22 August, 2013

Bluegrass in Lusaka

One of the greatest things to happen since I've lived here was bringing together a group of people to play music way back in January 2012. We started by playing only bluegrass, eventually naming ourselves the Copper Spoon Bangers to capture that Zambian flair. We ranged in skill levels but were all amateurs, and that's the greatest thing about it. It's a chance to practice, learn, and just enjoy playing with other people. The second greatest thing is the way it's constantly changing. We're always having new people join us, while others eventually have to leave. We often get people just passing through for a couple weeks to sit in as well. In its current iteration, the group regularly features an upright bass, acoustic guitars, a singer, a violin, a keyboard, and a mandolin. In the past we've also had djembes, a twelve string guitar, and a banjo. While we've only recorded ourselves once, it was one of my favorite covers, and after finally having internet capable of uploading it I wanted to share.

(You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Bob Dylan cover) featuring Julie's vocal talents)