Frank Fairfield - "Nine Pound Hammer"

[afloydjr]

so sick live

[IAmTheWoodenDoors]

It's funny. As much as I LOVE Frank's banjo playing, I am even more partial to his fiddle playing.

[prestoneddim]

this is the closest thing to roscoe holcomb i have ever heard!

[Anarchofalafel]

Is it just me, or does this guy have six fingers?

[BillyClubCondor]

3 people need to recognize a master when they see one.

[WilliamSprecher]

His banjo's been burned he plays so fast.

[RespectableGrownMan]

Frank has a residency at the Redwood Bar and Grill in Downtown Los Angeles. He will be performing there every Monday night in July.

[ilovetheloving]

makes me want to play the banjo.

[cadet1987]

so inspirational.

[xaaassss]

He's my dads nephew :O

[JJabsco]

Just saw Frank perform last night with Seasick Steve, what an amazing show, bought his record, and he threw in a 7", class act.

[rottenhubert]

I'll give anyone a million billion dollars and a nice backrub if they can explain slowly what Frank's doing with his right hand here. That's some crazy Roscoe Holcomb stuff going on and I just can't figure it out.

Also: great shirt.

[kentuckuh]

@rottenhubert: sounds like Little Birdie tuning, old-time three-finger picking with downstroke with the back of either the index or middle finger.

[weikie]

@kentuckuh @rottenhubert it does kinda work in Little Birdie! f#DAAD works pretty well to. Can't work it out exactely though, no matted how many times i listen to that open strum...

[kentuckuh]

@weikie: well I wouldn't feel bad--that rollicking Kentucky style is probably the most difficult style to learn as it hasn't been covered much in instructional books. I once saw a guy named Henry Queen play "Chilly Winds" in a two-finger, upstoke-downstroke style that broke my brain. I asked him how he did it but he got all cagey about it. Frank Fairfield style seems a bit different than Banjo Bill Cornett's quicker tunes and Walter Williams, but they're cut from the same crazy cloth.

[weikie]

@kentuckuh Only two finger I know is good ol' B F Sheltons Darlin Cora - still the definitive version I'd say : ) infinitely easier than this too. Though I'm Gettin on ok with it now I've settled on the f#DAAD tuning, father of all tunings - great for frail too!

[horlacsd]

@kentuckuh Little birdie absolutely@@@

f#DABD

[Schmilster]

Dock Boggs anyone? A living testament to the past.

[manfromcircumstances]

@Schmilster Oh, most definitely! He sounds like he just came out of a holler in West Virginia, circa 1929.

[Pinkchadillac76]

@Schmilster  Thanks for the reminder.

[RudieCantFail1977]

He used to play on the corner down where I live. Beautiful. He once told me "every person is like a bird, we all have a song".

[odinata]

Random chaos.

[SirCoughsalot]

Sounds like Roscoe Holcomb or Clarence Ashley... Boy can play. He also has a facial expression that could make the devil uneasy. Wish he'd smile at least once.

[frontosa6]

Can't wait 'til Nov. 5th!

[bikegeek6666]

i wonder what tuning this is in.

fucking great, though, not many people can channel the sound and feel of a bygone era this well.

[chives422]

this video is like a time machine

[MrJamesrnolan]

He's a modern day man.His choice of attire reflects the 1920s/30s.The songs he chooses to perform are old, classics of Americana.His instrumental prowess is admirable, free of ego, and a reminder that acoustic guitars, banjos and fiddles are as equally important as electric guitars or synthesizers.There may well be others who will attempt to copy his lead, but they will lack his spirit, as his immersion in this traditional music (though he is not the first) comes from the heart, not the wallet.

[rosecity44]

Beautiful! This guy is big time.

[chanellerichardson]

word cannot even begin to describe my love for this song. the end.

[whofelix]

love this guy, but hate the fact that no HMV or tower records has any of his Cd's.

[BrawlNutrition]

What's amazing is that it is all one take....no mistakes, no cuts. Amazing!

[andreandeahhh]

Wow, is this some track of the Anthology of American Folk Music that I missed or something? It's almost haunting how much this evokes early Americana. I feel like I am walking barefoot on dewy grass in 1930s Kentucky. There is just something so beautiful, reassuring, and honest about this type of early folk music, almost spiritual even.

[foxtrotyankee]

@andreandeahhh nine pound hammer is something done by lots of people, not sure if it's on the anthology though. maybe carter family did it?

[FoolMagazine]

Can help but make me feel like I'm on the right path.

[guitarsmurf2501]

This guy is something else... This music brings you in a trance, almost. Beautiful!

[daques]

Absolutely incredible. Brilliantly shot and what a beautiful, intense performance from Mr. Fairfield.

[ARFG2000]

I just saw him Friday night perform. He is amazing. From a different lifetime.

[Sand3rB]

I actually wanted to clap, but then realised I was sitting in front of my computer, so he couldn't hear me. Did clap though.

[Pinkchadillac76]

@Sand3rB So did I!!!

[imafanindeed]

looks almost like a scene out of the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

[BlackwaterJukebox]

totally amazing. youtube + frank fairfield = time machine.

[Dogote82]

i never thought i would ever hear a modern day Jimmie Rodgers :)

this guy is great. have to see about buying his music next time i'm shopping.

[whofelix]

damn this is good! i cant stop listening to it.

[yollam]

What a talented and handsome guy!

[Ppaulnz]

Thanks Mom!

[edwardsnow99]

Everything about this is stunningly beautiful

[thereallybigj]

reminds me of some of the old timers up here in the hills! awesome!

[Oldpiper73]

Totally unique technique, but beautiful

[igotpipegame]

love this dudes music

[bankroll310]

How did you set up the lighting in the opening shot?

[solongletty]

nice work, Frank...

also beautifully shot, Keith!