Homespun Blog

There's a tiny club right on Mill Hill Road, the main drag going through the village of Woodstock, called the Harmony Cafe. (It's attached to a Chinese restaurant called Wok 'n' Roll!) Like clockwork, every Thursday night a local group called the Bluegrass Clubhouse takes over the joint - and pretty good bluegrass it is, too! Consider that their banjo player is none other than Bill Keith, one of the finest players in the world. It was Bill who invented the "melodic" three-finger technique, often called "Keith Style," which influenced most of the younger wizards (including Béla Fleck and Tony Trischka) playing today. During Bill's long musical career he has recorded and toured with Bill Monroe, Jim Rooney, the Kweskin Jug Band, the Woodstock Mountains Revue and innumerable others. He also invented the Keith Tuner, widely considered the Cadillac of banjo tuning pegs.

It's great fun to see Bill and his cohorts running through classic bluegrass songs, original tunes and instrumentals. The show is friendly and loose, and you never know who's going to show up from the local music scene to sit in. If you're passing through town on a Thursday night, drop by. You'll hear some great picking!