The Downstairs Concert

My friend Gene Henrikson has been communicating with Billy Faier as part of the Northern Plains Archive (Folk) Project. Now, some readers of this blog may say "Who is Billy Faier?" And that is a fair question if you aren't a 60 year old folk music junkie or a student of the banjo. I will leave it to Gene to write about Billy's unique and special place in traditional American musical history. There is a book on the way.

The short answer is that Billy is a gentle giant in the same league as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger (trust me, not an over statement). I first heard of Billy Faier in the lyrics of a Rambling Jack Elliott song called 912 Greens. It is a kind of talking blues, and in it Jack recounts a trip to New Orleans to look up a "five string banjo player named Billy Faier".

Last week, the same Billy Faier made an improbable trip to the Twin Cities and put on a show for the small audience that had gathered by invitation only. From what Gene described it was as magical as it was historical. I believe him, and regret I couldn't be there.

Now there is a chance that this "bootleg" concert might actually become a semi-commercial CD. Billy graciously allowed the whole thing to be taped, and Gene and the digital munchkins are working hard to produce a demo that hopefully will introduce this master to the generations who have missed the man's artistry. If you what to order any of Billy's CDs you can off his website http://www.billyfaier.com/ in the meantime here's a sneak peak at the artwork of the NPAP demo that is in the works. Some things are just worth saving...