THE BRITISH ARE COMING!

written by Jamie Latty

Jamie Latty
Project Manager

I recently found myself with a few minutes downtime, so I opened up the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine and started to flick through. Eventually, stumbled upon a bold two-page spread where, under the headline banner “God, Beer & Banjo’s” was a picture of a once little known band holding amongst other instruments, a very fine looking banjo. That band is Mumford & Sons and the banjo in question is a Deering Eagle II. A British band in the centre page spread of Rolling Stone holding a Deering? I couldn’t believe it when I saw it, but actually it is not that surprising.

Something strange is happening. It seems that everywhere I look these days, I see banjo. Whether it is Steve Martin playing at the White House, an unknown (but incredible) player in a recent Jack Daniels commercial or the 8 year old phenomenon from Sleepy Man Banjo Boys on Letterman, the banjo is everywhere! It wasn’t always this way but I have to say, I like what I see and the most exciting part is that it is showing no signs of going away! In fact, the banjo is growing more and more in popularity.

Originally from London, England I am the newest member of this fantastic team and it is safe to say that compared to my amazing colleagues here at Deering, I am very new to the wonderful world of banjos. Maybe it is because I am a bass player with a penchant for the heavier side of music or maybe it is just that I have never been exposed to it but to me, not only did the banjo appear to be a very difficult instrument to play, but I have always associated it with the Southern United States as the exclusive instrument for bluegrass. The unmistakable twang of a banjo can’t possibly have a place in modern music, can it? Well, after spending the last six years with Fender Europe, I now find myself living in sunny California where joining the Deering family has forced my misconceptions of the banjo to drastically change!

At around the same time that I was preparing to come to the US, Jamie Deering, (daughter of Janet & Greg) was also getting to grips with the British way of life by working alongside Mumford & Sons, a London based four piece band playing a gutsy take on an old time sound with unbelievable energy and passion. This unassuming collective of typical English “lads” came across my radar a year or so ago when they began making waves in England, but I had no idea they were getting the coverage they were in the US. Touted as the real deal, they don’t rely on production trickery, synthesizers or theatrics to win over the fans. They use their hearts, their passion, an acoustic guitar, an accordion, an upright bass, some incredible vocal harmonies and…a banjo!

They have had a hugely successful run in the US and the UK with highlights that include a Grammy nomination, backing up Bob Dylan at the Grammy’s with fellow Deering artists The Avett Brothers, supporting rock legends U2 at Glastonbury, a MTV VMA nomination, and a platinum album to boot. It is safe to say that Mumford and Sons are making a big dent in what many would regard as a very stale popular music scene. Their success is summed up by long time music analyst Bob Lefsetz when, in response to Sony having doubts about the use of banjo, he proclaimed that “it's that banjo which is making Mumford so successful.”

And we here at Deering are inclined to share Bob’s sentiments. Just this week, the whole company gathered for a routine Monday afternoon meeting and witnessed a very excited Greg Deering hold up the centerfold of what is arguably one of America’s most iconic magazines with the word “Banjo” in the headline and an Eagle II in the picture. It was obviously a very proud moment for everyone here and reaffirmed what Deering has long believed; the popularity of the banjo is on the rise and it is not slowing down.

My point is, we are witnessing the start of a revival which if you have not already felt, you will and we want to make sure that you have everything that you need to make the most of this time. The one thing that has impressed me the most since starting work at the worlds largest manufacturer of American made banjos is that Greg, Janet, Barry, Carol, Carolina, David, all the guys in the office and in production know their banjos, love their banjos, and always strive to produce the finest American made banjos in the world.

As it turns out, the banjo is a fantastically versatile instrument and actually is very easy to play. Just ask Barry Hunn, our loyal Sales Director to show you his two finger lesson! And as for its place in music other than Bluegrass…well I am happy to see fellow Brits helping to break that misconception.

Make sure you pick up the latest Rolling Stone (Issue 1136, Aug 2011) and click here to see some more photo’s from that shoot.

Thank you.