The Manly Deeds: Baltimore Bluegrass at Its Best

Three of the six members of the bluegrass band The Manly Deeds performed outside of Trax on Wax on Record Store Day 2014: two banjo players and a guitarists/kazoo player.  I was impressed.  Very much so.

David and I stood outside and listened to them perform several songs.  David took some video, which I hope to be able to share at a later date.  There was a lot of ambient sound, so no promises that the audio will be good enough for me to do so.

Several passerby stopped to listen and a few were drawn into the record store.  These guys were effective marketing!  Next door there was a MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) seminar going on and some people ventured out to listen to a few songs.  A couple in a pick-up drove by a few times just to take a listen.  I went back inside to use the restroom, but ended up darting back outside when I heard them start Foggy Mountain Breakdown.  For the non-bluegrass fan that might not mean a whole lot, but its not an easy song to play and these guys killed it.  Flatt and Scruggs would be proud.

I can't wait to see the full band.  The Manly Deeds have a few releases to their name and are currently running an Indiegogo campaign to help fund the release of their next album.  The Perk Packages are pretty sweet, but it ends on April 26 so don't wait.  I'm pretty excited about it myself as its a collection of old time music and folk songs.  I LOVE this kind of music.  After hearing just three members play for twenty minutes I'm a fan.  That's saying something...

Jacob Panic plays a mean banjo (I think he plays in a clawhammer style). He's the guy on the left in the above photo. I recommend checking out his solo album Pop-Grass (click here for a review).   My favorite songs off the album are "Jenny Cline" and "Hold Your Freight Train."  The latter is available for listening on Jacob's website.  David and I had a chance to talk to him before the band played.  This guy is the real deal.  He not only plays banjo, but he loves bluegrass.  Any fan of the Seldom Scene is a-okay in my book!  Beyond being an accomplished musician, he's also a super nice guy.  I'm amazed that he has only been playing banjo for about a year because he is so... darn... good!  It just speaks to his level of talent and musicianship.

To learn more about the band, make sure to visit their Facebook page and website.  Don't forget to take a look at their Indiegogo campaign, which ends on April 26, 2014.  I'll update everyone when the new album comes out.