Joe Craven (wrap up)

By Greg Pool

Host, TreeHouseConcerts.org

Here's a wrap-up of the visit by Joe Craven to Tree House Concerts (pictures and after-show interview/encore):

* We first learned of Joe Craven by attending the Strawberry Music Festival for many years, where he always seemed to be playing with somebody on the main stage.

* Joe called his assortment of percussive equipment in front of him his "yard sale."

* His two main instruments he played were a mandolin and violin, but beyond that it was anybody's guess.

* He played some bongo drums, an angel food cake pan, a hub cap or serving dish, a garbage can, the jawbone of a donkey, a banjo made from a hominy can, a mandolin made from a bedpan, and a tamborine.

* After the interview/encore, Joe also pulled out his children's cell phone toy to play as well.

* At his feet were an assortment of pedals and boxes, including a green box that allowed him to record and then loop all the "found sounds" in his yard sale. This created a dense layer of percussive goodness that allowed Joe to play against with his mandolin or violin.

* Another artist whom I like that loops like that is KT Tunstall, available in "that great repository of folk" Joe calls YouTube.

* Joe also did a couple of amazing spoken word performances, the second while balancing on the ledge of the stage.

* Joe waxed on about world music and mentioned a documentary film called Throw Down Your Heart, where Bela Fleck returns to Africa to learn about the origins of the banjo.