The banjo, for good reason, is often associated with the resonant rolls and radiant twang of bluegrass legends such as Earl Scruggs, J.D. Crow, and Bela Fleck. But the banjo is not confined to any one style of music. Noam Pikelny has revolutionized the role of the 5-string resonator banjo in contemporary American bluegrass music as well as solo performance. Rhiannon Giddens has been an unwavering force in sharing the historical roots of banjo music that reach far beyond bluegrass and far beyond the 5-string resonator banjo and into the realm of 4-string and open-back banjos. These are reminiscent of the West African banjar, the American banjo’s predecessors.
Another musician who is helping to reimagine the banjo is Carling Berkhout. A Vermont native, Berkhout’s gentle and sinuous music embodies the lush green and slow-burning heat of the summer, the brilliance of fall, the relentless winds of winter, and the hope of regeneration in the spring. Her music is an intimate reflection on the time and the place which surrounds her. Her 2015 album “Back Porch Mountain Music” is, as the title suggests, a collection of old-time traditional mountain music and sounds. The harmonious tones of her banjo are beautifully entangled with the sounds of birds, chimes, and the sounds of a small Vermont town in early summer.
A year later, in 2016, Berkhout collaborated with renowned luthier William Seeders Mosheim to make the self-titled EP “Carling & Will.” The collection of old-time songs like “Sally Ann” and “Red Rocking Chair” feature Berkhout’s eloquent banjo in combination with Mosheim’s archaic banjo, fiddle, and guitar style.
Besides touring throughout New England, Carling and Will have been relatively inactive as a duo. However, Berkhout has not completely fled the music scene. Her 2017 album “Mourning Dove Songs” is a collection of original songs written to cope with grief and loss recorded in a bedroom. Berkhout describes the album as “far from perfect.” While this may be true in regards to the production of the album, the writing is profound, in both lyrics and music. Her song “Prelude Before Bed” is stunningly modest. The lyrics are simple: “Sing me to sleep/I’m having bad dreams/Falling apart at the seams/Please sing me to sleep.” The whole album is ethereal. The first track “Geese in Flight,” which Berkhout co-wrote with her father, holds devastation and hope together in dynamic unity. In the first verse Berkhout’s melancholy voice sings along with guitar and banjo, “I feel as though I died today/Dead end streets and shades of gray/It’s time for you to leave but hey/Geese in flight so sail away.”
Berkhout didn’t stop with “Mourning Dove Songs.” In 2018 she released another solo project titled “Apartment recordings.” This collection was written on scraps of paper all throughout New York City and was recorded in an apartment on 34th street in New York City. Like “Back Porch Mountain Music,” “Apartment Recordings” is saturated with the sounds of the environment, but this time it’s the noise of the city. Songs like “North Country” and “Nightmares” showcase Berkhout’s guitar and banjo prowess and her soothing, haunting voice.
In her most recent project, Berkhout collaborated with Magdalen Wulf and Amy Anders to form the folk trio Surplus Daughters. Their 2019 self-titled album combines Berkhout’s skills as a banjoist with Wulf’s steadfast voice and Anders’ old-time-influenced guitar and fiddle. The album, consisting mostly of traditional songs, pays homage to old-time style of mountain music that has helped to shape the musicianship of Surplus Daughters.
Carling Berkhout has made a name for herself in the world of contemporary banjo. She combines the deep history of the banjo with an evolving sound that is always pushing the envelope of contemporary folk and old-time music.
