjo celebration features progressive banjo icon Tony Furtado, clawhammer master Mark Johnson, who is the 2012 recipient of the Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, and San Francisco Bay Area bluegrass legend Bill Evans. Joining them is a veritable West Coast All-Star band featuring John Reischman (mandolin), Chad Manning (fiddle), Sharon Gilchrist (bass & mandolin) and Jim Nunally (guitar) for an evening of old-time, bluegrass and beyond, focusing on the many different ways music can be made on the five-string banjo.

Northern California native Tony Furtado’s entrance onto the national stage came with him winning two National Banjo Championships while still a teenager and performing with Laurie Lewis’ band. Three subsequent solo CDs on Rounder Records paired him with such artists as Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas and Kelly Joe Phelps. Tony’s recording of the Beatles’ favorite “I Will” with Alison has sold millions of copies. He has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and shared the concert stage with such names as Greg Allman, Derek Trucks and Sonny Landreth. Tony’s banjo work fuses traditional and progressive elements, touching on Irish, blues and New Acoustic sounds. Tony is also an astounding slide guitarist and singer-songwriter and all of his talents will be on display on this California Banjo Extravaganza tour.

Mark Johnson is the 2012 recipient of the Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Mark has revolutionized the art of clawhammer banjo by adapting its techniques and rhythms to the demands of playing in a bluegrass ensemble. Calling his style Clawgrass, Mark has appeared with Martin and Kevin Nealon, appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and has performed with Tony Rice, among others. His CD Acoustic Rising with Emory Lester was nominated by the International Bluegrass Music Association for Instrumental Album of the Year. An engaging performer, this is Mark’s first California tour.

San Francisco Bay Area musician Bill Evans is an internationally recognized banjo life force, acclaimed for his playing, teaching and writing. Bill’s 2012 CD In Good Company features 26 guest artists, including Tim O’Brien and the Infamous Stringdusters, and topped both folk and bluegrass charts. His book Banjo For Dummies is the most popular banjo instructional book in the world. Recent appearances include A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, the San Francisco Symphony and a U. S. State Department tour of Russia.

Visit Tony Furtado's website

Visit Mark Johnson's website

Visit Bill Evans's website

Tony Furtado photo by Alicia J. Rose