Black Twig Pickers

Exploring the stringways of our corner of the mountains, eternal one-song and Turkey in the Straw.

BOOKING/PROMO: Download the new Black Twig Pickers one-sheet. And here is the Thrill Jockey press page for us. And here are larger photos and sound clips and more over on the downloads page. And look to the Reviews tab for a stack of very kind writeups. And visit us on Facebook.

Contact the Black Twig Pickers at band@blacktwigpickers.org.

Spring 2013:
We couldn't ask for a better reception for our new "Rough Carpenters" album, which NPR listed as one of their most-anticipated releases for 2013 and the BBC called our "smoothest ride yet" and "at the top of their game." Thanks so much to Thrill Jockey for putting it out and to NPR, the BBC, and everyone else who's written about it -- or better yet, taken it home and given it a listen. The vinyl edition is almost out of print, we're told, so act soon if you'd like it in that format.

Travel-wise, we're looking to wear out some more tires and add some stamps to our passports. We started the year with a trek to Minnesota to play with Pert' Near Sandstone, the Freight Hoppers, and our longtime pal Charlie Parr, and we'll be back up that way in the fall for the Boats & Bluegrass fest in Winona, Minn. While we're there, we're planning a fifth-anniversary repeat of the Barnstorming Demonstrations shows we played with Charlie back in 2008 -- as more info comes in, we'll post it over here on the shows page.

We're also heading to Canada in June for the Suoni Per Il Popolo fest and the Montreal Folk Festival, plus maybe some gigs on the way up and back. Mike has a solo fiddle and banjo tour of Ireland in April. And we're looking at a bunch of other travel to shows near and far. Again, keep an eye on the shows page -- or the Black Twig Facebook page -- for the latest.

At home, we're playing the dances at Floyd Country Store regularly and holding down our monthly bar gig at the Cellar, where we're delighted to welcome occasional guests like Steve Gunn (February) and Daniel Bachman (coming in April). Isak has been playing around Lewisburg with the Hell for Certain String Band and Sally is calling dances. It's a busy year, which is how we like it.

NEW RELEASES!!!
First mention, of course, goes to "Rough Carpenters," our newest and best album to date. We have copies available at shows, so come pick up a stack.

And we still have some T-shirts and koozies featuring Sally's picture of a banjo-playing squirrel, along with the few remaining copies of "Yellow Cat," a 7-inch record that Thrill Jockey released for last year's Record Store Day.

Nathan has a solo banjo album, "A Bottle, a Buckeye," that you'll want to think about. And Mike has a brand new solo fiddle and banjo (and shruti box!) album titled "Poplar Hollow."

Over at Thrill Jockey, you can find downloads on their FINA site, as well as limited numbers of cd and vinyl copies of our 2010 album "Ironto Special" and more.

And last, even though we no longer have copies of some earlier Black Twig Pickers releases (the ones listed out of stock here at Klang), you likely still can get a very reasonable deal on them here or here.

Thanks again, everyone. Best wishes for the spring.